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British Colonial Furniture

BRITISH COLONIAL STYLE

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.

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Style: British Colonial
Color:  Gray
Large White Table Coral Sculpture on Lucite
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Impressive white coral assemblage using an exceptionally large table coral specimen with its sea inspired color and textures. Presented on a lucite base to enhance the sculptural ele...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Solomon Islands British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Coral

Lee Radziwill Inspired Block Print Down Flower Motif Pillow in Pink, India
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
Bring a taste of the orient to any space with one of our custom-created Indian block print pillows. Each pillow is made of soft cotton and h...
Category

2010s Indian British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Fabric, Cotton, Down

Small Brighton Pavillion White Wrought Iron Settee
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Charming Miniature Brighton Pavillion style settee. This piece is finished in gloss white with a Ralph Lauren upholstered seat cushion in a chinoise...
Category

20th Century English British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Wrought Iron

57 Pc Royal Doulton Regal Crest H5221 English Bone China Dinnerware Set, 1993
Located in Dayton, OH
57 piece Royal Doulton fine bone china dinnerware set in pattern H5221 – Regal Crest. Measures: 8 teacups - 3.5” x 3” / oval platter - 13...
Category

Late 20th Century British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Porcelain

Antique 1755 Copperplate Engraving Westminster Bridge Lambeth Survey of London
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique hand colored riverscape / landscape copperplate engraving based on a painting by Jacob Maurer and engraved by Paul Fourdrinier - A View of Westminster Bridge from Lambeth, published according to Act of Parliament 1754 for Stowe’s Survey of London. BIO: Paul Fourdrinier sometimes referred to as Peter or Pierre Fourdrinier, was an 18th Century engraver in England. Paul Fourdrinier, engraver and printseller, was born on 20 December 1698 in Groningen in the Netherlands, the son of Jacques Fourdrinier and his wife, Jeanne Theroude, Huguenot refugees from Dieppe, Normandy. He was a pupil of Bernard Picart at Amsterdam for six years, and came to England in 1720. He was employed in engraving portraits and book illustrations. He also engraved two works by Peter Monamy, marine paintings displayed in Vauxhall Gardens. The engravings were published in 1743, but may have been executed earlier. Starting in 1742 Fourdrinier produced a series of books consisting of numerous folding charts showing "The Succession of Colonels to all his Majesties Land Forces from their Rise to 1742", as well as many other details of British military and naval personnel. The 2004 edition of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography makes it clear that in the 19th century edition of the Dictionary of National Biography this engraver's works and career were assigned to two individuals, Peter (or Pierre) and Paul Fourdrinier. Peter/Pierre is now seen to be a fictitious individual resulting from an accidental misnaming of Paul. Paul Fourdrinier is mentioned as the engraver of some of the works listed above, and he has been identified with the Paul Fourdrinier who was of the parish of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, married to Susanna Grolleau, and who died in January or February 1758. The couple had at least five children, including a son Henry Fourdrinier, whose daughter, or granddaughter, Jemima Fourdrinier was the mother of Cardinal John Henry Newman...
Category

Mid-18th Century Antique British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Paper

Man of the Sandwich Islands, with His Helmet J. Webber del. J.K. Sherwin Sc.
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
An English 18 century engraving titled "Man of the Sandwich Islands, with his helmet " signed .J. Webber del. J.K. Sherwin sc. The subject was sketched in the 1770s by J.K Sherwin S,...
Category

Late 18th Century English Antique British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Paper

Antique English Pewter Plate
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Pewter plate made in England by unknown manufacturer. An good original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use, preserving a beautiful p...
Category

Late 18th Century English Antique British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Metal

Fine Double "C" Handled Quart Tulip Export Pewter Tankard Townsend & Compton
By Townsend & Compton
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
A fine double "C" handled quart tulip export Pewter mug or tankard by Townsend & Compton, circa 1779-1806. Struck with makers (upside down) pseudo hallmarks, left of the handle and l...
Category

Late 18th Century English Antique British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Pewter

Oil Painting on Canvas of Parrots
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Striking oil painting on canvas of three parrots in a natural rain forest setting executed with hyper realism technique. Signed by noted American artist Andre Lange...
Category

Late 20th Century American British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Paint

French Cast Iron Firedog Andirons Amerique, 19th Century
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
A pair of 19th century French firedogs or andirons in cast iron stamped "Amerique". The andirons appear in their unbeatable old patina, making the well dressed ladies with hat...
Category

19th Century French Antique British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Iron

Schumacher Adele Floral Wallpaper in Blackwork
Located in New York, NY
Adele is a youthful take on a traditional rose. Inspired by a 1930s illustration in the Vogue archive, this screen-printed wallpaper captures the or...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Paper

Vintage Rose Chintz Egg Shaped Ceramic Trinket Box with Hinged Lid
Located in Chillerton, Isle of Wight
Vintage rose chintz egg shaped ceramic trinket box with hinged lid. This 20th century vintage ceramic egg (Trinket Box) stands on shaped legs, i...
Category

Late 20th Century British Colonial Furniture

Pair of Fanciful Paintings on Canvas of Monkeys
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Whimsical acrylic paintings on canvas, one depicting a monkey peeling a banana and the other of a monkey holding an ice cream soda and both are wearing Asian Style hats and lounging on leopard print...
Category

20th Century American British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Acrylic

Large Glass Hibiscus and Palm Leaf Serving Platter
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
A large glass serving platter in the shape of a palm leaf with a Hibiscus flower at the stem. The top of the platter is smooth, and the underside i...
Category

