Biedermeier Seating
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.
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Velvet, Walnut
19th Century Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1890s Danish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fruitwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Walnut
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
1820s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
1880s French Antique Biedermeier Seating
Oak
1880s French Antique Biedermeier Seating
Oak
Late 20th Century Biedermeier Seating
Leather, Mahogany
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
20th Century German Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Beech, Maple
1770s Italian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1850s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Birch
1930s Austrian Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry, Softwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Oak, Beech, Cherry, Lacquer
Early 1900s European Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Early 1900s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Late 19th Century Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Other
Late 20th Century Italian Biedermeier Seating
Bronze
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Ash
Late 19th Century Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Other
Early 19th Century Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Other
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fruitwood
1840s French Antique Biedermeier Seating
Hardwood, Beech
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Oak, Walnut, Spruce
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Natural Fiber, Cherry
Early 2000s American Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Seating
Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birdseye Maple
1890s Norwegian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
Early 1900s Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Seating
Chenille, Upholstery, Burl
Early 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Oak, Walnut, Spruce
1990s Canadian Biedermeier Seating
Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 1900s Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
Late 20th Century American Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Cherry
Late 20th Century American Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Cherry
Mid-20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Leather
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Cherry
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Muslin, Mahogany