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 German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry, Fruitwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
1820s Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Cherry
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Cherry, Lacquer
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut, Fabric
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Velvet, Fabric, Cherry, Softwood
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Bouclé, Beech
1930s Danish Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Velvet, Oak
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
19th Century Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Ash, Ebony
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Nutwood
Early 20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Wood
Early 20th Century German Biedermeier Seating
Maple, Silk
1960s Italian Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Cherry
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Brass, Metal
Late 20th Century American Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Wood
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Muslin, Mahogany
Late 19th Century Russian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Satinwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Yew
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1820s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Late 19th Century Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Walnut
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Ash
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Rattan, Wood, Lacquer, Walnut
Early 1900s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Velvet, Mahogany, Oak, Ash, Rosewood
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Biedermeier Seating
Velvet, Walnut
1840s French Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Late 19th Century Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Walnut
Early 20th Century American Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Wood, Burl, Paint
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Wood
20th Century American Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1840s Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer, Upholstery
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Velvet, Walnut
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fruitwood, Pearwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Pearwood
1960s American Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Leather, Cane, Amboyna
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut, Velvet
Early 1900s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut, Fabric





