Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
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.
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Walnut, Pine
Mid-19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Brass
19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Brass, Bronze
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Cherry
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Marble
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Marble
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Marble
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Maple, Ebony
1850s Czech Antique Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Wood, Lacquer
Late 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Stone
1880s English Antique Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Carrara Marble
1970s French Vintage Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Statuary Marble
Early 20th Century Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Metal, Brass
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Terracotta, Paint
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Cast Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Wood, Teak
Late 19th Century English Antique Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Copper
Mid-19th Century English Antique Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Copper
Late 18th Century French Antique Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Marble
1960s Swiss Vintage Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Concrete
Late 19th Century Belgian Antique Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Belgian Black Marble
20th Century French Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Marble, Brass
1830s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Marble
Early 1800s German Antique Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Copper
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Marble
Late 20th Century Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Birdseye Maple, Lacquer
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Walnut, Pine
20th Century German Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Marble
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Marble
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Brass
20th Century American Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Aluminum
20th Century English Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Brass
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Building and Garden Elements
Walnut