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
Mahogany
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Other
1810s English Antique Regency Furniture
Brass, Gold Leaf
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Bronze
19th Century British Antique Regency Furniture
Metal, Brass
1820s British Antique Regency Furniture
Leather, Paper
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Gold Leaf
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Brass
1820s English Antique Regency Furniture
Giltwood
1820s English Antique Regency Furniture
Porcelain
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Mahogany
1820s English Antique Regency Furniture
Mirror, Giltwood, Paint
Mid-19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Bronze
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Mahogany, Satinwood
Early 19th Century Irish Antique Regency Furniture
Cut Glass
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Mahogany
1820s British Antique Regency Furniture
Glass, Wood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Birch, Pine
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Brass
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Glass, Mirror, Wood, Giltwood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Mahogany, Satinwood
Early 19th Century Irish Antique Regency Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century Czech Antique Regency Furniture
Porcelain
1810s Dutch Antique Regency Furniture
Silver
1820s British Antique Regency Furniture
Mahogany
1820s Antique Regency Furniture
Wood
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Mirror, Giltwood
1830s English Antique Regency Furniture
Oak
19th Century Antique Regency Furniture
Cane, Lacquer
1820s English Antique Regency Furniture
Marble, Brass
1820s English Antique Regency Furniture
Marble
1820s English Antique Regency Furniture
Porcelain
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Crystal
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Statuary Marble
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Tortoise Shell, Wood
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Oak
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Marble
Early 19th Century British Antique Regency Furniture
Mirror, Giltwood
1820s English Antique Regency Furniture
Slate
Late 19th Century American Antique Regency Furniture
Wood, Mahogany
1820s French Antique Regency Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Siena Marble, Statuary Marble
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Other
Late 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Porcelain
Late 19th Century French Antique Regency Furniture
Brass, Bronze
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Mahogany
1820s English Antique Regency Furniture
Cut Glass
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Rosewood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Mahogany
1810s Caribbean Antique Regency Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Silver, Brass
Early 19th Century British Antique Regency Furniture
Marble
1820s Antique Regency Furniture
Sheffield Plate
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Furniture
Wood