With a vast inventory of beautiful furniture at 1stDibs, we’ve got just the british colonial rattan you’re looking for. Each british colonial rattan for sale was constructed with extraordinary care, often using
natural fiber,
rattan and
wood. Find 201 options for an antique or vintage british colonial rattan now, or shop our selection of 14 modern versions for a more contemporary example of this long-cherished piece. You’ve searched high and low for the perfect british colonial rattan — we have versions that date back to the 19th Century alongside those produced as recently as the 21st Century are available. Each british colonial rattan bearing
modern,
mid-century modern or
Scandinavian Modern hallmarks is very popular. Many designers have produced at least one well-made british colonial rattan over the years, but those crafted by
Poul Jeppesen,
Ole Wanscher and
Ralph Lauren are often thought to be among the most beautiful.
Prices for a british colonial rattan can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — at 1stDibs, they begin at $250 and can go as high as $52,000, while the average can fetch as much as $3,500.
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.