Regency Seating
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.
Mid-20th Century American Regency Seating
Upholstery, Fruitwood
Late 20th Century American Regency Seating
Upholstery, Walnut, Giltwood
21st Century and Contemporary American Regency Seating
Silk, Velvet, Down
Early 20th Century French Regency Seating
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
Late 20th Century American Regency Seating
Upholstery, Wood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Brass
1990s American Regency Seating
Wood, Down
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Wood, Mahogany
Early 19th Century Irish Antique Regency Seating
Ebony, Mahogany, Satinwood, Paint
1990s American Regency Seating
Textile, Wood, Lacquer
1810s Unknown Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Other
Early 19th Century Antique Regency Seating
Fabric, Mahogany
20th Century American Regency Seating
Wood
1960s American Vintage Regency Seating
Upholstery, Mahogany
19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Other
21st Century and Contemporary American Regency Seating
Giltwood, Wood
1940s Italian Vintage Regency Seating
Wood, Mahogany
Early 20th Century French Regency Seating
Beech
2010s American Regency Seating
Walnut
19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Other
Late 20th Century American Regency Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
1820s English Antique Regency Seating
Birdseye Maple, Maple
Late 20th Century American Regency Seating
Upholstery, Cherry
Early 19th Century British Antique Regency Seating
Brass
Late 20th Century American Regency Seating
Upholstery, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Unknown Regency Seating
Fabric, Wood
19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany, Wood, Cane
1820s English Antique Regency Seating
Upholstery, Mahogany
1820s English Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
Early 19th Century European Antique Regency Seating
Upholstery, Wood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary English Regency Seating
Mohair, Hardwood
19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Other
Early 20th Century American Regency Seating
Upholstery, Mahogany
Late 20th Century Unknown Regency Seating
Mahogany
Late 20th Century American Regency Seating
Upholstery, Cherry
Late 20th Century American Regency Seating
Upholstery, Wood
1940s British Vintage Regency Seating
Ebony, Mahogany, Giltwood
Late 20th Century American Regency Seating
Velvet, Cherry
20th Century English Regency Seating
Metal
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Cotton, Upholstery, Walnut
20th Century American Regency Seating
Brass
Early 19th Century British Antique Regency Seating
Brass
20th Century American Regency Seating
Metal, Brass
19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Regency Seating
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary British Regency Seating
Brass
1940s American Vintage Regency Seating
Leather, Lacquer, Wood
1820s English Antique Regency Seating
Linen, Wood
Early 18th Century French Antique Regency Seating
Walnut
2010s Regency Seating
Fabric, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary American Regency Seating
Macassar
1810s English Antique Regency Seating
Fabric, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Regency Seating
Wood
Late 20th Century American Regency Seating
Iron
19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Brass
1820s English Antique Regency Seating
Brass