British Colonial Stools
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 Stools
Wood, Leather, Oak
Mid-20th Century French British Colonial Stools
Oak
1960s American Vintage British Colonial Stools
Wood
1950s Swedish Vintage British Colonial Stools
Leather, Teak
1960s French Vintage British Colonial Stools
Beech
1980s Indian Vintage British Colonial Stools
Wrought Iron
2010s Chinese British Colonial Stools
Oak
Mid-20th Century French British Colonial Stools
Oak
2010s Bulgarian British Colonial Stools
Leather, Walnut
Late 19th Century Antique British Colonial Stools
Leather, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese British Colonial Stools
Leather, Wood
1970s Scandinavian Vintage British Colonial Stools
Leather, Beech
20th Century French British Colonial Stools
Iron
20th Century English British Colonial Stools
Zebra Hide
Late 20th Century British Colonial Stools
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century Chinese British Colonial Stools
Ceramic, Terracotta
20th Century Italian British Colonial Stools
Terracotta
20th Century American British Colonial Stools
Zebra Hide
Late 20th Century British Colonial Stools
Mahogany, Upholstery
20th Century Italian British Colonial Stools
Terracotta
20th Century Chinese British Colonial Stools
Terracotta
20th Century English British Colonial Stools
Chenille, Wood
1970s British Vintage British Colonial Stools
Tapestry, Wood
18th Century and Earlier British Antique British Colonial Stools
Oak