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.
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut, Velvet
1840s Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer, Upholstery
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Early 1900s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut, Fabric
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Ash
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany, Upholstery
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Nutwood
1940s Austrian Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Wood
1930s Austrian Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Muslin, Upholstery, Wood, Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Velvet, Cherry, Paint
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Walnut
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fruitwood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fruitwood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Nutwood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Biedermeier Seating
Velvet, Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Wood, Cherry
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fruitwood, Burl
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fruitwood
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Birch
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Biedermeier Seating
Bouclé, Walnut
Early 1800s Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Biedermeier Seating
Velvet, Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Wood, Birch
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Leather, Maple, Satinwood
Late 20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Mid-20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Seating
Mohair
Early 20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Seating
Leather, Mahogany
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Rattan, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
1840s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Biedermeier Seating
Velvet, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Biedermeier Seating
Bouclé, Walnut
1930s Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Biedermeier Seating
Bouclé, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Biedermeier Seating
Velvet, Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Wood, Burl
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Seating
Chenille, Upholstery, Burl
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Biedermeier Seating
Bouclé, Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Wood
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Seating
Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Biedermeier Seating
Bouclé, Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
1840s Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Wood, Cherry
1980s German Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Maple
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Oak, Walnut, Spruce
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Velvet, Beech, Mahogany
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Birch





