Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
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 Italian Antique Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Cherry, Maple, Nutwood, Spruce
Late 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Mahogany
1920s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Birch
Late 20th Century North American Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Birch, Ebony
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Mahogany
20th Century English Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Travertine
2010s Swedish Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Oak
2010s English Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Glass, Birch
2010s American Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Parchment Paper
1950s American Vintage Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Glass, Walnut
20th Century American Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Pine
Mid-20th Century Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Cherry
18th Century French Antique Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Metal
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Spruce, Walnut
1880s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Nutwood, Walnut, Spruce
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Cherry
Early 20th Century German Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood
Early 20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Birch
Late 19th Century Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Mahogany
Early 1900s Belgian Antique Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Walnut
1860s Danish Antique Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Mahogany
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Mahogany
1930s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Walnut, Softwood