Biedermeier Sideboards
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.
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Cherry
1890s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Walnut
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Sapele Wood
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Cherry
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Satin, Birch, Maple
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Brass
Mid-19th Century Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Walnut
Early 19th Century Swiss Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Cherry, Spruce
1890s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Cherry
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Walnut, Burl
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Nutwood, Spruce, Maple
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Wood, Mahogany
1940s Italian Vintage Biedermeier Sideboards
Marble, Brass
Early 18th Century Welsh Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Oak
Mid-20th Century Italian Biedermeier Sideboards
Pine
19th Century American Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Mahogany
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Mahogany
1950s Italian Vintage Biedermeier Sideboards
Rosewood
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Mahogany
Early 20th Century English Biedermeier Sideboards
Brass
Early 20th Century Canadian Biedermeier Sideboards
Walnut
Early 19th Century American Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Cherry
19th Century English Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Oak
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Oak
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Wood
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Brass
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Nutwood, Spruce, Maple
1980s North American Vintage Biedermeier Sideboards
Wood
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Fruitwood
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Wood, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Brass
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Sideboards
Walnut