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.
1910s Italian Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Fabric, Bamboo, Wood
1910s Unknown Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Brass
1910s European Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Wool
1910s English Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Silver, Steel
1910s English Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Silver
1910s English Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Silver
1910s Indian Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Silver
Mid-20th Century American British Colonial Furniture
Brass
20th Century Italian British Colonial Furniture
Giltwood, Mirror
Late 19th Century English Antique British Colonial Furniture
Silver Plate
1920s French Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Pine
21st Century and Contemporary British British Colonial Furniture
Ebony, Mahogany, Satinwood
Mid-20th Century Dutch British Colonial Furniture
Oak
Mid-20th Century British Colonial Furniture
Metal, Sterling Silver, Silver Plate
1910s French Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Oak
Early 20th Century French British Colonial Furniture
Oak
1950s German Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Oak, Poplar
Mid-19th Century Antique British Colonial Furniture
Pine
18th Century American Antique British Colonial Furniture
Brass
1910s British Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Oak
1910s British Indian Ocean Territory Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Rosewood, Teak
1910s British Indian Ocean Territory Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Teak
1910s English Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Mahogany
1910s English Vintage British Colonial Furniture
1910s English Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Metal