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.
18th Century French Antique Regency Furniture
Limestone
1970s Czech Vintage Regency Furniture
Brass, Steel
Mid-19th Century British Antique Regency Furniture
Siena Marble, Statuary Marble
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Velvet
20th Century American Regency Furniture
Fabric, Wood, Paint
Early 1800s European Antique Regency Furniture
Brass
Early 18th Century French Antique Regency Furniture
Granite
Early 18th Century French Antique Regency Furniture
Stone
1880s French Antique Regency Furniture
Bronze
20th Century American Regency Furniture
Wood, Faux Bamboo, Birdseye Maple, Fruitwood, Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Porcelain
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Brass
19th Century French Antique Regency Furniture
Rosewood
19th Century British Antique Regency Furniture
Wood
20th Century Regency Furniture
Mirror, Wood
2010s British Regency Furniture
Paper
19th Century North American Antique Regency Furniture
Velvet, Mahogany
1920s British Vintage Regency Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Iron
Late 20th Century American Regency Furniture
Wrought Iron
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century English Regency Furniture
Porcelain
Early 20th Century French Regency Furniture
Crystal
1990s Indonesian Regency Furniture
Wood
19th Century Antique Regency Furniture
Bronze
1830s English Antique Regency Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century European Antique Regency Furniture
Felt, Mahogany, Maple, Satinwood
1820s English Antique Regency Furniture
Zinc
21st Century and Contemporary American Regency Furniture
Marble
19th Century Virgin Islands Antique Regency Furniture
Oak, Cane, Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century English Regency Furniture
Marble
Late 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Regency Furniture
Marble
Late 20th Century Philippine Regency Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Wood
1960s Italian Vintage Regency Furniture
Mirror, Wood
Mid-19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Mahogany
2010s American Regency Furniture
Paper
Mid-20th Century Unknown Regency Furniture
Brass
1830s English Antique Regency Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century Javanese Regency Furniture
Wood, Rattan
Early 20th Century Unknown Regency Furniture
Silver Plate
Early 19th Century Antique Regency Furniture
Pearlware, Pottery
2010s American Regency Furniture
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Regency Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Porcelain
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Mahogany
1820s English Antique Regency Furniture
Ironstone
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Regency Furniture
Wood
1950s Italian Vintage Regency Furniture
Metal
18th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Regency Furniture
Brass
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Iron
19th Century French Antique Regency Furniture
Upholstery, Fruitwood
Early 20th Century Unknown Regency Furniture
Silver Plate
20th Century Regency Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Italian Regency Furniture
Glass, Poplar
Mid-20th Century American Regency Furniture
Upholstery, Cane
1810s English Antique Regency Furniture
Bronze