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.
$1,980 / item
Pair of Antique British Colonial Sailors Valentine
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Charming pair of 19th century British colonial sailors valentines handcrafted in exotic seashells around an image of a schooner under glass.
Organic Material
Antique Star Form Sailors Valentine
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Charming antique sailors valentine handcrafted in exotic seashells in a star form with a rocky coastline image under a convex oval lens.
Organic Material
Antique British Colonial Sailors Valentine
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Enchanting 19th century English sailors valentine handcrafted in exotic seashells, in horse shoe form, lovingly arranged around an image of a steamship under a convex lens.
Organic Material
Antique British Colonial Heart Form Sailors Valentine
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Charming 19th Century English heart form sailors valentine ambitiously handcrafted with exotic seashells around a sailboat image as seen through a glass lens.
Shell
$490 / item
English Country Wood & Iron Nautical Mallet
Located in Queens, NY
2 English Country style wood and iron nautical deck mallet. PRICED EACH (19/20th Cent)
Iron
Painted Wrought Iron Anchor
Located in Queens, NY
Painted wrought iron anchor
Iron
English Country Wooden Ship Wheel
Located in Queens, NY
English Country style wooden ship wheel with spokes. (19th Cent)
Nautical Folk Art Hand Carved Wooden Whimsy
Located in Brooklyn, NY
American whimsy with traditional 'ball in cage' decoration, all carved and whittled from one continuous piece of wood, circa early 20th century. The bottom tip suggests that this pie...
Wood
Sailor's Keepsake: Edwardian Shellwork Valentine Diorama of Ship
Located in Downingtown, PA
Sailor's Keepsake: Edwardian Shellwork Valentine Diorama 🐚 ________________________________________ This is a charming and historically evocative Edwardian Shellwork Diorama, a clas...
Shell
Vintage Nautical Flower Pots: Folk Art Sea Shell Encrusted Planters
Located in Boca Raton, FL
Lovely almost pair of sea shells encrusted flower pots / planters.
Shell
Silk Embroidered Hand Painted Seascape by Thomas Willis, circa 1890
Located in Nantucket, MA
19th century silk embroidered and hand painted oil on canvas seascape by Thomas Willis (1850 - 1925), depicting a schooner-rigged racing yacht closely ha...
Canvas, Silk
$6,250
H 22 in W 29.5 in D 1.5 in
British Sailor's Large Woolwork of a Royal Navy Ship Under Full Sail
Located in Downingtown, PA
Seafaring Artistry: A British Sailor's Woolwork of a Royal Navy Ship, Circa 1865–75 This remarkable British sailor's woolwork, or "wool...
Wool
$4,800
H 13.63 in W 13.5 in D 1.5 in
19th Century Large Sailor's Valentine in Mahogany Case, circa 1880
Located in Nantucket, MA
Antique Large Sailor's Valentine in Mahogany Case, circa 1880, a hand-crafted shell collage with heart and rosebuds pattern within an eight-pointed star, set in a large mahogany octa...
Shell, Wood
Handcrafted Natural Coastal Sea Shell Encrusted Anchor Wall Hanging
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
A natural hand-crafted sea shell encrusted anchor wall hanging. Created from wood, this piece is in the shape of a boat anchor, and features applied natural sea shells of all colors....
Shell, Wood
British Sailor's Woolwork of a Royal Navy Second Rate Battleship
Located in Downingtown, PA
British Sailor's Woolwork of a Royal Navy Second Rate Battleship, Circa 1875 The charming simple sailor's woolie depicts a starboard side view of a Royal Navy second rate battleship...
Wool
$682
H 5.91 in W 12.21 in D 7.88 in
Early 20Th Century English Maritime Sailors Gambling Game Box ‘Crown & Anchor'
Located in Lowestoft, GB
A early 20th century sailors ditty box, with painted ‘Crown & Anchor’ lid and original dice. C & A was a gambling game, its origins can be traced back to the beginning of the 18th c...
Pine
British Sailor's Woolwork of a Tea Clipper
Located in Downingtown, PA
British Sailor's Woolwork of a Tea Clipper, Circa 1875 The large sailor's woolwork or woolie as they are also called depicts a port side view of a tea clipper ship...
Wool
Early Large Sailor's Valentine in Ebonized Case, circa 1920
Located in Nantucket, MA
Antique Large Sailor's Valentine in Ebonized Case, circa 1920, a hand-crafted shell collage with hear and rosebuds pattern set in a large ebonized octagonal shadowbox, wired on the r...
Shell, Wood
19th Century Double Sailor's Valentine
Located in Nantucket, MA
Antique Double Sailor's Valentine, circa 1880, a pair of handcrafted shell collages mounted in mahogany octagonal shadowboxes, hinged together and mounted with a clasp and a chain for hanging. This valentine features a heart and the message "Forget Me Not." The valentine is in great condition, but does of course have a few shells that have come loose over the past century and a half. The cases remain in great condition as well. Each Measures: 9-1/8 in H x 9-1/8 in W Victorians in the Age of Exploration and its accompanying Eclectic Movement embraced arts and crafts from around the world. Shell boxes are frequently seen, and even the odd shell diorama...
Shell, Mahogany
Antique Sailors Valentine Commemorating the Sinking of the Titanic
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Rare antique sailors valentine hand crafted in exotic seashells in the form of an anchor with a commemorative image of the RMS Titanic under a convex lens.
Organic Material
Antique British Colonial Sailors Valentine with Seashells
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Transporting 19th century English sailors valentine hand crafted in exotic organic seashells ambitiously arranged around a clipper ship image under a convex lens.
Shell, Organic Material
Two Antique Star Form Sailors Valentines
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Enchanting pair of 19th Century British Colonial sailors valentines handcrafted in exotic seashells ambitiously arranged around a convex lens displaying maritime images of a row boat...
Shell
Royal Navy “Grog Tub”, Oak and Brass Sailor’s Rum Barrel
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Royal Navy “Grog Tub”, Oak and brass sailor’s rum barrel A super piece of British history, the barrel known as a “Grog Tub” was used to carry the Navy Rum ...
Oak
Sold
H 16.63 in W 36 in D 18 in
1800s British Sailors Sea Chest Trunk Painted Whaling Scene Flags Rope Beckets
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Antique British monogrammed sailors sea chest / trunk with original very detailed braided rope beckets. Red Ensign post 1801 Flag on right. Trunk tapers fr...
Wood
Copper Sailing Ship Sculpture
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Midcentury stylized sailing ship sculpture crafted in copper with a lush colorful patina and signed C. Jere 1972. Freestanding or wall mountable...
Copper
Sold
H 65 in W 40 in D 3.5 in
English Brass Mounted Telescope on Walnut Tripod Stand with Case, Circa 1870
Located in Charleston, SC
English British colonial telescopic brass-mounted telescope on walnut tripod stand with the original carrying case. Telescope is in working condition, Late 19th century.
Brass
Pair of Mahogany Half Hull Models
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Handsome pair of half hull models crafted in mahogany each with its own sleek graceful lines and lush finish.
Mahogany
Pair of Hall Stands with a Rowing Theme, 19th Century Sculling Oars
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
These are a very impressive and interesting pair of hall stands, the have been made from three long sculling oars. One stand is made from the blade ends ...
Wood