Literature and music (notably that of Franz Schubert) were also influences but Biedermeier is best remembered today for architecture and furniture design. The clean and functional style was an influence on art deco and bauhaus.

The style has enjoyed several revivals, including one in Scandinavia about 1900. More recently, there has been a Biedermeier resurgence in the US and Britain, where celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Barbra Streisand and Elton John are noted collectors.

There have been several retrospective exhibitions and significant pieces are starting to appear at auction with frightening price tags, especially in America. Biedermeier is now big in New York. Part of its appeal is that this was perhaps the first style to be designed for apartment living - in Vienna and Berlin rather than Tribeca.

It has also taken off in a smaller way in Australia where a growing band of collectors is seeking out what few pieces can be found here. Gordon Brown from the ABC1 series Collectors highlighted Biedermeier in a segment in February last year. The style is especially popular with designers, architects and advertising types who appreciate its functional lines and the fact that it looks modern and light for something that is so old. Most will date a piece at about 1920 when it is actually 100 years older.

Local examples of Biedermeier are mostly recently imported but a few pieces have been sourced here, including a rare suite displayed by dealers Kent and Sharen Virtanen at the Great Sydney Antique Fair in Sydney. A complete set is rare enough but this one, comprising six chairs, a small sofa and matching table, was found here, possibly brought over by a European family during postwar migration.

The ebonised columns on the sofa and lyre supports on the table are classic Biedermeier motifs. The fan-shaped chairs are also a trademark of the style.

Virtanen has identified the suite as having been made in Austria about 1820, possibly by Joseph Danhauser. He's valued it at between $22,000 and $26,000 and thinks it unlikely that he'll ever find anything this fine in Australia again.

The Viennese Danhauser is one of the landmark Biedermeier designers; J.F. Schinkel from Berlin is another. Their work is distinctive enough to be identified from source books, although copies were made in the Scandinavian revival period at the turn of the 20th century.

Experts can tell the difference because of the choices of wood preferred in each region. Birch was especially popular in Scandinavia. Buyers should check to make sure their original is not a clever 1900 reproduction.

My collection

Kent Virtanen grew up in Finland, where he was surrounded by Biedermeier furniture. When he moved to Australia with his wife, Sharen, they decided to open an antique shop specialising in this type of furniture (Virtanen Antiques, 933 High Street, Armadale, Victoria), despite few Australians appearing to be aware of the style at that stage.

It is only in the past few years that interest has increased, yet to their knowledge theirs is the only shop that specialises in the style. But perhaps not for much longer. Kent Virtanen travels to Europe to buy new stock and is finding less and less each time he goes.

The Virtanen property outside Melbourne is already a shrine to the Biedermeier period, along with the couple's other passion, art deco.

They find that these two styles, made a century apart, blend in well together and both work surprisingly well with contemporary furniture.

"You can put a modern coffee table in front of a Biedermeier sofa and it doesn't look out of place," he says.

$3500

This lyre table was made in Sweden about 1900 as part of the Scandinavian Biedermeier revival. The lyre support and ebonised lion's paw feet are trademarks of the style.

$10,000

A flame birch Biedermeier cabinet, made in northern Germany about 1830. It is a good example of the influence of Berlin designer K.F. Schinkel. The design is inspired by the Roman and Greek classical period.

$22,000

This mahogany secretaire is a piece of exceptional quality. Secret compartments are reached by turning the gilded bronze figure of Napoleon. It is thought to have been made for an exhibition.

Scandinavian revival examples are still worth collecting, even if they can't quite match the Central European original at auction. Because there is now such a demand for this style, especially in the US, genuine Biedermeier represents a solid investment. The trick is to find it.

Virtanen has developed strong contacts in the antiques trade in Europe but says his supplies are steadily drying up. He thinks that many dealers are now concentrating on the increasingly lucrative US market.

Occasionally he stumbles on a piece that surprises him. The secretaire he had on display in Sydney is a rare treasure - so intricate is the design that he suspects it was made on commission or as a demonstration showpiece for an exhibition.

It features many secret compartments, with access gained by turning the gilded bronze figure of Napoleon (perhaps an ironic statement by the designer).

The balcony is made of hand-turned ivory and the lock has four tongues, each inscribed in Latin. The key is an intricate S-shape.

Whatever its history, it is a Biedermeier work of art and it sold almost as soon as it went on display. The anonymous buyer happily paid $22,000.

Also worth a look is Melbourne's Bainbridge Fine Furniture in Airport West, which makes a range of modern bespoke furniture in the Biedermeier style.