Biedermeier Furniture Collection Central Europe (ca. 1815 - 1859) Biedermeier furniture represents 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 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 pieces offered on these pages, that is now an amusing irony.BIEDERMEIER furniture - crafted of blond fruitwoods and boasting classical columns, pediments and moldings - is fast becoming one of today's most popular antique furniture styles. Made primarily in Austria, as well as central and northern Europe in the first half of the 19th century, the furniture was intended for the comfortable homes of the emerging middle classes rather than the palaces of nobility.

The emphasis on domesticity encouraged Biedermeier furniture makers to create many shapes and forms. Some pieces are simple, their curves decorated only with graceful ebony bandings. Others are highly architectural, constructed of rounded and square shapes that give the effect of miniature buildings. Biedermeier furniture has a look of solid comfort - an element that appeals to many of today's decorators and collectors.Affenpinscher Puppies For Sale In Florida Post-modern designers also find Biedermeier alluring: Its sturdy forms and architectural motifs are compatible with their classically inspired interiors.Second Hand Furniture Bathurst ''On a recent afternoon three decorators took out major examples of Biedermeier furniture to try in their clients' homes,'' reported Herve Aaron of Didier Aaron, the New York antique gallery. Used Furniture Stores Canby Oregon

''It's what everyone is gravitating toward.'' According to Peter Krueger, the vice president of French and Continental furniture at Christie's, Biedermeier furniture was so scarce in the United States 10 years ago that most people had no idea what it was. ''They used to mistake it for Art Deco,'' he said. According to Mr. Krueger, it was not until the auction season of 1981-1982 that Biedermeier furniture was offered in larger numbers. ''Biedermeier is far less ornate than rococo furniture,'' Mr. Krueger added, ''and people find it less threatening.'' According to Mr. Krueger, it is still cheaper than Continental furniture from other periods, such as Empire or Regency. An average pair of Biedermeier side chairs can range from $500 to $2,500 depending on quality and sophistication of design, while top quality Empire side chairs may run from $3,000 to $4,000. A Biedermeier bureau with three or four drawers can cost $2,000 to $4,000, whereas a comparable Empire piece might be at least a thousand dollars more.

''Biedermeier has become a magical word,'' said Thierry Millerand, senior vice president of European furniture at Sotheby's. ''It's as much a status symbol as some of the finest French pieces. But since it is a fairly new area of collecting, only a few pieces come up.'' In German, one of the meanings of bieder is plain or unpretentious; Meier is one of the most common German surnames. The furniture was named after Papa Biedermeier, a Viennese newspaper cartoon character of the period who was considered the quintessence of solid middle-class standards. ''Although it was intended for the bourgeois, this furniture goes as well in elegant traditional rooms as it does in sleek modern ones,'' said Susie Frankfurt, a New York decorator who lives in an apartment filled with Biedermeier pieces. Biedermeier designs often use motifs similar to the more elegant Empire period preceding it. Scrolls, curves and lyres, in pared down forms, are simply variations on neo-classical themes.

These themes have been revived today by a large group of post-modern architects. Michael Graves and Charles Jencks, for example, are not only Biedermeier collectors but both have also based their contemporary furniture designs on Biedermeier motifs. ''This furniture has monumental presence yet it's also sculptural and architectural,'' Mr. Jencks said. Mr. Jencks's own Biedermeier interpretations, which are available in England through Aram Designs Ltd. in London, include chairs with trumpet-shaped backs, fan-armed chunky sofas and bookshelves topped with pediments. They are made of a medium-density fiberboard that simulates the light patina of fruitwood, ornamented with ebony outlines. As early as 1977, Mr. Graves's furniture designs incorporated ebony details, too, although his chairs, settees and a dining table, available at Sunar in New York, are made of bird's-eye maple. Most original Biedermeier pieces and their modern counterparts are manageable in size and fit well in city apartments.

Allen Klein, a costume and set designer, for example, is able to house more than two dozen pieces of Biedermeier furniture comfortably in his one-bedroom West Side apartment. Mr. Klein is a collector who enjoys a good hunt. Fortunately, his work involves much traveling. Listening to him discuss his prized pieces is a travelogue: a Russian birchwood sofa was found in a barn in Sweden, an armoire was shipped home from Berlin, a pair of elm armchairs with columnar legs he found in Greenwich Village. ''Biedermeier is not simply a furniture style,'' he said. ''It represents an age.'' Part of that age includes paintings and small decorative objects that Mr. Klein has also collected. In his apartment, early 19th-century portraits and neo-classial engravings hang on the walls. There is, however, another range of Biedermeier furniture that is less simplistic and uses unusual carved elements, stenciling, gilding and marquetry. ''These pieces are far rarer,'' Mr. Krueger said. According to Mr. Krueger, these formal examples are more appealing to European tastes.

''Americans tend to find them a bit much.'' Still, there are exceptions. For Mrs. Frankfurt, the more ornate the Biedermeier piece the better. ''I only go for the most eccentric kinds,'' she said. Her dining room chairs are Austrian and have backs of partly gilded ebonized columns. They were selected to meld with the opulence of the room, which also features a mid-19th-century Italian inlaid dining table, a Russian neo-classic cut-glass chandelier and a floor stenciled in a late 18th-century Russian pattern. In her library, a birch chaise features ebonized lion's paws, and a large desk resplendent with tracery, ormulu and ivory inlays stands against the adjacent wall. ''These pieces have an elegance and variety,'' said Mrs. Frankfurt. Because of this design variety, stores other than antique dealers have begun featuring Biedermeier furniture. ''For the first time in years I'm stopping off in Vienna while on a buying trip to look for more Biedermeier,'' said Carl Levine, vice president of home furnishings at Bloomingdale's.

''It has a classical feeling customers seem to want now.'' Donald Black, the fashion director of Macy's, has just stocked his department, the Corner Shop, with more than 100 examples of antique Biedermeier pieces. ''It's the most newsworthy style among traditional taste,'' he said. ''I predict this won't be a flash-in-the-pan trend either. Biedermeier furniture will be popular for quite a number of years to come.'' SOME DEALERS WITH A SPECIALTY WHILE Biedermeier furniture can sometimes be found in many of the city's antique shops, the dealers below specialize in the period. As with any antique, prices will depend on size, rarity and quality. Didier Aaron, 32 East 67th Street, 212-988-5248. Tom Ballan Antiques, 1148 Second Avenue, between 60th and 61st Streets, 212-832-3490. Urs Christen Antiques, 36 East 12th Juan Portela Antiques, 783 Madison Avenue, at 67th Street, 212-650-0085. Niall Smith Antiques, 344 Bleeker Street, at Perry Street, 212-255-0660.