British Colonial Blanket Chests
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.
Late 20th Century British Colonial Blanket Chests
Hardwood
19th Century German Antique British Colonial Blanket Chests
Iron
19th Century Sri Lankan Antique British Colonial Blanket Chests
Ebony
Mid-19th Century Antique British Colonial Blanket Chests
Pine
Early 19th Century Sri Lankan Antique British Colonial Blanket Chests
Ebony
Mid-19th Century British Antique British Colonial Blanket Chests
Oak
Late 19th Century English Antique British Colonial Blanket Chests
Zinc
1840s English Antique British Colonial Blanket Chests
Brass, Steel
Late 19th Century Chinese Antique British Colonial Blanket Chests
Brass, Iron
Mid-19th Century Swiss Antique British Colonial Blanket Chests
Iron
Mid-19th Century American Antique British Colonial Blanket Chests
Iron
19th Century Chinese Antique British Colonial Blanket Chests
Metal
Late 19th Century Hungarian Antique British Colonial Blanket Chests
Pine
Late 19th Century British Antique British Colonial Blanket Chests
Brass
Early 18th Century Spanish Antique British Colonial Blanket Chests
Wrought Iron
1770s Dutch Antique British Colonial Blanket Chests
Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century European British Colonial Blanket Chests
Teak
19th Century British Antique British Colonial Blanket Chests
Other
Mid-19th Century Antique British Colonial Blanket Chests
Brass
Early 20th Century Unknown British Colonial Blanket Chests
Wood
Early 20th Century British British Colonial Blanket Chests
Oak
Mid-20th Century British Colonial Blanket Chests
Mahogany, Rosewood
Late 19th Century American Antique British Colonial Blanket Chests
Wood
Mid-19th Century Antique British Colonial Blanket Chests
Teak
19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Blanket Chests
Wood
1840s British Indian Ocean Territory Antique British Colonial Blanket Chests
Teak
Early 20th Century Indian British Colonial Blanket Chests
Brass
19th Century English Antique British Colonial Blanket Chests
Brass
1850s British Indian Ocean Territory Antique British Colonial Blanket Chests
Teak