BIEDERMEIER: DESIGN INSPIRATION

"Neoclassicism and the Biedermeier Style: the impact of Classical antiquity and the taste of the new bourgeoisie in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries."

"Clean, simple lines and honest, functional form characterize Biedermeier furniture. The pieces are generally designed on a small scale with graceful and elegant forms. Devoid of unnecessary embellishment Biedermeier draws your attention to the beautiful wood veneers that comprise the surface areas. Early pieces were traditionally crafted from dark mahogany woods with a tendency towards Empire styling. In later years, Biedermeier furniture was generally fashioned from lighter woods such as birch, grained ash, pear and cherry, and exhibited a clearly more whimsical styling."

"Biedermeier furniture is gaining a greater appreciation among today’s collectors, as these pieces are especially well suited for our modern homes. With petite proportions, Biedermeier antiques work well in small spaces and fulfill our desire for furniture that is both functional and beautiful."

"Biedermeier is a symbiosis of reason and sentimentality, of sobriety and fantasy combining a variety of fundamental attitudes toward life."

"The term Biedermeier was coined after a fictitious poet, who was sarcastically describing the current style of clean lines and spare shapes that could be found in almost every home of the time. The name bieder, meaning unpretentious or plain, and Meier, which is a common German surname, became Biedermeier."

"Biedermeier furniture is an expression of the living culture of the epoch and simultaneously the reflection of a social structure in transition, in which the contours of the present times were already taking shape."

BIEDERMEIER: AN ELEGANT SIMPLICITY IN DESIGN

The Biedermeier period lasted from the fall of Napoleon in 1815 until the Revolution of 1848. During the Biedermeier period, the continent of Europe saw a great awakening in its desire to infuse interior design with a new elegant simplicity. Delicate furniture, exotic textiles, an influence from Napoleon’s campaign, and masterful works of silver and porcelain added to the overall Biedermeier interior environment. It is within these interiors that Biedermeier design reveals its origins.

The central idea was that every aspect of the Biedermeier interior environment should have a refined elegance, with an emphasis on construction and function. Clustering together objects of great beauty was an important concept for these new Biedermeier interiors. Several small seating groups in each room supported the belief that beautiful interiors would encourage the philosophical discussion of art, music, and poetry.

The Biedermeier interior was the environment that produced such musical geniuses as Shubert and Beethoven. As a result, the cultural achievements of this period rank among the most fruitful since the Renaissance era.

Biedermeier design marks the transition between the Neo-Classical (1770-1815) and the Romantic (1840-1870) eras. In France, this transition period is known as Empire, in England as Regency, and in the United States as Federal. Although not exactly the same, there are many stylistic similarities.

Clean, simple lines and honest, functional form characterize Biedermeier furniture. Biedermeier pieces are generally designed on a small scale with graceful and elegant forms. Devoid of unnecessary embellishment Biedermeier draws your attention to the beautiful wood veneers that comprise the surface areas. Early Biedermeier pieces were traditionally crafted from dark mahogany woods with a tendency towards Empire styling. In later years, Biedermeier furniture was generally fashioned from lighter woods such as birch, grained ash, pear and cherry, and exhibited a clearly more whimsical styling.

The term Biedermeier was coined after a fictitious poet, who was sarcastically describing the current style of clean lines and spare shapes that could be found in almost every home of the time. The name bieder, meaning unpretentious or plain, and Meier, which is a common German surname, became Biedermeier.

Today, the Biedermeier style is increasingly popular. World renowned architects such as Robert Venturi, Charles Jenks, Michael Graves and Milo Baughman have rediscovered its beauty. As a result, these architects are using Biedermeier design as the inspiration for their own lines of contemporary furniture.

In addition, Biedermeier furniture is gaining a greater appreciation among today’s collectors, as Biedermeier antiques are especially well suited for our modern homes. With petite proportions, Biedermeier antiques work well in small spaces and fulfill our desire for furniture that is both functional and beautiful.

The gallery is located in downtown Sarasota, Florida and can be easily reached from Naples, Miami, Tampa, Orlando and Atlanta. We specialize in Original Contemporary Fine Art and authentic Biedermeier antiques. Come visit us today to experience our synergy of Contemporary Fine Art and Neo-Classic & Biedermeier Antiques. We look forward to seeing you.

Copyright © 2004 Elizabeth Rice, Inc.