British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
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.
20th Century English British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Cane, Teak
Late 20th Century British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Brass
Late 18th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Mahogany, Rosewood
1960s Swedish Vintage British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century American British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Reed, Bamboo
21st Century and Contemporary American British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Sri Lankan British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century North American British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Faux Bamboo
19th Century Jamaican Antique British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Mahogany, Poplar
2010s American British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Wood
Mid-19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
1820s Caribbean Antique British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Mahogany, Pine
19th Century Caribbean Antique British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Mahogany
1950s Swedish Vintage British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Teak
2010s American British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Plywood
Late 20th Century North American British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Mahogany
2010s American British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Plywood
1980s American Vintage British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Cane, Wood
1960s Swedish Vintage British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Brass
2010s Asian British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Bamboo
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Fabric, Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
1940s Swedish Vintage British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Birch
Mid-20th Century Italian British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Bamboo, Wicker, Cane, Rattan, Glass
Mid-20th Century American British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Bamboo, Cane, Rattan, Wood
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Bamboo, Rattan
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Bamboo, Rattan
1970s Unknown Vintage British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Bamboo, Cane
Early 2000s American British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Birdseye Maple, Maple
1970s American Vintage British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Grasscloth, Faux Bamboo, Rattan
Late 19th Century Caribbean Antique British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Rosewood
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Grasscloth, Faux Bamboo
1980s Vintage British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Mahogany
1980s American Vintage British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Faux Bamboo, Wood
Late 20th Century British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Oak
1980s American Vintage British Colonial Bedroom Furniture
Bamboo, Cane