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.
$399Sale Price|20% Off
Vintage African Tapestry Wall Hanging with British Colonial Safari Style
Located in Dallas, TX
77336, vintage African rug tapestry. Reminiscences of an exotic journey and worldy sophistication, this vintage African tapestry wall hanging ...
Wool
Large Blue Wildebeest Antelope Carpet / Rug from Kenya, British Colonial Era
Located in New York, NY
A noble and elegant African blue wildebeest rug or carpet from the British Colonial era in Kenya. Blue Wildebeest are known beautiful and subtle color r...
Animal Skin, Felt
English Country Style Embroidered Flag Tapestry, 19th Century, Framed
Located in Queens, NY
English Country style (19/20th Century) maple framed "woolie" embroidery with flags and floral trim with crown top.
Brass
Bobyrug’s nice Vintage Tunisian Native Tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Nice mid century Tunisian tapestry with beautiful native design and beautiful colors, entirely hand woven with wool on cotton foundation. ✨✨✨ "Experi...
Wool, Cotton
Vintage Tapestry Wall Hanging Decor Hunting Scene
Located in Barntrup, DE
This colorful vintage tapestry depicts a European hunting scene from the 18th century. It is made from wool and cotton and features four loops for easy hanging. Crafted in Belgium d...
Wool, Cotton
$12,000
H 75 in W 72 in D 0.25 in
19th Century Hand Embroidered “Kashmiri Pieced Shawl” Wall Art Tapestry
Located in Barrington, IL
An exceptional and museum-worthy textile, this mid-19th century Kashmiri Pieced Shawl is a rare and exquisite example of the artistry and craftsmanship of Kashmir’s textile tradition...
Wool, Cotton, Silk
1128, 19th Century Aubusson Tapestry
Located in Paris, FR
A late 19th century French Aubusson tapestry panel, romantic scene ready to hang.
Wool
19th Century Uzbek Silk Embroidered Suzani Tapestry
Located in New York, NY
19th century Uzbekistani hand spun linen Suzani with silk embroidered floral motif and silk ikat border. Reverse side has original antique Fine hand printed cotton backing.
Linen, Silk
$2,046Sale Price|20% Off
W 41.34 in L 76.78 in
Rare Tunisian Ouedzem Embroidered Carpet from Private Collection
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
Rare and vintage Tunisian carpet, embroidered like a tissue for wall - Private Italian collection - IDEA: use this item as tapestry on the wall or on ...
Wool
19th Century French Aubusson Tapestry
Located in New York, NY
Handwoven in Aubusson, France in the 19th Century, this lovely Tapestry features a pair of lovers in a classic Rococo vinyet and has its original fruit and floral border. It measures...
Tapestry, Wool, Silk
$580
H 57 in W 55.5 in D 0.25 in
Large Hand-Painted Tribal African Wall Hanging Tapestry, signed by the artist.
Located in Miami, FL
Large Vintage Hand-Painted Tribal African Wall Hanging Tapestry, signed by the artist. Circa 1990s Country of Origin: Zambia Features earthy tone...
Fabric, Paint
19th Century French Aubusson Tapestry
Located in New York, NY
A French Aubusson tapestry from the 19th century, depicting several young courtiers spending a leisurely afternoon gaily dancing and carousing within the splendidly maintained verdan...
Wool
Handwoven Wool Wall Hanging Tapestry
Located in North Miami, FL
This organic and beautiful two-tone hand-woven wool tapestry/ wall art hangs on a custom designed brass rod easily mountable to wall. THIS ITEM IS LOCATED AND WILL SHIP FROM OUR EAS...
Brass
Vintage Swedish Woven Tapestry: Scandinavian Folk Art Wall Hanging
Located in Skarpnäck, SE
Vintage SwedishVintage Swedish Handwoven Wall Hanging “Gubbatäcke” / “Rosengång” — Traditional Folk Art Textile A beautiful vintage Swedish handwoven wall hanging, known as a Gubbat...
Wool, Cotton, Linen
Vintage French Scenic Tapestry Wall Hanging, 1950s
Located in Barntrup, DE
This vintage scenic tapestry shows courting couples in an idyllic country setting by a lake, a cherub statue, waterfall. It is made in a soft, light color palette of greens, pinks, a...
Fabric, Tapestry
18th Century French Verdure Tapestry
Located in Vulpellac, Girona
18th century French verdure tapestry. Made in Aubusson. "A verdure is a tapestry that is based on the subject of the natural countryside scene...
Wool
Antique English Needlepoint Tapestry with Ottoman Style, Arabian Wall Hanging
Located in Dallas, TX
72874, antique English Needlepoint tapestry with Ottoman Empire style, Arabian wall hanging. This antique needlepoint tapesty depicts a desert scene from the Ottoman Empire when Jews fled from Spain after the proclamation of the Alhambra Decree. Sultan Bayezid II stands next to a woman and her child who wears a kippah. The Sultan points his finger into the far distance showing the Sephardi Jews where to evacuate from Spain. Notice the red turban...
Wool
18th Century Antique French Verdure Tapestry
Located in New York, NY
Birds and a dog in a wooded landscape with structures in the distance within a floral border. Measures: Height 8 '1'' x Width 10'9'' An antique tapestry would be one that was pr...
Wool, Silk
18th Century Antique French Tapestry
Located in New York, NY
Scenic Antique French tapestry . 7'4'' W x 8'10'' H. An antique tapestry would be one that was produced at least 100 years ago woven to portray an artistic scene with the intent of...
Wool
18th Century Flemish Verdure Tapestry
Located in New York, NY
A large Flemish verdure tapestry from the 18th century, featuring a tranquil scene in a woodland setting, with stately trees at right and left in the foreground, with an exotic bird resting in the grass beneath their shadow, and further trees in some grassy knolls in the middle distance and background. Enclosed within a scrolling foliate border. Wool with silk inlay. Complete with backing. Tapestries make integral part of the Flemish cultural heritage. Most of the tapestries have religious, mythological and historical subjects as well as hunting and harvest scenes. They are known for their high quality and extended use of colors. The oldest ones were made in the 13th century. The most important production centers were Doornik and Arras. These two centers got a lot of assignments of the Dukes of Burgundy. In the 14th century tapestries...
Wool