British Colonial Games
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.
1980s English Vintage British Colonial Games
Brass, Copper, Pewter
19th Century English Antique British Colonial Games
Pine
19th Century English Antique British Colonial Games
Hardwood
19th Century North American Antique British Colonial Games
Wood
19th Century American Antique British Colonial Games
Wood
1950s Vintage British Colonial Games
Aluminum
20th Century English British Colonial Games
Wood, Boxwood
1960s American Vintage British Colonial Games
Aluminum
Late 19th Century French Antique British Colonial Games
Wood
Mid-20th Century English British Colonial Games
Wood
2010s Afghan British Colonial Games
Lapis Lazuli, Carrara Marble, Serpentine
19th Century North American Antique British Colonial Games
Tin
1890s Great Britain (UK) Antique British Colonial Games
Brass
1950s American Vintage British Colonial Games
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American British Colonial Games
Birdseye Maple, Oak, Walnut
19th Century English Antique British Colonial Games
Pine
20th Century English British Colonial Games
Porcelain