British Colonial Side Tables
Typically made of mahogany, teak or bamboo and featuring a range of fabrics and prints with botanical patterns, antique British Colonial furniture and decor varies as it involved local materials and techniques and spanned centuries of design styles.
As the British Empire expanded from the 16th to the 20th century, its conquest and control of colonies around the world bolstered its wealth through the extraction of resources. Including colonies in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australasia, this spread of often violent subjugation imposed British culture, language and faith on Indigenous peoples. The design of homes was included in this expression of imperial power, with government officials, merchants and military officers creating homes mimicking the luxuries they were used to in England.
Local artisans were commissioned to replicate British designs, resulting in versions of Regency, Chippendale, Sheraton and other styles of furniture being crafted from mahogany, rosewood, ebony and teakwood as opposed to beech and oak, which were more common in Europe. Whereas the colonial furniture for the Portuguese and Dutch regularly had motifs of indigenous flora and fauna, the British tended to want more exact reproductions of their home country’s designs.
To escape the summer heat in places such as India and the Caribbean, British colonizers relocated to airy houses in the hills or plantations, leading to foldable chairs and collapsible desks in the style of military campaign furniture. Rather than upholstery as they might have in Europe, chairs and sofas in the British Colonial style had rattan and cane seating for these higher temperature climates. The contrast between the light textiles and the dark colors of the sturdy furniture became a defining aesthetic of British Colonial interiors.
Find a collection of antique British Colonial outdoor furniture, seating, bedroom furniture, decorative objects and other items on 1stDibs.
2010s American British Colonial Side Tables
Wood
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Side Tables
Bamboo, Rattan, Glass
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Side Tables
Grasscloth, Faux Bamboo
1890s English Antique British Colonial Side Tables
Fruitwood
Mid-20th Century English British Colonial Side Tables
Cane, Mahogany
19th Century British Antique British Colonial Side Tables
Hardwood
Early 1900s Indian Antique British Colonial Side Tables
Teak
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Side Tables
Bamboo
19th Century American Antique British Colonial Side Tables
Metal
Mid-20th Century Philippine British Colonial Side Tables
Faux Bamboo
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Side Tables
Grasscloth, Bamboo
Early 20th Century French British Colonial Side Tables
Bamboo, Wood
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Side Tables
Faux Bamboo
1890s English Antique British Colonial Side Tables
Fruitwood
Early 20th Century British Indian Ocean Territory British Colonial Side Tables
Teak
Late 20th Century American British Colonial Side Tables
Wood
Late 20th Century American British Colonial Side Tables
Iron
Early 20th Century English British Colonial Side Tables
Brass
18th Century Unknown Antique British Colonial Side Tables
Cherry
20th Century American British Colonial Side Tables
Brass
2010s Unknown British Colonial Side Tables
Wood
1950s Vintage British Colonial Side Tables
Bamboo
Early 20th Century American British Colonial Side Tables
Maple
1980s Italian Vintage British Colonial Side Tables
Metal, Brass
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Side Tables
Bamboo
1890s Great Britain (UK) Antique British Colonial Side Tables
Brass
1940s French Vintage British Colonial Side Tables
Brass
Early 2000s American British Colonial Side Tables
Marble, Stainless Steel
Late 19th Century Spanish Antique British Colonial Side Tables
Wood
1960s Italian Vintage British Colonial Side Tables
Rattan
20th Century English British Colonial Side Tables
Brass
20th Century American British Colonial Side Tables
Wood, Mahogany
Late 19th Century Chinese Antique British Colonial Side Tables
Hardwood
Mid-20th Century American British Colonial Side Tables
Bamboo
Mid-20th Century British British Colonial Side Tables
Wood
Early 20th Century British Colonial Side Tables
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Taiwanese British Colonial Side Tables
Bamboo
Early 20th Century British Colonial Side Tables
Bamboo
Mid-20th Century English British Colonial Side Tables
Metal, Brass
Late 20th Century British Colonial Side Tables
Leather, Hardwood
1950s Moroccan Vintage British Colonial Side Tables
Bone, Teak
Early 1900s English Antique British Colonial Side Tables
Wood
1920s German Vintage British Colonial Side Tables
Wood
1980s Vintage British Colonial Side Tables
Bronze
Mid-20th Century American British Colonial Side Tables
Brass
Late 20th Century Philippine British Colonial Side Tables
Grasscloth, Bamboo