British Colonial Decorative Boxes
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.
Mid-19th Century Burmese Antique British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Brass, Copper, Iron
Late 20th Century Japanese British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Indonesian Antique British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Wood
1950s Sri Lankan Vintage British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Hardwood
Early 20th Century British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Coral, Gold, Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century English British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Tin
Late 20th Century British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Late 19th Century Sri Lankan Antique British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Ebony, Wood
Early 19th Century Chinese Antique British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Wood, Lacquer
Early 1900s Italian Antique British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Boxwood
20th Century English British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Sterling Silver
18th Century and Earlier French Antique British Colonial Decorative Boxes
20th Century Chinese British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Wood
Mid-20th Century Israeli British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Metal
Late 19th Century Japanese Antique British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Porcelain
1960s Italian Vintage British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Onyx
1990s Philippine British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Wood, Lacquer
Late 20th Century French British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century English Antique British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Brass
Early 20th Century Japanese British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Wood, Silk
Early 20th Century English British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Rosewood, Satinwood
1970s Unknown Vintage British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Wood, Velvet
19th Century Sri Lankan Antique British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Bone, Ebony
Late 19th Century English Antique British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Bone, Wood
Late 20th Century British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Olive, Walnut, Burl
20th Century Italian British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Brass
Late 19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Brass
Early 20th Century British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Teak
Early 19th Century New Zealand Antique British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Wood
20th Century American British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Brass
Early 20th Century Sri Lankan British Colonial Decorative Boxes
Hardwood