20th Century American British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Crystal

Tropical Watercolor on Paper of a Jamaican Scene
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Watercolor painting on paper of a tropical scene with houses, palm trees, and figures executed in a lush pallet. Signed by American artist Margaret Morrish in 1956 at Port Antonio Ja...
Category

Mid-20th Century Jamaican British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Paper

Navy Blue Antique Persian Sarouk Rug
Located in New York, NY
Stunning early 20th century Persian Sarouk rug. Before the 1920s the Sarouk design was the most popular of Persian rugs worldwide. Most of them consist of deep red fields with nav...
Category

Early 20th Century Persian British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Wool

Pair of Sea Fan Sculptures
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Pair of sea fan sculptures crafted or dipped in silvered metal with amazing accuracy and presented on classic form lacquered stands. Signed Eduardo Garza...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Metal

Pair of Cut-Glass Hurricanes
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Refined pair of handblown hurricanes with scalloped tops, geometric cut patterns, brass cuffs and classical cut glass bases.    
Category

Early 20th Century American British Colonial Furniture

Set of Three Large Seashell Engravings
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Impressive set of three large vintage hand colored engravings depicting seashell specimens executed in the scholastic style of the early naturalists. Having plenty of decorative appe...
Category

20th Century American British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Paper

Pair of White Terracotta Lions
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Whimsical pair of Italian midcentury terracotta male and female lions with a white glaze and painted details. Although hardly ferocious these seated big c...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Terracotta

Carved Coral Bowl or Planter
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Here is a large piece of bowl coral with its bleached white color and sea inspired texture, carved and repurposed as a bowl or planter. Available only in the United States of Americ...
Category

20th Century American British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Coral

Antique Set of Nine Framed Pen and Ink Navel Sailing Ships
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Set of nine antique drawings of American and English Navel Sailing ships executed in a pen and ink technique highlighted with watercolor, matted and presented in mahogany frames behi...
Category

19th Century English Antique British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Paint

Square Two-Tiered Coffee Table with Caning
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Chic Baker, two-tiered coffee or cocktail table with a sleek black lacquer frame, walnut top, and a caned lower plateau that adds a British Colonial influence.
Category

20th Century American British Colonial Furniture

Midcentury Zebra Hide Mirror
Located in Palm Beach, FL
British Colonial style mirror with a rectangular frame covered in patches of zebra hide.
Category

20th Century English British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Zebra Hide

Ficks & Reed Mid-Century Bamboo and Cane Coffee Table
Located in Bellport, NY
A Ficks & Reed bamboo and cane coffee table. We also have two matching side tables and a pair of high back armchairs all the same match and pe...
Category

20th Century American British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Bamboo, Cane

Jamaican Cuban Mahogany Upholstered Sofa with Acanthus & Lion Paw Feet. C. 1820
Located in Hollywood, SC
Jamaican Cuban mahogany sofa with flanking scrolled arms, reeded skirt, centered rosette, and terminating on acanthus carved lions paw feet. Sofa has be...
Category

1820s Jamaican Antique British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Muslin, Mahogany

Exceptional Blue Antique Mohajeran Persian Sarouk Rug
Located in New York, NY
Stunning early 20th century Persian Sarouk Mohajeran Rug. 4'3'' x 6'7'' Before the 1920s the Sarouk design was the most popular of persian rugs worldwide. Most of them consist of ...
Category

Early 20th Century Persian British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Wool

Zabihi Collection Navy Blue Persian Traditional Room Size Sarouk Rug
Located in New York, NY
Rare navy field high-quality antique Persian Sarouk room-size rug. The piece is in mint condition as the previous owner kept it in storage for a long period of time. Measures: 8'4" ...
Category

Early 20th Century Persian British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Wool

19th Century Jamaican Regency Mahogany Tilt-Top Breakfast Table
Located in Charleston, SC
This West Indies tilt-top breakfast table was created in Jamaica in the early 19th century, circa 1800. The table is made of solid mahogany from the Caribbean and is mounted on a sta...
Category

Early 19th Century Caribbean Antique British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Brass

Facing Pair of Early to Mid-20th Century Regal, Majolica Lion Figures
Located in Palm Beach, FL
A pair of very regal seated Majolica lions, a white glaze over a terracotta base, great condition, with some of the terracotta showing through the glaze,...
Category

1960s Italian Vintage British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Pottery

Lee Radziwill Inspired Block Print Down Purple Flower Motif Pillow, India
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
Bring a taste of the orient to any space with one of our custom-created Indian block print pillows. Each pillow is made of soft cotton and h...
Category

2010s Indian British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Fabric, Cotton, Down

Bahamian Street Scene Watercolor Painting by Hartwell Leon Woodcock
By Hartwell L. Woodcock
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Watercolor painting of a Bahamian street scene possibly in Nassau. Complete with a woman carrying a bundle, a man in a cart, palm trees, house, gates and warm peaceful ambiance. Sign...
Category

20th Century North American British Colonial Furniture

Materials

Paint, Paper

British Colonial furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique British Colonial furniture for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage furniture created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include tables, case pieces and storage cabinets, seating and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, metal and other materials. If you’re shopping for used British Colonial furniture made in a specific country, there are Europe, Asia, and United Kingdom pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original furniture, popular names associated with this style include Maitland Smith, Baker Furniture Company, Bloomingdale's, and Ralph Lauren. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for furniture differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $80 and tops out at $88,000 while the average work can sell for $3,161.

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