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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Item Ships From: USA
Style: British Colonial
19th Century Sri Lankan Trunk with Ebony Trim
Located in Pasadena, CA
A 19th century Sri Lankan Trunk made of jakwood with ebony trim. Bright hardware and handles on squat feet.
Category
19th Century Sri Lankan Antique British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Ebony
British Colonial Style Sideboard or Server
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Antique William IV style sideboard reminiscent of a West Indies British Colonial server or buffet crafted in indigenous mahogany with a gr...
Category
19th Century Antiguan Antique British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
Antique Persian Branched Pole Medallion Shiraz Rug
Located in Dallas, TX
53233 Antique Persian Branched Pole Medallion Shiraz rug. Balancing tribal style and traditional sensibility, this hand knotted wool distressed antique Persian Shiraz rug charms with...
Category
Early 20th Century Persian British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Wool
Complete Set of Pink Cloth Napkins and Faux Bamboo Brass Place Setting Set of 4
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
Make hosting and entertaining easy, with a vintage British Colonial style place setting. Over a year in the making, we’ve sourced hundreds of table settings from all over the globe and paired our favorites in a set. (See our other listings for more beauties in an array of different colors, styles and place settings from 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 16.)
This set features a faux bamboo brass charger from India. It does have a slight patina to it, which makes it look even more storied. We’ve had these custom cloth napkins created just for this set. We’ve brought over this fabulous pink block print fabric from India and created 4 16” x 16” cloth dinner napkins...
Category
20th Century Indian British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Brass
Antique Persian Bakhtiari Cypress Tree Runner with British Colonial Style
Located in Dallas, TX
53253, antique Persian Bakhtiari Cypress Tree Runner with British Colonial style. With a subdued appearance and cypress tree design in neutral hues, this hand knotted wool antique Pe...
Category
Early 20th Century Persian British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Wool
Dos Gallos Studio Custom Walnut Desk or Dining Table with Wishbone Stretcher
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This is our custom wishbone winery table that can be made in any size and with any finish, in a range of colors and distresses. This particular table was going to be used as a desk s...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Walnut
Moroccan Tray or Coffee Table
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Moroccan tray, coffee or cocktail table with a hand hammered removable brass tray, featuring floral and geometric designs crafted with open filigree and old world charm. The base has...
Category
20th Century Moroccan British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Brass
19th Century British Colonial Rosewood Display Cabinet
Located in Pasadena, CA
19th century Goa rosewood display cabinet with sunburst design on doors. Two small drawers with three large below. Keys included.
Category
19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Rosewood
Antique Chinese Oval Accent Rug with Pictorial Phoenix Design
Located in Dallas, TX
71754, antique Chinese oval accent rug with Pictorial Phoenix design. This hand knotted wool antique Chinese oval rug features a pictorial oval medallio...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Wool
Pair of Figura Lizardl Ostrich Egg Candlesticks by Redmile
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Whimsical yet refined pair of candlesticks with silvered metal acrobatic lizards holding ostrich eggs with candle holders on a classic base stamped Redmile London.
Category
20th Century English British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Ostrich Eggshell
Antique Tall British Colonial Console Table with Mirrored Skirt
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Rare and unusual antique English console table finished all around featuring a flame grained and crossbanded top over a distressed mirror and f...
Category
20th Century English British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Wood
Antique Caribbean Watercolor
Located in Palm Beach, FL
19th century tropical West Indies watercolor on paper depicting a moment in
time on a quiet street complete with houses, palm trees, flowers and a
woman carrying a bundle on her he...
Category
Mid-19th Century Caribbean Antique British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Paint
Large Pencil Reed Rattan Floor Vase
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Midcentury floor vase crafted in pencil reed with a Classic form and warm lush finish.
Category
20th Century Italian British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Reed
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
Antique Glass and Brass Pendant
Located in Palm Beach, FL
English pendant or bell jar light fixture with pressed floral designs on the brass hardware and a hand blown glass globe with cut cycles in fros...
