Biedermeier Living Room Sets
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.
Late 19th Century Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Other
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Natural Fiber, Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Upholstery, Pearwood
2010s Italian Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Velvet, Walnut
2010s Italian Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Velvet, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Birch
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Upholstery, Walnut
Late 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Cherry
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Fabric, Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Cherry
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Velvet, Walnut
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Bronze
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Cherry
19th Century American Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Fabric, Upholstery, Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Walnut, Upholstery
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Birdseye Maple, Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Walnut
Late 20th Century American Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Cherry, Upholstery
1950s Italian Vintage Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Wood, Rosewood, Lacquer
Mid-19th Century Spanish Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Fabric, Hardwood
Early 1900s Norwegian Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Walnut
1890s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Fabric, Velvet, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Cherry
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Wood
1830s Irish Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Birch
Early 20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Living Room Sets
Birch, Ebony