Biedermeier Home Accents
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.
1980s American Vintage Biedermeier Home Accents
Brass
19th Century Belgian Antique Biedermeier Home Accents
Glass, Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Home Accents
Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Home Accents
Paper
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Home Accents
Steel
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Home Accents
Giltwood
Mid-20th Century American Biedermeier Home Accents
Brass
1980s Unknown Vintage Biedermeier Home Accents
Wood
19th Century Japanese Antique Biedermeier Home Accents
Mid-20th Century American Biedermeier Home Accents
Wood
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Home Accents
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Biedermeier Home Accents
Iron
Late 19th Century Spanish Antique Biedermeier Home Accents
Walnut
Late 20th Century Biedermeier Home Accents
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Home Accents
Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Home Accents
Satin, Wood
1860s British Antique Biedermeier Home Accents
Hardwood
19th Century Polish Antique Biedermeier Home Accents
Spruce
1970s German Vintage Biedermeier Home Accents
Metal
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Home Accents
Glass, Satinwood
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Home Accents
Walnut