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.
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Maple
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Oak, Softwood
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1830s English Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Pine
1860s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Birch
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Stucco, Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birdseye Maple
1990s Canadian Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1890s Norwegian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1890s Norwegian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Chenille, Upholstery, Burl
1980s American Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Satinwood, Glass
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
Early 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Oak, Walnut, Spruce
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Pine, Wood, Birdseye Maple
Early 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood, Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
1880s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
1870s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Ebony, Satinwood
Early 1900s Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Wood
1960s Austrian Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Spruce
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1920s European Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Mid-19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Burl
Mid-20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Wood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Softwood
1820s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash, Ebony
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Wood, Fruitwood
Late 20th Century American Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Cherry
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Mid-19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Spruce