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.
1980s Vintage Regency Seating
Rosewood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Regency Seating
Iron
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Upholstery, Cane, Hardwood
1980s Vintage Regency Seating
Mahogany
1810s English Antique Regency Seating
Hardwood, Leather
Mid-19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
1810s English Antique Regency Seating
Leather, Walnut
1890s English Antique Regency Seating
Iron
Early 20th Century English Regency Seating
21st Century and Contemporary British Regency Seating
Leather, Oak
19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Other
Mid-19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Oak
20th Century English Regency Seating
Leather, Hardwood
Early 20th Century English Regency Seating
Leather, Oak
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Rosewood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Elm, Yew
1810s English Antique Regency Seating
Rattan, Ebony
Early 1900s British Antique Regency Seating
Cane, Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Cane, Hardwood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Cane, Hardwood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Upholstery, Hardwood
19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Other
1810s English Antique Regency Seating
Wood
1820s English Antique Regency Seating
Upholstery, Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Hardwood
Early 19th Century Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany, Oak
2010s English Regency Seating
Upholstery, Silk
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Cane, Mahogany
Early 19th Century Antique Regency Seating
Rosewood
1810s English Antique Regency Seating
Leather, Walnut
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Brass
1820s English Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
1950s British Vintage Regency Seating
Fabric, Wood
1820s Antique Regency Seating
Wood
1820s Antique Regency Seating
Wood
19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Brass, Other
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Upholstery, Hardwood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Gold Leaf
19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Brass, Other
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Hardwood
20th Century English Regency Seating
Leather
Early 20th Century French Regency Seating
Fabric, Beech
Early 19th Century British Antique Regency Seating
Hardwood
2010s English Regency Seating
Upholstery
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Brass
1980s Vintage Regency Seating
Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Wood
Early 19th Century British Antique Regency Seating
Pine
Mid-20th Century Italian Regency Seating
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Wood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
17th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Oak
20th Century English Regency Seating
Leather
1810s English Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany