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.
$3,300 / set
Pair of Sea Fan Sculptures
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Pair of sea fan sculptures crafted or dipped in silvered metal with amazing accuracy and presented on classic form lacquered stands. Signed Eduardo Garza...
Metal
Pair of English Brown Leather Boots with Shoe Trees
Located in Queens, NY
PAIR of English brown leather riding boots with shoe trees
Leather
Tole Military Hat Trade Sign on Lucite
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Trade sign depicting an 18th century British officer's hat with a weathered finish and presented on a custom Lucite stand.
Tôle
British Colonial Wood Column on Custom Stand
Located in Atlanta, GA
A single 19th century British Colonial carved wood column with custom Stand. This antique hand carved wooden architectural element from India, ...
Iron
$2,391
H 27 in W 44 in D 9.5 in
Large Vintage Painted Folk Art Trout Trade Sign, Fish Monger’s Metal Shop Sign
Located in Lisse, NL
Step into a time when storefronts told their story with charm and character. This striking, hand-painted metal trout sign is a rare and wonderfully quirky example of the early 20th-c...
Zinc
Hivo Van Teal Lucite Abstract Sculpture, Signed 1970
Located in Chicago, IL
Hivo Van Teal Lucite Abstract Sculpture, Signed 1970's. Hivo Van Teal is an award winning artist and designer. Sculpture is signed Van Teal. Has a smal...
Lucite
Pair of Victorian English Silver Horses
Located in New York, NY
Marked: London, 1847, maker: Robert Garrard.
Silver
Trio of Lucite Sculptures Signed & Dated
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Fantastic trio of Lucite sculptures with geometric shapes designed and manufactured by a Los Angeles artist and signed "Henry" 2017. The pieces are beautifully executed, the inlaid ...
Lucite
19th Century Tobacco Trade Sign Carving
Located in Coeur d'Alene, ID
19th Century Native Tobacco Trade Sign attributed to Samuel Robb (1851-1928). The statue is in fair age-appropriate but sound condition, some damage and cracks to the base, overall c...
Wood
$750Sale Price|21% Off
H 22.5 in W 20 in D 14 in
Corinithian Column Plaster Architectural Study Objet D’art
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A plaster study of a corinthian column. Marked in pencil “American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, PA.” Rough unsealed plaster patina.
Plaster
Purple Sea Fan Coral Mounted on an Ebonised Base
Located in Hastings, GB
THIS CORAL CAN ONLY BE SHIPPED INSIDE THE UK, NO INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING DUE TO RESTRICTIONS Beautiful large natural vintage sea fan coral Soft pinky / purple color The coral is mou...
Coral
Black Coral Sea Fan Sculpture
Located in Houston, TX
Black coral sea fan embellished with natural quartz mounted on a 19th-Century French Napoleon III bronze doré fragment. This is a lovely objet d'art to add to your collection or cabi...
Coral, Quartz, Bronze
$2,216
H 82.68 in W 5.91 in D 5.91 in
Still Stand Abstract Biomorphic Wood Sculpture, Column, Chainsaw Carved, Totem
By Logniture
Located in Stara Gradiška, HR
Still Stand Abstract Biomorphic Wood Sculpture, Chainsaw Carved From Single Piece of Oak Wood
Oak
Pair of Olive Branch Sculptures
Located in New York, NY
Olive Branch: Measures Approximately: L 8" x D 2" x H 2" Handmade in Provence, France.
Metal
Black Coral Sea Fan Sculpture
Located in Houston, TX
Black coral sea fan embellished with tourmaline and a showy quartz druzy shell specimen mounted on a 19th-Century French bronze doré fragment. This is a lovely objet d'art to add to ...
Coral, Quartz, Bronze
18th Century Leather Shoe Boil Boot
Located in Napa, CA
English vintage leather shoe boil boot from the late 18th century. Shoe boil boots are used to protect horses from developing sores on their elbo...
Metal
Pair of Midcentury Style British Colonial Banana Leaf Sculptures
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Vintage pair of gilt cast metal banana or palm leaf sculptures or objects of art presented on marble bases and signed Zodax India on the bottom.
Metal
19th Century British Colonial Architectural Column on Stand
Located in Atlanta, GA
A single 19th century British Colonial carved wood column with custom stand. This antique hand carved wooden architectural element from India, which stands just over 5.5 feet in heig...
Iron
Sold
H 11.8 in Dm 4 in
Pair of Faux 'Elephant Tusk', Marble Bookends or Dresser Ornaments, 20th Century
Located in Esbjerg, DK
A pair of faux elephant tusk bookends or decorative ornaments for your desk, dresser or in front of your entrance hall mirror. They are constructe...
Marble
Pair of 1940s Mid Century Ladies Riding Boots with Wooden Stretchers
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Fabulous pair of leather riding boots with wooden stretchers. Leather is still intact and in good condition. Pull up straps are still attached and working. Stretcher is a 3 part mapl...
Leather, Maple
Pair of Redmile Ostrich Egg Garnitures
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Fine and rare pair of Redmile garnitures featuring lapis lazuli finials on ostrich egg boxes carefully supported by seated silver plated monkeys on three boar tusk bases. For the dis...
Pair of African Wedding Bracelet in Solid Bronze
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
Pair of African wedding bracelet in solid bronze.
Bronze