British Colonial Furniture
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.
21st Century and Contemporary Solomon Islands British Colonial Furniture
Coral
2010s Indian British Colonial Furniture
Fabric, Cotton, Down
20th Century English British Colonial Furniture
Wrought Iron
Late 20th Century British Colonial Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-18th Century Antique British Colonial Furniture
Paper
Late 18th Century English Antique British Colonial Furniture
Paper
Late 18th Century English Antique British Colonial Furniture
Metal
Late 18th Century English Antique British Colonial Furniture
Pewter
Late 20th Century American British Colonial Furniture
Paint
19th Century French Antique British Colonial Furniture
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American British Colonial Furniture
Paper
Late 20th Century British Colonial Furniture
20th Century American British Colonial Furniture
Acrylic
20th Century American British Colonial Furniture
Crystal
Mid-20th Century Jamaican British Colonial Furniture
Paper
Early 20th Century Persian British Colonial Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary American British Colonial Furniture
Metal
Early 20th Century American British Colonial Furniture
20th Century American British Colonial Furniture
Paper
Mid-20th Century Italian British Colonial Furniture
Terracotta
20th Century American British Colonial Furniture
Coral
19th Century English Antique British Colonial Furniture
Paint
20th Century American British Colonial Furniture
20th Century English British Colonial Furniture
Zebra Hide
20th Century American British Colonial Furniture
Bamboo, Cane
1820s Jamaican Antique British Colonial Furniture
Muslin, Mahogany
Early 20th Century Persian British Colonial Furniture
Wool
Early 20th Century Persian British Colonial Furniture
Wool
Early 19th Century Caribbean Antique British Colonial Furniture
Brass
1960s Italian Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Pottery
2010s Indian British Colonial Furniture
Fabric, Cotton, Down
20th Century North American British Colonial Furniture
Paint, Paper