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 German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Ebony, Mahogany
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Early 1900s Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
20th Century European Biedermeier Seating
Metal
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
1810s French Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
1820s French Antique Biedermeier Seating
Paint, Cherry
Early 1900s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Velvet, Walnut
20th Century Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Lacquer
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Mid-20th Century European Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Mahogany
18th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Wood, Giltwood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry, Softwood
Late 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Seating
Wood
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cane, Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Burl, Walnut
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Gold Leaf
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut, Fabric
1960s Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Cotton, Wood, Burl
1970s American Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Cotton, Wood
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cane, Cherry
20th Century Biedermeier Seating
Wood
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Wood, Cherry
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Seating
Suede, Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Wood, Mahogany
1850s French Antique Biedermeier Seating
Wood, Lacquer, Maple, Walnut
1890s Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Linen, Oak
1850s French Antique Biedermeier Seating
Wood, Maple, Lacquer, Cherry, Satinwood
20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Seating
Wood, Beech
20th Century Biedermeier Seating
Wood
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
20th Century German Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Silk, Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Wood, Birch
20th Century German Biedermeier Seating
Birch
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Wood, Mahogany
19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Yew
Early 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
1820s Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Wood, Walnut
1790s Danish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Wood
Early 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
Early 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Wood, Lacquer, Upholstery, Cherry
1880s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Cherry





