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.
1930s American Vintage Regency Furniture
Metal, Brass
Late 20th Century Unknown Regency Furniture
Cherry
Early 2000s American Regency Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Unknown Regency Furniture
Laminate, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary English Regency Furniture
Mahogany, Rosewood
Late 20th Century American Regency Furniture
Metal
20th Century Regency Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century Slovak Regency Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century European Antique Regency Furniture
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary British Regency Furniture
Mahogany, Boxwood, Olive, Satinwood
Early 20th Century American Regency Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
20th Century English Regency Furniture
Brass, Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Regency Furniture
Mahogany, Paint
Late 20th Century Regency Furniture
Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Regency Furniture
Mahogany, Paint
1990s German Regency Furniture
Crystal
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Other
Early 20th Century Regency Furniture
Glass, Mahogany
Early 20th Century French Regency Furniture
Walnut
1880s English Antique Regency Furniture
Iron
Early 19th Century British Antique Regency Furniture
Brass
Mid-19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Paper
1810s English Antique Regency Furniture
Porcelain
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Ironstone
Late 20th Century Regency Furniture
Mahogany
Early 20th Century Unknown Regency Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century American Regency Furniture
Faux Bamboo, Mahogany
1810s Scottish Antique Regency Furniture
Brass, Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Regency Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century French Regency Furniture
Bronze
20th Century American Regency Furniture
Marble
20th Century American Regency Furniture
Wood, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century English Regency Furniture
Metal
Early 19th Century Welsh Antique Regency Furniture
Carrara Marble
Early 20th Century French Regency Furniture
Marble
2010s American Regency Furniture
Leather, Burl
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Regency Furniture
Brass
Early 18th Century French Antique Regency Furniture
Stone, Limestone, Sandstone
1810s English Antique Regency Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century Regency Furniture
Leather, Mahogany
Early 2000s American Regency Furniture
Metal
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Satinwood
Early 19th Century Antique Regency Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century English Regency Furniture
Mahogany
2010s English Regency Furniture
Brass
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Other
20th Century American Regency Furniture
Pewter
1960s Vintage Regency Furniture
Wood, Mahogany
1810s English Antique Regency Furniture
Bronze, Wire
20th Century German Regency Furniture
Porcelain
1970s German Vintage Regency Furniture
Crystal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Regency Furniture
Giltwood, Wood
Early 2000s American Regency Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Brass
20th Century American Regency Furniture
Mahogany
1990s American Regency Furniture
Textile, Wood, Lacquer
Late 19th Century French Antique Regency Furniture
Brass, Bronze
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Other
Early 1900s English Antique Regency Furniture
Gold Leaf