British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
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.
Early 19th Century Caribbean Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
Early 20th Century Indian British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Rosewood
20th Century Burmese British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Teak
1850s Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Stained Glass, Walnut
Early 20th Century Indian British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Hardwood
1920s Vintage British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Faux Bamboo
19th Century British Indian Ocean Territory Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
Early 19th Century English Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Mid-20th Century American British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Early 19th Century Jamaican Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Satinwood, Mahogany
1820s Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Walnut
20th Century Vietnamese British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mother-of-Pearl, Rosewood
20th Century Sri Lankan British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Ebony
Early 19th Century English Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
1920s Burmese Vintage British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Teak
Late 19th Century Asian Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Rosewood
19th Century German Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Iron
1950s Vintage British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bamboo
Late 18th Century Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Teak
Early 1900s German Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
19th Century Chinese Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
Mid-19th Century English Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Late 19th Century English Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Faux Bamboo
20th Century American British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Bamboo
19th Century Sri Lankan Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Ebony
19th Century Antiguan Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Rosewood
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Grasscloth, Bamboo
Mid-19th Century British Indian Ocean Territory Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
Early 19th Century Sri Lankan Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Ebony
19th Century Sri Lankan Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Ebony, Satinwood
Mid-19th Century Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Pine
19th Century Jamaican Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
19th Century Sri Lankan Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Satinwood
19th Century Sri Lankan Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Ebony, Satinwood
19th Century Caribbean Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Coconut, Mahogany, Rosewood, Satinwood
Late 19th Century Indonesian Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Wood
1990s American British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Faux Bamboo, Cane
Early 20th Century British British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Teak
19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Teak, Glass