Regency Furniture
Like France’s Empire style, Regency-style furniture was rooted in neoclassicism; the characteristics of its bedroom furniture, armchairs, dining room tables and other items include clean lines, angular shapes and elegant details.
Dating roughly from the 1790s to 1830s, antique Regency-style furniture gets its name from Prince George of Wales — formally King George IV — who became Prince Regent in 1811 after his father, George III, was declared unfit to rule. England’s Regency style is one of the styles represented in Georgian furniture.
George IV’s arts patronage significantly influenced the development of the Regency style, such as the architectural projects under John Nash, which included the renovation of Buckingham House into the formidable Buckingham Palace with a grand neoclassical facade. Celebrated designers of the period include Thomas Sheraton, Henry Holland and Thomas Hope. Like Nash, Hope instilled his work with classical influences, such as saber-legged chairs based on the ancient Greek klismos. He is credited with introducing the term “interior decoration” to English with the 1807 publishing of Household Furniture and Interior Decoration.
Although more subdued than previous styles like Rococo and Baroque, Regency interiors incorporated copious use of chintz fabrics and wallpaper adorned in chinoiserie-style art. Its furniture featured fine materials and luxurious embellishments. Furniture maker George Bullock, for instance, regularly used detailed wood marquetry and metal ornaments on his pieces.
Archaeological discoveries in Egypt and Greece informed Regency-era details, such as carved scrollwork, sphinxes and palmettes, as well as the shape of furniture. A Roman marble cinerary chest, for example, would be reinterpreted into a wooden cabinet. The Napoleonic Wars also inspired furniture, with martial designs like tented beds and camp-style chairs becoming popular. While the reddish-brown mahogany was prominent in this range of pieces, imported woods like zebrawood and ebony were increasingly in demand.
Find a collection of antique Regency tables, seating, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Brass
18th Century French Antique Regency Furniture
Mirror, Giltwood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Hardwood, Elm
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Shell, Glass, Mahogany
18th Century French Antique Regency Furniture
Marble, Serpentine
1950s Italian Vintage Regency Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century English Regency Furniture
Gold
1950s Italian Vintage Regency Furniture
Brass
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Mahogany, Giltwood
18th Century French Antique Regency Furniture
Metal
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Wood
Mid-19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Marble
19th Century European Antique Regency Furniture
Metal
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Mahogany
Late 18th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Silver
19th Century Italian Antique Regency Furniture
Multi-gemstone, Siena Marble
Mid-20th Century French Regency Furniture
Marble, Iron
Late 20th Century Indian Regency Furniture
Wool
Mid-20th Century Italian Regency Furniture
Mirror, Wood
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Mirror, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century European Regency Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century English Regency Furniture
Giltwood
Late 18th Century Scottish Antique Regency Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century Indian Regency Furniture
Wool
Early 20th Century Indian Regency Furniture
Wool
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Rosewood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Rosewood
Mid-20th Century English Regency Furniture
Leather, Mahogany
Early 20th Century English Regency Furniture
Porcelain
1920s Vintage Regency Furniture
Wrought Iron
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Mahogany
Late 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Leather
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Rosewood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Bronze
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Gold Plate
Mid-19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Marble, Bronze
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Ebony, Rosewood, Giltwood
20th Century English Regency Furniture
Rosewood
Mid-20th Century English Regency Furniture
Cane, Wood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Mahogany
Late 20th Century American Regency Furniture
Composition
Mid-20th Century English Regency Furniture
Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Regency Furniture
Bronze
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Mirror, Wood
18th Century Dutch Antique Regency Furniture
Satinwood, Walnut
Late 18th Century Dutch Antique Regency Furniture
Kingwood, Mahogany
Late 18th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Ebony, Mahogany, Oak, Satinwood
Mid-19th Century Baltic Antique Regency Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Rosewood
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Regency Furniture
Alabaster, Bronze
Late 20th Century Indian Regency Furniture
Wool