Category
Early 20th Century English British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Brass
Pair of Woven Reed Pillows
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Pair of pillows handcrafted in woven reed in a herringbone pattern with discrete side zippers. Exclusively designed and offered by F. S. Henemader antiques ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Reed
Victoria Chair with Tassel Foot, Susanne Hollis Collection
Located in Pasadena, CA
Our Victoria chair with tassel foot detailing in our ebonized finish with a light distress, inspired by an original Swedish 1930s Art Deco pair we f...
Category
2010s American British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Upholstery, Wood
Brass Palm Tree Sculpture
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Brass banana tree or palm tree sculpture with a custom burnished bronze like finish, removable leaves, a weighted base decorated with floral designs,...
Category
20th Century Italian British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Brass
19th Century Jamaican Campeche / Planter Chair
Located in Charleston, SC
This elegant British Colonial 1810-1830 Campeche chair is made of solid mahogany and was known in Jamaica as a Spanish chair in the period. This West Indies Planter chair...
Category
Early 19th Century Jamaican Antique British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
Bamboo and Grasscloth Chest of Drawers
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Gentlemen's chest of eight drawers with a casual elegance and featuring a bamboo frame, grasscloth panels, stylized sunrise designs on the sides and splayed legs.
Category
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Grasscloth, Bamboo
Elegant Terracotta Antique Mohajeran Persian Sarouk Rug
Located in New York, NY
Stunning early 20th century Persian Sarouk Mohajeran Rug with a terracotta field, accents in robin egg blue, green, the border is navy.
circa 1910. Measures: 3'5" x 4'7"
Before...
Category
Early 20th Century Persian British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Wool
Antique Francois Grenier Mixed Media 3D "Tiger Hunt" Collage La Chasse au Tigre
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique mixed-media enhanced engraving artwork attributed to Francois Grenier. François GRENIER b. 1793-1867. This work features a hunting scene from India, framed shadowbox style, signed in stone lower left and titled on backside. La Chasse au Tigre translates to (Tiger Chase or Tiger Hunt...
Category
Early 19th Century Antique British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Organic Material, Paper
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
Majolica Boot Umbrella or Cane Stand
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Whimsical midcentury Majolica or glazed terra cotta umbrella or cane Stand in the form of Italian military boots complete with tassels and spurs.
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
Early 20th Century Colonial Sri Lankan Satinwood Garden Chair
Located in Southampton, NY
Hand-turned garden chair made of solid satinwood, Colonial, Sri Lanka, circa 1900. Hand-caned seat and back.
Came from a British Military family in Sri Lanka.
40.25" overall height ...
Category
Early 20th Century Sri Lankan British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Cane, Satinwood
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
Pair of Mid-Century Modern Rosewood Side or Office Chairs with Upholstered Seat
Located in Nantucket, MA
Pair of Mid-Century Modern solid rosewood side or office chairs with a slightly curved back for lumbar support. Slightly tapered leg. The seat can be easily removed if you wanted to ...
Category
Mid-20th Century British British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Upholstery
Pair of Faux Tortoise Bamboo Stands with Magazine Racks
Located in Palm Beach, FL
British Colonial style end tables or stands with a faux tortoise finish over a turned wood faux bamboo frame. Featuring tooled brown leather panels, distinctive brass hardware, magaz...
Category
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Faux Bamboo
Distressed Antique Persian Shiraz Design Rug with British Colonial Style
Located in Dallas, TX
52631, distressed antique Persian Shiraz design rug with British Colonial style. Warm and inviting combined with the right amount of necessary aesthetic elements, this hand knotted w...
Category
Early 20th Century Turkish British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Wool
Distressed Antique Turkish Rug with British Colonial Style
Located in Dallas, TX
74991, distressed antique Turkish rug with British Colonial style 10'03 x 15'07.?? With its casual elegance and lovingly timeworn appear...
