The Biedermeier concept of furniture originated in Germany and Austria in the early part of the 19th century. It is a style of cabinet making that was in part influenced by French Empire, English Regency and neo-classical architecture.
Following the Napoleonic wars after 1814, Biedermeier style furniture catered to the newly prosperous bourgeoisie in Austria, Germany and Northern Europe with clean, simple and understated furnishings as a sharp contrast to the opulence of traditional French interior decoration and furniture.
Scandinavian Biedermeier
Biedermeier furniture became vogue in Scandinavia in the 1820s and lasted to 1850s. The revival of Biedermeier styles took place in the 1860s and flourished until the late 19th century. The first quarter of the 20th century saw a brief revival of Biedermeier styles until the 1920s when European furniture was under the spell of French Art Deco.
Influenced by their German and Austrian peers, Scandinavian Biedermeier cabinet-makers took the understated look a step further. Swedish and Danish Biedermeier furniture is striking in its simplicity and functionality. Almost every piece has a true sense of skillful assembly, with gorgeous wood veneers and stately appeal.
The Scandinavians used birch veneers in their furniture simply because birch trees were indigenous to this region, exquisite blonde and clean wood with sections of grain that seemed to flare. Biedermeier period cabinet makers used split veneer techniques as the main decorative element in their furnishings – creating tiger stripe patterns and unusual striking designs, often contrasted with ebonized edges.
Scandinavian Art Deco
While Biedermeier furniture makers took their cue from Germany, the Austriaand rebelled against French styles. Art Deco cabinetmakers were influenced by France more than any other region. By the mid 1920s, furniture manufacturers in Stockholm and other Scandinavian cities were quick to adopt the latest looks from Paris. Geometry, symmetry, clever function and contrasting woods were key in defining Art Deco design elements in furniture of that era.
