British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Typically made of mahogany, teak or bamboo and featuring a range of fabrics and prints with botanical patterns, antique British Colonial furniture and decor varies as it involved local materials and techniques and spanned centuries of design styles.
As the British Empire expanded from the 16th to the 20th century, its conquest and control of colonies around the world bolstered its wealth through the extraction of resources. Including colonies in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australasia, this spread of often violent subjugation imposed British culture, language and faith on Indigenous peoples. The design of homes was included in this expression of imperial power, with government officials, merchants and military officers creating homes mimicking the luxuries they were used to in England.
Local artisans were commissioned to replicate British designs, resulting in versions of Regency, Chippendale, Sheraton and other styles of furniture being crafted from mahogany, rosewood, ebony and teakwood as opposed to beech and oak, which were more common in Europe. Whereas the colonial furniture for the Portuguese and Dutch regularly had motifs of indigenous flora and fauna, the British tended to want more exact reproductions of their home country’s designs.
To escape the summer heat in places such as India and the Caribbean, British colonizers relocated to airy houses in the hills or plantations, leading to foldable chairs and collapsible desks in the style of military campaign furniture. Rather than upholstery as they might have in Europe, chairs and sofas in the British Colonial style had rattan and cane seating for these higher temperature climates. The contrast between the light textiles and the dark colors of the sturdy furniture became a defining aesthetic of British Colonial interiors.
Find a collection of antique British Colonial outdoor furniture, seating, bedroom furniture, decorative objects and other items on 1stDibs.
20th Century British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Copper
20th Century English British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Zebra Hide
1950s Italian Vintage British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Smoked Glass
20th Century French British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Rattan
21st Century and Contemporary French British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Rattan, Mirror
1950s Italian Vintage British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Cane, Mirror
1940s Spanish Vintage British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
1970s American Vintage British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Metal
1950s German Vintage British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Brass
Late 20th Century European British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Rattan
1970s Vintage British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Copper
1970s French Vintage British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Rattan, Mirror, Plywood
1960s Danish Vintage British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Ceramic, Mirror
1970s French Vintage British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Rattan
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Grasscloth, Faux Bamboo
Mid-20th Century Philippine British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Grasscloth, Faux Bamboo, Glass
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Grasscloth, Bamboo
1970s Philippine Vintage British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Rattan
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Bamboo, Reed
20th Century Italian British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Metal
Late 20th Century Philippine British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Bamboo
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Grasscloth, Bamboo, Mirror
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Grasscloth, Bamboo
20th Century American British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Cowhide
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Grasscloth, Bamboo, Mirror
1960s Asian Vintage British Colonial Wall Mirrors
Bamboo, Mirror, Wood, Lacquer