Category
Early 20th Century Turkish British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Wool
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 Metal and Cast Iron Monkey and Palm Sconces
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Pair of wall sconces with a slightly oxidized finish, five candle cups in palm leaf clusters, and featuring cast iron monkeys in a familiar, taunting ...
Category
20th Century Italian British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Iron
Distressed Vintage Turkish Kilim Rug with Southern Living British Colonial Style
Located in Dallas, TX
50769, distressed vintage Turkish Kilim rug with Southern Living British Colonial style. This handwoven wool vintage Turkish Kilim rug features a central diamond surrounded by additi...
Category
Mid-20th Century Turkish British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Wool
Antique Rustic Anglo-Indian Candleholder
Located in Sheffield, MA
The large sculptural antique rustic Anglo-Indian candleholder made from architectural element. Carved hardwood with an indented metal disk and spike or pricket for candles with extra...
Category
Late 19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Hardwood
British Colonial Wood Column on Stand
Located in Atlanta, GA
A single 19th century British Colonial carved wood column with custom Stand. This antique hand carved wooden architectural element from India, which stands just under 6.5 feet in hei...
Category
19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Iron
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
19th Century British Colonial Jakwood and Ebony Trunk
Located in Pasadena, CA
A 19th century British Colonial trunk comprised of jakwood and ebony. The trunk features a central hardware piece and carved columns on the sides.
Category
Early 19th Century Sri Lankan Antique British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Ebony
British Colonial Crocodile Case on Custom Stand from the 1920s
Located in Atlanta, GA
A custom stand supporting a crocodile case from India in the 1920s. This case features a crocodile skin exterior with a cloth interior and numerous pockets. On the front are two basi...
Category
Early 20th Century Indian British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Crocodile, Wood
Glass Beaded Parrot Sculpture
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Glass beaded parrot sculpture ambitiously crafted with glass beads and perched on a custom wood, brass, and Lucite stand.
Category
20th Century South African British Colonial Furniture
Royal Blue Antique Mohajeran Persian Sarouk Rug
Located in New York, NY
Stunning early 20th century Persian Sarouk Mohajeran rug.
7'1'' x 10'6''
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
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
18th Century Pair of Orange Tall Indian Teak Wood Pillars
Located in Pasadena, CA
These pair of orange painted tall Indian teak wood pillars are topped with classical acanthus leaf capitals and come in three parts.
Category
18th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Teak
Vintage Impressionist Oil Painting of a Harbor Scene
Located in Palm Beach, FL
In the tradition of 1930s impressionist, here is a painting by H. A. Burnham of a harbor scene, displaying confident brushstrokes and a striking tropical palette. This oil painting c...
Category
20th Century Caribbean British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Paint
Midcentury Brass Palm or Banana Tree
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Striking midcentury stylized brass tabletop palm or banana tree with a tropical ambiance suitable for traditional or modern interiors. Hand polished and la...
Category
20th Century Italian British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Brass
Pair of Midcentury Mother of Pearl Table Lamps
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Pair of midcentury table lamps with a rectangular form featuring alluring mother of pearl mosaic bodies presented on Lucite bases.
Category
20th Century American British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Mother-of-Pearl
19th Century British Colonial Ceylonese Satinwood and Ebony Cabinet
Located in Pasadena, CA
Early 19th century British Colonial cabinet of wide-paneled and figured solid satinwood with solid ebony trim. Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, is one of the few places in the wo...
Category
19th Century Sri Lankan Antique British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Ebony, Satinwood
Persian Pictorial Nain Rug
Located in New York, NY
Very finely woven Pictorial Persian Nain rug featuring a pictorial design on a crispy blue colored field.
Nain is a small village located in central Iran that has relatively recen...
