Biedermeier Style
The unpretentious and elegant Biedermeier style of furniture and accessories originated in Germany, circa 1820, and was popular there and in Austria until the mid-1840′s. It greatly simplified earlier French Empire lines into a classical architectural look that was also popular in eastern Europe, Scandinavia, and to some extent in France itself. A darker mahogany look was favored in the more northern European regions while the lighter hues of ash, birch, elm and fruitwoods were in fashion in the south. The style’s name comes from the pen-name “Papa Gottlieb Biedermeier”, used by two German poets who satirized the German middle class.