British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
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.
1920s English Vintage British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Metal
Late 19th Century Burmese Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Teak
Mid-20th Century Philippine British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Leather, Faux Bamboo
Late 18th Century English Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Late 20th Century British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Mid-20th Century English British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Steel
Late 20th Century British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Hardwood
18th Century English Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Hardwood
1970s French Vintage British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Faux Bamboo, Wicker, Wood
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Upholstery, Bamboo, Cane, Raffia, Rattan
Early 20th Century British British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Early 20th Century British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Teak
19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany, Padouk
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
19th Century Portuguese Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
1970s Unknown Vintage British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bamboo, Cane
1970s Unknown Vintage British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bamboo, Cane
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bamboo, Cane
19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Teak
1970s Unknown Vintage British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bamboo, Cane
Early 20th Century Burmese British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Teak
Early 20th Century English British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Enamel
1970s American Vintage British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
20th Century Indian British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Iron
Late 20th Century American British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Grasscloth, Faux Bamboo, Glass
Mid-20th Century Southeast Asian British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bamboo, Mahogany
Late 20th Century Philippine British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bronze
1970s Unknown Vintage British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bamboo, Cane
19th Century English Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Leather, Mahogany
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Leather, Grasscloth, Mahogany
1880s English Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Late 19th Century English Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Mid-20th Century Philippine British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Leather, Coconut
Mid-20th Century English British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bamboo, Cane
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Grasscloth, Faux Bamboo
20th Century American British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Early 1900s British Indian Ocean Territory Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Teak
1910s European Vintage British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wool
20th Century Burmese British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Teak
Early 19th Century English Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Early 19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Hardwood
1890s English Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Sycamore
Early 20th Century English British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
1980s American Vintage British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Stone
19th Century Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
1990s American British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Teak
Early 19th Century English Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Early 20th Century Indian British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Hardwood
1980s Thai Vintage British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Wood, Teak
Early 20th Century Indian British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Rosewood
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Faux Bamboo
Early 19th Century Philippine Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Early 1900s Thai Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Wood, Teak
Early 20th Century English British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Oak
Early 1900s Thai Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Wood, Teak
Early 20th Century English British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany