British Colonial 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.
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish British Colonial Tables
Wood
1970s Unknown Vintage British Colonial Tables
Bamboo, Cane
19th Century British Antique British Colonial Tables
Bamboo, Hardwood
Mid-19th Century Sri Lankan Antique British Colonial Tables
Rosewood, Mahogany
Early 19th Century Bajan Antique British Colonial Tables
Brass
Early 19th Century Jamaican Antique British Colonial Tables
Mahogany
19th Century Trinidadian Antique British Colonial Tables
Mahogany, Cedar, Satinwood, Rosewood
Early 19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Tables
Padouk
Early 20th Century British British Colonial Tables
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American British Colonial Tables
Cut Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish British Colonial Tables
Bamboo
20th Century British Colonial Tables
Wood
Early 20th Century American British Colonial Tables
Bamboo, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian British Colonial Tables
Glass, Wood
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Tables
Leather, Grasscloth, Mahogany
1960s Danish Vintage British Colonial Tables
Rosewood
Mid-20th Century British British Colonial Tables
Zinc
Late 19th Century American Antique British Colonial Tables
Satinwood, Walnut
2010s American British Colonial Tables
Steel, Iron
16th Century French Antique British Colonial Tables
Walnut
Late 20th Century Unknown British Colonial Tables
Grasscloth, Bamboo, Wood
Early 20th Century British British Colonial Tables
Oak
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Tables
Brass
Late 19th Century British Antique British Colonial Tables
Oak
1910s British Vintage British Colonial Tables
Oak
20th Century American British Colonial Tables
Mahogany
Early 20th Century British Indian Ocean Territory British Colonial Tables
Wood
19th Century Sri Lankan Antique British Colonial Tables
Wood
1830s North American Antique British Colonial Tables
Mahogany
1920s English Vintage British Colonial Tables
Brass
20th Century Thai British Colonial Tables
Wood
20th Century American British Colonial Tables
Rattan
1750s English Antique British Colonial Tables
Bronze