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.
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut, Upholstery
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Pearwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1960s American Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Leather, Cane, Amboyna
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Leather, Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Walnut
Early 2000s American Biedermeier Seating
Maple
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Birch
20th Century German Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut, Velvet
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Seating
Ormolu
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry, Fruitwood
20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Birch, Upholstery, Wood
1890s Danish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Mahogany
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Cherry, Lacquer
1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Cherry
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Mahogany
19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Yew
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Wood, Walnut
1820s Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
20th Century French Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
1830s European Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Ash, Lacquer
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1880s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Wood
2010s Italian Biedermeier Seating
Velvet, Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Oak
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Wood, Mahogany
1820s Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Wood, Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Yew
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut, Upholstery
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Fruitwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Silk, Upholstery, Maple
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Maple, Upholstery, Fruitwood
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Seating
Velvet, Birch
20th Century Biedermeier Seating
Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Biedermeier Seating
Faux Leather, Cedar
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch, Fabric