Biedermeier Dressers
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 Italian Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Fruitwood
Mid-19th Century Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Brass
1980s American Vintage Biedermeier Dressers
Brass
20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Dressers
Wood
1820s European Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Walnut
1860s German Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Brass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Brass, Iron
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Cherry
1820s Danish Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Mahogany
1820s Danish Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Mahogany
1810s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Cherry
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Elm
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Cherry
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Biedermeier Dressers
Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Metal
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Ash
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Brass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Iron, Gold Plate
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Marble
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Brass
Late 20th Century Biedermeier Dressers
Satinwood
20th Century European Biedermeier Dressers
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Brass
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Oak
Late 19th Century American Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Wood
1950s Italian Vintage Biedermeier Dressers
Marble
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Cherry
2010s German Biedermeier Dressers
Walnut
1830s Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Walnut
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Marble, Brass
20th Century American Biedermeier Dressers
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Biedermeier Dressers
Mirror, Wood
1970s American Vintage Biedermeier Dressers
Chrome
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Walnut, Softwood
Mid-20th Century European Biedermeier Dressers
Mahogany
Late 20th Century Biedermeier Dressers
Satinwood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Cherry, Mahogany, Lacquer
20th Century European Biedermeier Dressers
Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Mahogany
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Wood, Mahogany
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Walnut
Late 20th Century American Biedermeier Dressers
Brass
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Birdseye Maple, Fruitwood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Dressers
Birch
Mid-20th Century American Biedermeier Dressers
Brass