British Colonial Home Accents
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.
Late 19th Century British Antique British Colonial Home Accents
Brass, Iron
19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Home Accents
Metal
Late 20th Century American British Colonial Home Accents
Brass
Mid-20th Century English British Colonial Home Accents
Bronze, Copper
Early 18th Century European Antique British Colonial Home Accents
Iron
19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Home Accents
Brass, Iron
1920s English Vintage British Colonial Home Accents
Leather
Early 1900s British Antique British Colonial Home Accents
Faux Leather
Early 20th Century Indian British Colonial Home Accents
Crocodile, Wood
1960s Danish Vintage British Colonial Home Accents
Teak
1960s American Vintage British Colonial Home Accents
1920s English Vintage British Colonial Home Accents
Leather
18th Century Spanish Antique British Colonial Home Accents
Wood
Late 18th Century Italian Antique British Colonial Home Accents
Metal, Wrought Iron
1860s British Antique British Colonial Home Accents
Hardwood
Mid-19th Century English Antique British Colonial Home Accents
Mahogany
19th Century English Antique British Colonial Home Accents
Brass, Metal
19th Century Swedish Antique British Colonial Home Accents
Wood
20th Century American British Colonial Home Accents
Metal
17th Century Spanish Antique British Colonial Home Accents
Iron
1780s German Antique British Colonial Home Accents
Iron
Late 19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Home Accents
Bone, Ebony
Late 18th Century Antique British Colonial Home Accents
Leather, Paper
1890s Antique British Colonial Home Accents
Tin
19th Century English Antique British Colonial Home Accents
Iron
Late 20th Century British Colonial Home Accents
Hardwood
Late 20th Century British Colonial Home Accents
Brass
19th Century British Antique British Colonial Home Accents
Other
1970s Philippine Vintage British Colonial Home Accents
Rattan
Mid-19th Century Antique British Colonial Home Accents
Brass
Early 20th Century Indian British Colonial Home Accents
Hardwood
1940s English Vintage British Colonial Home Accents
Leather
20th Century Italian British Colonial Home Accents
Brass