Category
20th Century British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Wool, Silk
Early 19th Century Caribbean Mahogany Tilt-Top Breakfast Center Table
Located in Charleston, SC
This West Indies center table has an English influence. This piece is published in " West Indian Antique Furniture of the Lesser Antilles...
Category
Early 19th Century Bajan Antique British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Brass
Zabihi Collection Room SizeAntique Persian Sarouk Rug
Located in New York, NY
An authentic room size full pile antique Persian Sarouk rug.
Measures: 7'10'' x 11'9''.
Category
1920s Persian Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Wool
British Colonial Decorative Carved Wood Column
Located in Atlanta, GA
A single 19th century British Colonial carved wood column with custom stand. This antique hand carved wooden architectural element from India, whic...
Category
19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Iron
Massive Pair of Early 19th Century Brass Candlesticks
Located in Kilmarnock, VA
Massive pair of early 19th century English candlesticks.
Category
1810s English Antique British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Brass
19th Century Anglo Ceylonese Specimen Wood Desk Companion Tray
Located in Dallas, TX
Another stunning 19th century Anglo-Ceylonese piece.
Made circa 1880 in Ceylon (Now Sri Lanka) of Coromandel wood and specimen woods.
This is a simply gorgeous and quality item!! Tray made of various compartments with various high quality specimen wood lids, all edged and banded in chevrons of bone, silver or pewter and ebony.
The tray itself is made of expensive coromandel wood. There are two open sections on either side of the tray which have bone and hand-painted lac ends. The main tray sits onto a base made of coromandel wood with green baize lining.
This tray could have a number of practical uses, for keeping stationary, watches, jewelry, or thinking outside of the box, holding you remote controls and candy!!
We have a matching box also in our Inventory and for auction.
ANGLO-INDIAN AND CEYLONESE BOXES: Anglo Indian boxes were made in India for the English residents from the early part of the 18th century. They were brought back or sent back to England usually by the people who had commissioned them. From the beginning of the nineteenth century they were imported more commercially, although not in any significant numbers until the middle decades. They were very highly valued, especially the early ones, to the extent that the designs were copied on late 19th and early 20th century tins.
Anglo-indian Boxes normally consist of 3 main types:-
(1) Most of the best and highest quality Anglo-Indian boxes in the 18th and 19th Centuries were made in Vizagapatam, India, renowned for its exquisite craftsmanship in using ivory and tortoiseshell and lac decoration. These are referred to as ‘Vizagapatam Boxes...
Category
Late 19th Century Sri Lankan Antique British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Ebony, Wood
Pair of Midcentury Bamboo End Tables
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Here is a pair of tables with a top composed of travertine blocks set in a herringbone pattern, in a maple frame with one drawer that seems to float on the unexpected bamboo base.
Category
20th Century American British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Bamboo
Rare 1820s Caribbean Jamaican Regency Server or Wagon
Located in Charleston, SC
This beautiful, solid mahogany Jamaican bookcase/wagon, features lovely turnings, and Primitive feet.
Jamaican, West indies, Colonial, British Colonial, Islands, Island.
Category
19th Century Jamaican Antique British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
English Colonial Ebony Wood Games Table
Located in Stamford, CT
A ebony English Colonial games table having a folding top on center column and four cabriole legs.
Category
Early 19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Wood, Ebony
Ficks & Reed Mid-Century Bamboo and Cane Coffee Table
By Ficks Reed
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
Rare Folky Watercolor Drawings on Paper by L.J. Harboe, Priced Individually
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Here are four rare and historically important watercolor drawings on paper of St. Croix. Painted in a topographical style by L.J.Harboe, effectively transporting us to a time and pla...
Category
19th Century American Antique British Colonial Furniture
Materials
Paint
Pair of Horn Veneer Table Lamps
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Dashing pair of midcentury table lamps featuring Horn veneer mosaic bodies and finished with Classic nickel plated metal tops and feet.
Category
20th Century American British Colonial Furniture
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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