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.
Early 20th Century Persian British Colonial Furniture
Wool
19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Iron
Early 20th Century Sri Lankan British Colonial Furniture
Cane, Satinwood
20th Century English British Colonial Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century English British Colonial Furniture
Cane, Hardwood
1910s English Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Silver
19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Rosewood
Late 18th Century English Antique British Colonial Furniture
Wool
1950s English Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Metal, Silver
Late 19th Century Asian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Rosewood
Early 18th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Ebony
Late 19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Teak
20th Century English British Colonial Furniture
Wood, Leather, Oak
Early 20th Century English British Colonial Furniture
Tin
Early 20th Century Persian British Colonial Furniture
Wool
Early 20th Century Austrian British Colonial Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century Chinese British Colonial Furniture
Wool
Early 20th Century Persian British Colonial Furniture
Wool
19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Wood, Cane
Early 20th Century Persian British Colonial Furniture
Wool
Late 19th Century British Antique British Colonial Furniture
Wool, Cotton, Organic Material
Early 20th Century British Colonial Furniture
1910s Indian Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Silver
Mid-19th Century Antique British Colonial Furniture
Pine
Late 20th Century Canadian British Colonial Furniture
Aluminum, Brass
20th Century British British Colonial Furniture
Steel, Copper
21st Century and Contemporary American British Colonial Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Antique British Colonial Furniture
Iron
Early 20th Century Asian British Colonial Furniture
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century Persian British Colonial Furniture
Wool
Early 19th Century Antique British Colonial Furniture
Organic Material, Paper
Mid-20th Century British British Colonial Furniture
Upholstery
1930s Vintage British Colonial Furniture
18th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Teak
1890s Antique British Colonial Furniture
Iron
Late 19th Century English Antique British Colonial Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century Turkish British Colonial Furniture
Wool
Late 20th Century British Colonial Furniture
Marble
Mid-19th Century British Indian Ocean Territory Antique British Colonial Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century Sri Lankan Antique British Colonial Furniture
Ebony
Late 19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Hardwood
1920s French Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Beech, Leather
Early 20th Century Turkish British Colonial Furniture
Wool
19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Iron
Mid-20th Century Turkish British Colonial Furniture
Wool
Late 19th Century English Antique British Colonial Furniture
Silver
19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Wool
20th Century British Colonial Furniture
Wool, Silk
1890s English Antique British Colonial Furniture
Sterling Silver
19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Iron
1920s Persian Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Wool
19th Century Sri Lankan Antique British Colonial Furniture
Satinwood
Mid-19th Century Chinese Antique British Colonial Furniture
Stone
20th Century Indian British Colonial Furniture
Terracotta
19th Century British Antique British Colonial Furniture
Hardwood
1930s Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Oak
19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Granite
Late 19th Century Sri Lankan Antique British Colonial Furniture
Ebony, Wood