Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1854, from German, from Gottlieb Biedermeier, name of a fictitious writer of stodgy poems (invented by Ludwig Eichrodt as a satire on bourgeois taste); the name applied to styles prevalent in Germany 1815-48; also "conventional, bourgeois."
Wikipedia
The Biedermeier period refers to an era in Central Europe between 1815 and 1848 during which the middle class grew and arts appealed to common sensibilities. It began with the time of the Congress of Vienna at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, and ended with the onset of the European revolutions in 1848. Although the term itself is a historical reference, it is predominantly used to denote the artistic styles that flourished in the fields of literature, music, the visual arts and interior design.
Usage examples of "biedermeier".
The evening lasted for ever, with leisurely drinks in the magnificent drawing room, preceding an equally leisurely dinner in the sombre Biedermeier dining room.
All the old Biedermeier furniture had gone, in favour of modern pieces.
This was a combination often used in Biedermeier designs at the turn of the century, when the furniture was at the height of its popularity.
Only the toasted richness of a Biedermeier tall case clock, the matte black of the wrought iron banister, and the golden flamboyance of a Louis XV giltwood mirror intruded upon the unrelenting whiteness.
And there was a rare Austrian Biedermeier chest that, when all its drawers and doors and apertures were closed, looked like a big, fat faceless clock sitting atop a curly-legged table.
Mica Ertegun and Chessy Rayner, scouting for their design firm, MACII, paused to ask Max if he might be interested in a Biedermeier mantel clock they had found to add to his collection.
She also found two pieces she knew Max would love: a Biedermeier games table with graceful swan supports and an Austrian neoclassical mantel clock, beautifully arched and columned, that perfectly complemented his collection.
Closed, it was a striking but simple, unpretentious piece with a flat, unembellished facade crafted from the honeytoned woods favored by Biedermeier artisans.
One of these Frank kept positioned exactly facing the massive speakers of his elaborate hi-fi system, its working parts concealed inside a birchwood Biedermeier tallboy that had been disembowelled to accommodate it.
She pointed to a great Biedermeier secretaire, the top section of which, with its bronze Ionic columns, was an ancient Greek temple in miniature.