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.
$1,210Sale Price|20% Off
Antique Decorative Desk Stand, Indian, Ebony, Colonial Writer's Tidy, Victorian
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique decorative desk stand. An Indian, ebony Colonial writer's tidy, dating to the early Victorian period, circa 1850. Striking dark tonality with eye-catching Colon...
Ebony
Art Deco Brass and Steel Shears
Located in Queens, NY
Art Deco brass and steel shears.
Brass
English Art Deco Chrome Plated Shears
Located in Queens, NY
English Art Deco large chrome plated shears.
Chrome
$269 / item
H 0.75 in W 5.5 in D 0.75 in
Minimal Bottle Opener Made in Brass, Stainless Steel and Raw Steel
Located in Chicago, IL
Strong in form and heavy in weight, the bottle openers are elegant in their simplicity and precision. Solid bar stock is transformed through the most minimal intervention possible, c...
Steel, Brass, Stainless Steel
French Art Deco Mahogany and Brass Letter Stand, 1920s
Located in Knivsta, SE
French Art Deco Mahogany and Brass Letter Stand, 1920s An elegant and finely crafted letter stand executed in richly grained mahogany (Swietenia mahogoni), accented with refined bra...
Brass
$1,815
H 4.73 in Dm 3.43 in
Stunning English Solid Sterling Silver 1936 Art Deco Style Cigarette Dispenser
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer this lovely 1936 solid sterling silver art deco cigarette dispenser A very good looking and well made piece, full...
Sterling Silver
$3,845Sale Price|35% Off
H 6.5 in W 14.57 in D 10.63 in
Antique English Victorian Bramah Leather Fold-out Stationary Writing Desk
Located in Reading, Berkshire
A Beautiful & Luxurious Handcrafted Victorian Bramah Fold-out Travelling Writing Companion With Fitted Leather Interior, Ceramic Blotting Tablets. Complete with Beautifully Desi...
Brass
Art Deco Uplight Brass Metal Table Lamp, French, 1930s
Located in Buenos Aires, Olivos
A lovely example of Art Deco that shows great style and imagination is this French table lamp trumpet shape. Cream coloured on the inside and takes a normal bulb, you can use energy ...
Brass
Art Deco marble and bronze bookends
Located in Autonomous City Buenos Aires, CABA
Art Deco marble and bronze bookends Beautiful bookends in black marble with bronze patinated in Pompeian green, with representation of men in a carrying position showing how they car...
Marble, Bronze
Antique Luggage Crocodile Skin Leather Suitcase, Colonial
Located in Antwerp, BE
Antique suitcase made of crocodile leather handstitched with leather lacing and secured with tacks, an attractive antique reptile skin suitcase with a...
Faux Leather
Art Deco Style Chrome or Silveroid Desk Timepiece
Located in Dallas, TX
Presenting a lovely Art Deco style chrome or silveroid desk timepiece. Probably made circa 1980. The case is a solid circular shaped chrome or sil...
Silver Plate, Chrome
Large Vintage Cast Metal Decorative or Toy Colonial Canon Model
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
This large cast metal canon shows no maker's marks, but is presumed to have been made in the United States in circa 1965 in a Colonial Revival style. This model canon...
Metal
Art Deco Chrome Picture Frame, France, c1930's
Located in Devon, England
Super stylish 1930's Art Deco Modernist picture frame in chrome and glass. Signed to the base f. Gallia, The frame has two pieces of glass whic...
Chrome
$3,040Sale Price|20% Off
H 20 in W 19.5 in D 10.5 in
Travel Lap Desk Walnut 19th C. on Stand as Side Table Decorative Gift Antique LA
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Travel Lap Desk Walnut 19th C. on Stand as Side Table Decorative Gift Antique LA . Exquisite English lap traveling desk portable. Countryside writing bureau in good condition conside...
Brass
1930s Art Deco Portoro Marble and Brass Italian Desk Set
Located in Aci Castello, IT
An art deco desk set manufactured in Italy in the Thirties, in original conditions with small signs of use and age, brass it's in original patina. Dimensions are of the Inkstand. Thi...
Marble, Brass
Vintage Caledonia Tartan Mauchline-Style Card Case
Located in Atlanta, GA
A tartan-decorated card case in the tradition of Mauchline ware, but likely produced in the second half of the 20th century, reflecting a revivalist interest in Scottish decorative h...
Wood, Paper
Zebra Hide Desk Set
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Rare and remarkable vintage campaign zebra desk set with a blotter, a notepad, and a pen holder. Possible Hermes. Blotter H: 12 W: 23 D: .5 Notepad H: 5.5 W: 8 D: 1 Penholde...
Zebra Hide