Biedermeier Furniture
The authentic Biedermeier furniture on 1stDibs is representative of the first modern European decorative style not dictated by the tastes of the aristocracy. Following the Napoleonic wars, a growing, wealthy urban middle class in the German-speaking states of Central Europe began to demand rights and privileges once granted only to nobles. To avoid trouble, the upwardly striving confined their political discussions to one another’s homes. And so the salon was born.
Cabinetmakers in cities such as Vienna, Berlin and Mainz began to offer goods that reflected the tastes and needs of the new class. The makers of Biedermeier chairs, tables and other furniture used little or no gilding, silver hardware or other lavish ornament. Ebonized trims are common on Biedermeier cabinetry, and neoclassical elements — lyre-shaped chair splats, carved scrollwork, table supports shaped like Greek columns. But the strongest aesthetic statement came from the wood — richly-grained, honey-colored, often book-matched veneers of walnut and fruitwood.
There are two iconic Biedermeier furniture forms, both made to outfit rooms designed for conversation. One is the sofa, deeply upholstered with a strong, architectural wooden frame. The second is the circular pedestal table, which stood at the center of the room, offering a surface on which to place coffee and cake services; or to roll out a map, or sketch out ideas on paper.
“Biedermeier” was originally a derogatory term — it derives from the pen names of two German magazine writers who mocked bourgeois manners. Looking at the elegant and refined antique, new and vintage Biedermeier furniture offered on 1stDibs, that is now an amusing irony.
1850s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Mid-19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1820s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Burl
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Walnut
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Beech, Maple
1880s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Leather, Birch
1860s Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Mahogany
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal, Brass
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1870s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal, Bronze
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1890s Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Beech, Maple
1770s Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Gold, Brass, Iron
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Pine
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Iron
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Pine
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass, Iron
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
Mid-19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Maple
Mid-20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Marble, Brass
Late 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Wood
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Cherry
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Nutwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Pine
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
1830s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Maple, Walnut, Softwood
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Gold
1820s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Late 20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Leather, Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Pine, Wood, Birdseye Maple
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Spruce, Ash
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1850s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Birch
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple