British Colonial Furniture
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.
20th Century American British Colonial Furniture
Mother-of-Pearl
1810s English Antique British Colonial Furniture
Brass
19th Century Jamaican Antique British Colonial Furniture
Mahogany
1820s Caribbean Antique British Colonial Furniture
Mahogany, Pine
Late 19th Century Sri Lankan Antique British Colonial Furniture
Ebony, Wood
Mid-19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
20th Century American British Colonial Furniture
Bamboo
20th Century South African British Colonial Furniture
19th Century Trinidadian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Mahogany, Cedar, Satinwood, Rosewood
Late 19th Century English Antique British Colonial Furniture
Brass
1860s British Antique British Colonial Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Caribbean Antique British Colonial Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century American British Colonial Furniture
Glass
20th Century Caribbean British Colonial Furniture
Paint
20th Century British Colonial Furniture
Wool, Cotton, Foam
Early 19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Wood, Ebony
19th Century Sri Lankan Antique British Colonial Furniture
Ebony, Satinwood
Early 19th Century Caribbean Antique British Colonial Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century Persian British Colonial Furniture
Wool
1930s Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Oak
1920s Persian Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Wool
1820s Jamaican Antique British Colonial Furniture
Muslin, Mahogany
20th Century European British Colonial Furniture
Leather, Wood
20th Century English British Colonial Furniture
Plastic
20th Century American British Colonial Furniture
19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Wool
18th Century American Antique British Colonial Furniture
Cherry, Maple
Late 20th Century Turkish British Colonial Furniture
Wool
Early 19th Century English Antique British Colonial Furniture
Rosewood
20th Century Indian British Colonial Furniture
Terracotta
20th Century English British Colonial Furniture
Mid-19th Century Chinese Antique British Colonial Furniture
Stone
19th Century Sri Lankan Antique British Colonial Furniture
Satinwood
19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Granite
19th Century English Antique British Colonial Furniture
Hardwood
Late 19th Century English Antique British Colonial Furniture
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary British Colonial Furniture
Shell, Wood, Teak, Reclaimed Wood
Early 20th Century Indian British Colonial Furniture
Crocodile, Wood
20th Century American British Colonial Furniture
Composition
Early 20th Century Persian British Colonial Furniture
Wool
20th Century English British Colonial Furniture
Animal Skin
20th Century Indian British Colonial Furniture
Terracotta
Late 19th Century Indonesian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Glass, Wood
19th Century Jamaican Antique British Colonial Furniture
Mahogany, Palmwood, Satinwood
Early 20th Century Turkish British Colonial Furniture
Wool
20th Century British British Colonial Furniture
Steel, Copper
20th Century Persian British Colonial Furniture
Wool
19th Century British Antique British Colonial Furniture
Early 19th Century Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Padouk
1890s Indian Antique British Colonial Furniture
Wood, Bone
1960s Italian Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Pottery
Early 20th Century Persian British Colonial Furniture
Wool
19th Century English Antique British Colonial Furniture
Wool
1810s Antique British Colonial Furniture
Wood, Teak, Reclaimed Wood
1810s Bajan Antique British Colonial Furniture
Brass
1930s Vintage British Colonial Furniture
Willow
1990s American British Colonial Furniture
Faux Bamboo, Cane
Late 20th Century American British Colonial Furniture
Bamboo, Wicker, Reed