Biedermeier More Lighting
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.
20th Century German Biedermeier More Lighting
Brass
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier More Lighting
Crystal, Brass
20th Century German Biedermeier More Lighting
Brass
20th Century English Biedermeier More Lighting
Chrome
20th Century German Biedermeier More Lighting
Brass
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier More Lighting
Wood
20th Century German Biedermeier More Lighting
Brass
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier More Lighting
Bronze
20th Century French Biedermeier More Lighting
Brass
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier More Lighting
Metal, Wrought Iron
1880s French Antique Biedermeier More Lighting
Crystal
20th Century Moroccan Biedermeier More Lighting
Brass
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier More Lighting
Crystal, Bronze
Early 20th Century French Biedermeier More Lighting
Crystal, Ormolu
Mid-20th Century American Biedermeier More Lighting
Steel, Chrome
2010s Italian Biedermeier More Lighting
Brass
1920s French Vintage Biedermeier More Lighting
Bronze
20th Century American Biedermeier More Lighting
Steel, Iron
2010s European Biedermeier More Lighting
Metal, Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Biedermeier More Lighting
Nickel, Metal, Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier More Lighting
Iron
Mid-20th Century Unknown Biedermeier More Lighting
Brass
Mid-20th Century Unknown Biedermeier More Lighting
Stone
1810s Austrian Antique Biedermeier More Lighting
Gesso, Wood