Regency Chairs
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.
19th Century French Antique Regency Chairs
Wood, Walnut
1930s Italian Vintage Regency Chairs
Cane, Wood
1810s English Antique Regency Chairs
Velvet, Oak
Mid-20th Century American Regency Chairs
Textile, Wood
1960s Vintage Regency Chairs
Velvet, Walnut
19th Century Antique Regency Chairs
Mahogany
Late 18th Century English Antique Regency Chairs
Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Chairs
Beech
Early 19th Century American Antique Regency Chairs
Mahogany
Early 1800s Antique Regency Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
19th Century English Antique Regency Chairs
Mahogany
Early 20th Century North American Regency Chairs
Fabric
Mid-20th Century American Regency Chairs
Wood, Paint
Early 19th Century Irish Antique Regency Chairs
Leather, Mahogany
1810s English Antique Regency Chairs
Silk, Wood
Late 20th Century Regency Chairs
Paint
20th Century English Regency Chairs
Upholstery, Hardwood
1980s Vintage Regency Chairs
Walnut
1790s Danish Antique Regency Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1940s Italian Vintage Regency Chairs
Upholstery, Wicker, Wood
1810s English Antique Regency Chairs
Leather, Oak
20th Century Dutch Regency Chairs
Upholstery, Oak
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Chairs
Mahogany
