British Colonial 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.
Late 20th Century English British Colonial Boxes
Leather
Mid-19th Century Burmese Antique British Colonial Boxes
Brass, Copper, Iron
Late 20th Century Japanese British Colonial Boxes
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Indonesian Antique British Colonial Boxes
Wood
1950s Sri Lankan Vintage British Colonial Boxes
Hardwood
Early 20th Century British Colonial Boxes
Coral, Gold, Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century English British Colonial Boxes
Tin
Late 20th Century British Colonial Boxes
1890s English Antique British Colonial Boxes
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Sri Lankan Antique British Colonial Boxes
Ebony, Wood
18th Century and Earlier French Antique British Colonial Boxes
20th Century English British Colonial Boxes
Sterling Silver
2010s British Colonial Boxes
Leather
20th Century German British Colonial Boxes
Silver
1930s American Vintage British Colonial Boxes
Metal
Early 20th Century Japanese British Colonial Boxes
Metal
20th Century Chinese British Colonial Boxes
Wood
Early 1900s English Antique British Colonial Boxes
Silver
1990s Philippine British Colonial Boxes
Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Macedonian British Colonial Boxes
Walnut
1960s Italian Vintage British Colonial Boxes
Onyx
Late 20th Century French British Colonial Boxes
Porcelain
Early 20th Century English British Colonial Boxes
Rosewood, Satinwood
1970s Unknown Vintage British Colonial Boxes
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique British Colonial Boxes
Wood, Velvet
19th Century Sri Lankan Antique British Colonial Boxes
Bone, Ebony
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Boxes
Cedar
Late 19th Century English Antique British Colonial Boxes
Bone, Wood
Late 20th Century British Colonial Boxes
Olive, Walnut, Burl
Late 18th Century Sri Lankan Antique British Colonial Boxes
Sterling Silver
20th Century Italian British Colonial Boxes
Brass
Late 19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Boxes
Brass
Early 20th Century British Colonial Boxes
Teak
Early 19th Century New Zealand Antique British Colonial Boxes
Wood