Regency Shelves
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 Shelves
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century American Regency Shelves
Rosewood
2010s American Regency Shelves
Leather, Burl
2010s American Regency Shelves
Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Shelves
Mahogany
Early 20th Century English Regency Shelves
Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Shelves
Brass
20th Century Italian Regency Shelves
Burl
Mid-20th Century Regency Shelves
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Regency Shelves
Wood
1990s Regency Shelves
Metal
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Shelves
Mahogany
Early 20th Century Philippine Regency Shelves
Bamboo, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Regency Shelves
Metal
Mid-19th Century English Antique Regency Shelves
Brass
1840s English Antique Regency Shelves
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Regency Shelves
Wood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Shelves
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Shelves
Brass
18th Century and Earlier British Antique Regency Shelves
Early 1800s English Antique Regency Shelves
Mahogany, Pine
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Shelves
Leather, Mahogany
19th Century Antique Regency Shelves
Early 20th Century Regency Shelves
Mahogany
1810s Caribbean Antique Regency Shelves
Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Shelves
Wood
1810s English Antique Regency Shelves
Mahogany
19th Century English Antique Regency Shelves
Bamboo, Paint, Bone
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Regency Shelves
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Regency Shelves
Nickel
Late 19th Century German Antique Regency Shelves
Beech
19th Century English Antique Regency Shelves
Mahogany
1840s English Antique Regency Shelves
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Regency Shelves
Glass, Ash
1950s Canadian Vintage Regency Shelves
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Regency Shelves
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Regency Shelves
Chrome
Mid-20th Century American Regency Shelves
Iron
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Shelves
Mahogany
1980s Dutch Vintage Regency Shelves
Chrome
Late 20th Century American Regency Shelves
Mirror, Wood
Late 20th Century Spanish Regency Shelves
Wood
Late 20th Century North American Regency Shelves
Metal
Mid-19th Century British Antique Regency Shelves
Brass
Early 20th Century American Regency Shelves
Brass
Late 20th Century American Regency Shelves
Wood
19th Century English Antique Regency Shelves
Mahogany
1910s English Vintage Regency Shelves
Wood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Shelves
Mahogany
Late 20th Century North American Regency Shelves
Wood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Shelves
Brass
Late 20th Century North American Regency Shelves
Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century Regency Shelves
Mahogany