Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
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.
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Mahogany, Maple
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Walnut, Velvet
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Upholstery, Mahogany
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Birch
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Brass
Early 20th Century European Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Upholstery, Elm
1940s French Vintage Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Leather, Wood
1950s Italian Vintage Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Velvet
19th Century Chinese Antique Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
1960s Danish Vintage Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Teak
1930s French Vintage Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Leather
1930s French Vintage Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Walnut
1980s American Vintage Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Chrome, Metal
Mid-20th Century Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Ebony, Mahogany
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Wood
Early 1900s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Cotton, Birch, Satinwood
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Velvet, Cherry
1840s Scottish Antique Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Birch
Late 19th Century Baltic Antique Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Mahogany, Giltwood
Late 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Cherry
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Birch
1820s European Antique Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Mahogany
1830s European Antique Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Fabric, Bouclé
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Fruitwood
1820s Danish Antique Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Upholstery, Mahogany
1820s Danish Antique Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Upholstery, Mahogany
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Birch