British Colonial Lounge Chairs
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 Lounge Chairs
Cane, Rattan, Wood
Early 20th Century Unknown British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Brass
20th Century Indian British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Mahogany
Early 20th Century British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Cane, Teak
Mid-20th Century French British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Leather, Wood, Calico
Late 19th Century English Antique British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Rattan, Wood
20th Century Southeast Asian British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Cane, Teak
Early 20th Century Caribbean British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Cane, Mahogany
Early 20th Century British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Teak
Mid-20th Century British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Teak
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Bamboo, Rattan
20th Century English British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Canvas, Mahogany
Early 2000s British British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Steel
Mid-20th Century Philippine British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Bamboo, Rattan
Mid-20th Century Philippine British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Bamboo
1890s Indian Antique British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Teak
Mid-20th Century English British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Cane, Hardwood
1920s French Vintage British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Beech, Leather
Mid-20th Century American British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Leather
1970s American Vintage British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Chrome
1970s French Vintage British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Asian British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Leather
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Cane, Teak
20th Century French British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Faux Leather, Faux Bamboo
1950s Scandinavian Vintage British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Birch, Leather
1970s English Vintage British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Chrome
Late 20th Century Danish British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Mahogany
1970s Vintage British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Cotton, Cane, Mahogany
1940s Danish Vintage British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Wool, Beech
Late 19th Century Chinese Antique British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Bamboo, Wood
Late 20th Century American British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Wicker
Late 19th Century Danish Antique British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Bouclé, Rattan, Beech
Early 20th Century British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Teak
Early 20th Century Indonesian British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Cane, Mahogany
Early 2000s Unknown British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Leather, Mahogany
Early 20th Century English British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Cane, Mahogany
Early 20th Century European British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Wood
1970s American Vintage British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Cane, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Canvas, Teak
20th Century Indian British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Cane, Teak
1910s British Indian Ocean Territory Vintage British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Rosewood, Teak
20th Century Asian British Colonial Lounge Chairs
Wood, Leather, Fabric, Bamboo, Cane, Rattan