Regency Armchairs
Like France’s Empire style, Regency-style furniture was rooted in neoclassicism; the characteristics of its bedroom furniture, armchairs, dining room tables and other items include clean lines, angular shapes and elegant details.
Dating roughly from the 1790s to 1830s, antique Regency-style furniture gets its name from Prince George of Wales — formally King George IV — who became Prince Regent in 1811 after his father, George III, was declared unfit to rule. England’s Regency style is one of the styles represented in Georgian furniture.
George IV’s arts patronage significantly influenced the development of the Regency style, such as the architectural projects under John Nash, which included the renovation of Buckingham House into the formidable Buckingham Palace with a grand neoclassical facade. Celebrated designers of the period include Thomas Sheraton, Henry Holland and Thomas Hope. Like Nash, Hope instilled his work with classical influences, such as saber-legged chairs based on the ancient Greek klismos. He is credited with introducing the term “interior decoration” to English with the 1807 publishing of Household Furniture and Interior Decoration.
Although more subdued than previous styles like Rococo and Baroque, Regency interiors incorporated copious use of chintz fabrics and wallpaper adorned in chinoiserie-style art. Its furniture featured fine materials and luxurious embellishments. Furniture maker George Bullock, for instance, regularly used detailed wood marquetry and metal ornaments on his pieces.
Archaeological discoveries in Egypt and Greece informed Regency-era details, such as carved scrollwork, sphinxes and palmettes, as well as the shape of furniture. A Roman marble cinerary chest, for example, would be reinterpreted into a wooden cabinet. The Napoleonic Wars also inspired furniture, with martial designs like tented beds and camp-style chairs becoming popular. While the reddish-brown mahogany was prominent in this range of pieces, imported woods like zebrawood and ebony were increasingly in demand.
Find a collection of antique Regency tables, seating, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Late 20th Century North American Regency Armchairs
Aluminum
Late 20th Century North American Regency Armchairs
Aluminum
1910s English Vintage Regency Armchairs
Upholstery, Giltwood
20th Century English Regency Armchairs
Metal
1820s English Antique Regency Armchairs
Mahogany
1820s English Antique Regency Armchairs
Rosewood
19th Century Chinese Antique Regency Armchairs
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Regency Armchairs
Upholstery, Wood
Late 20th Century North American Regency Armchairs
Cane, Mahogany
1980s Vintage Regency Armchairs
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century French Antique Regency Armchairs
Walnut
Late 19th Century English Antique Regency Armchairs
Leather
1970s Italian Vintage Regency Armchairs
Brass
1960s American Vintage Regency Armchairs
Faux Bamboo, Cane
1950s American Vintage Regency Armchairs
Fabric, Paint, Giltwood, Wood, Cane, Upholstery
1960s American Vintage Regency Armchairs
Upholstery, Cane, Mahogany, Satinwood
Mid-20th Century American Regency Armchairs
Aluminum
Early 20th Century French Regency Armchairs
Bentwood
1820s English Antique Regency Armchairs
Early 20th Century English Regency Armchairs
Other
1810s English Antique Regency Armchairs
Velvet, Mahogany
1870s French Antique Regency Armchairs
Giltwood, Upholstery, Walnut
1990s American Regency Armchairs
1940s Vintage Regency Armchairs
19th Century English Antique Regency Armchairs
Mahogany