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.
20th Century English Regency Furniture
Metal
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Silver
Early 20th Century French Regency Furniture
Crystal
20th Century Italian Regency Furniture
Porcelain
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Regency Furniture
Brass
19th Century Antique Regency Furniture
Wood
1820s English Antique Regency Furniture
Porcelain
Late 20th Century Italian Regency Furniture
Metal
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Gesso, Pine, Giltwood
Late 20th Century Unknown Regency Furniture
Metal
20th Century English Regency Furniture
Copper
1810s French Antique Regency Furniture
Bronze
1820s English Antique Regency Furniture
Wood
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Other
1820s English Antique Regency Furniture
Cut Glass
1920s Vintage Regency Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Crystal, Bronze, Ormolu
Late 19th Century Antique Regency Furniture
Porcelain
20th Century Italian Regency Furniture
Hardwood, Oak, Satinwood, Walnut
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Mahogany
Late 20th Century American Regency Furniture
Velvet, Cherry
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Marble
Mid-19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Fruitwood, Paper
Early 19th Century British Antique Regency Furniture
Paper
1930s American Vintage Regency Furniture
Metal, Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Statuary Marble
Early 1800s American Antique Regency Furniture
Brass
1820s English Antique Regency Furniture
Birdseye Maple, Maple
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Lapis Lazuli, Malachite, Ormolu
Early 19th Century Irish Antique Regency Furniture
Siena Marble
2010s Unknown Regency Furniture
Marble
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Cut Glass
Late 18th Century French Antique Regency Furniture
Oak, Pine
2010s British Regency Furniture
Mirror, Oak
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Other
1820s British Antique Regency Furniture
Mahogany
1820s British Antique Regency Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Regency Furniture
Metal
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Regency Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Silver Plate
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Other
Late 20th Century Unknown Regency Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Brass
18th Century Chinese Antique Regency Furniture
Porcelain
Early 1900s French Antique Regency Furniture
Plaster
2010s Philippine Regency Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century Regency Furniture
Brass
1950s American Vintage Regency Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Regency Furniture
Leather, Wood, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century American Regency Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century Mexican Regency Furniture
Aluminum
1910s French Vintage Regency Furniture
Wood
1980s Vintage Regency Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Unknown Regency Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Regency Furniture
Gold Leaf
1960s American Vintage Regency Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary British Regency Furniture
Brass