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.
Early 19th Century British Antique Regency Seating
Cane, Mahogany
Early 19th Century British Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century French Regency Seating
Metal, Brass, Copper
Early 19th Century British Antique Regency Seating
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Regency Seating
Velvet, Giltwood
Mid-19th Century British Antique Regency Seating
Oak
20th Century American Regency Seating
Metal, Brass
20th Century Regency Seating
Giltwood
21st Century and Contemporary English Regency Seating
Gold
Late 20th Century American Regency Seating
Brass
Early 19th Century Unknown Antique Regency Seating
Wood
19th Century French Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Cane, Wood
Late 20th Century Regency Seating
Leather, Hardwood
Early 20th Century Italian Regency Seating
Silver Leaf
1950s American Vintage Regency Seating
Walnut
20th Century Italian Regency Seating
Wrought Iron
1810s European Antique Regency Seating
Hardwood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
Late 20th Century American Regency Seating
Wrought Iron
1950s American Vintage Regency Seating
Brass
1820s English Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
1830s English Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
1810s English Antique Regency Seating
Muslin, Beech
19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary English Regency Seating
Gold Leaf
Late 20th Century Regency Seating
Cane, Hardwood
1820s English Antique Regency Seating
Rosewood
19th Century Unknown Antique Regency Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Beech
Late 20th Century American Regency Seating
Upholstery, Wood, Feathers
1980s American Vintage Regency Seating
Upholstery, Wood
19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Upholstery, Mahogany, Giltwood
1820s English Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Italian Regency Seating
Brass, Iron
Early 19th Century French Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
1980s American Vintage Regency Seating
Wood
19th Century British Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
20th Century American Regency Seating
Fabric, Wood, Burl
1810s English Antique Regency Seating
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Cane, Wood, Paint
Late 20th Century American Regency Seating
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
1950s American Vintage Regency Seating
Metal
1850s French Antique Regency Seating
Tapestry, Walnut
19th Century British Antique Regency Seating
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
19th Century British Antique Regency Seating
Leather
20th Century English Regency Seating
Leather
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Regency Seating
Wood
Early 1800s English Antique Regency Seating
Cane, Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Regency Seating
Cane, Wood, Giltwood
Early 19th Century Antique Regency Seating
Fabric, Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Ormolu
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Regency Seating
Mahogany
Late 20th Century American Regency Seating
Upholstery, Wood
20th Century Italian Regency Seating
Wrought Iron
19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Wood