British Colonial Garden Ornaments
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.
21st Century and Contemporary Solomon Islands British Colonial Garden Ornaments
Coral
1960s Italian Vintage British Colonial Garden Ornaments
Pottery
20th Century English British Colonial Garden Ornaments
Wood
Mid-20th Century French British Colonial Garden Ornaments
Chrome
1990s British Colonial Garden Ornaments
Iron
Mid-20th Century Italian British Colonial Garden Ornaments
Limestone, Marble
20th Century European British Colonial Garden Ornaments
Marble
Late 20th Century Asian British Colonial Garden Ornaments
Teak
20th Century European British Colonial Garden Ornaments
Marble
Early 20th Century American British Colonial Garden Ornaments
Bronze
2010s English British Colonial Garden Ornaments
Wire
19th Century French Antique British Colonial Garden Ornaments
Stone
19th Century French Antique British Colonial Garden Ornaments
Copper
1970s American Vintage British Colonial Garden Ornaments
Metal
Mid-20th Century British Colonial Garden Ornaments
Cast Stone
20th Century Italian British Colonial Garden Ornaments
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary Solomon Islands British Colonial Garden Ornaments
Coral