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.
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
1940s British Vintage Regency Seating
Ebony, Mahogany, Giltwood
Early 19th Century Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
1960s American Vintage Regency Seating
Upholstery, Fruitwood
Early 20th Century British Regency Seating
Brass
Early 19th Century Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century American Regency Seating
Cane
Late 20th Century North American Regency Seating
Upholstery, Wood
Late 19th Century North American Antique Regency Seating
Upholstery, Wood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany, Oak
2010s English Regency Seating
Upholstery, Silk
20th Century French Regency Seating
Leather
Early 19th Century Antique Regency Seating
Rosewood
1960s American Vintage Regency Seating
Leather, Cane, Mahogany
1980s American Vintage Regency Seating
Upholstery, Wood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Cane, Mahogany
1810s English Antique Regency Seating
Leather, Walnut
1810s English Antique Regency Seating
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Regency Seating
Wood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Beech
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Brass
19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Rosewood, Giltwood
1950s British Vintage Regency Seating
Fabric, Wood
1990s English Regency Seating
Leather, Wood
Early 19th Century British Antique Regency Seating
Silk, Giltwood
Early 20th Century American Regency Seating
Fabric, Mahogany
1820s Antique Regency Seating
Wood
1820s Antique Regency Seating
Wood
1820s English Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Brass, Other
Mid-19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Leather, Wood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Upholstery, Hardwood
Late 20th Century American Regency Seating
Upholstery, Mahogany, Giltwood
Late 20th Century American Regency Seating
Mahogany, Silk
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Gold Leaf
Mid-19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Upholstery, Mahogany
1850s French Antique Regency Seating
Tapestry, Walnut
1980s Vintage Regency Seating
Cotton, Wood
20th Century English Regency Seating
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Hardwood
20th Century American Regency Seating
Fabric
Late 20th Century American Regency Seating
Wrought Iron
Late 20th Century American Regency Seating
Silk, Upholstery, Wood
Early 18th Century French Antique Regency Seating
Upholstery, Wood
1940s Vintage Regency Seating
Upholstery, Mahogany
19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Brass, Other
20th Century American Regency Seating
Wood
Mid-20th Century Regency Seating
Fabric, Cane, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Regency Seating
Faux Leather
Mid-20th Century English Regency Seating
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Regency Seating
Wood, Leather
Early 20th Century North American Regency Seating
Velvet, Wood
20th Century Regency Seating
Wood
Early 20th Century French Regency Seating
Fabric, Beech