British Colonial Desks
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.
Mid-20th Century Philippine British Colonial Desks
Leather, Faux Bamboo
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Desks
Upholstery, Bamboo, Cane, Raffia, Rattan
19th Century English Antique British Colonial Desks
Leather, Mahogany
Early 20th Century English British Colonial Desks
Brass
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Desks
Leather, Grasscloth, Mahogany
Late 20th Century American British Colonial Desks
Brass
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Desks
Faux Bamboo
Late 19th Century English Antique British Colonial Desks
Mahogany
20th Century English British Colonial Desks
Leather, Elm
20th Century English British Colonial Desks
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese British Colonial Desks
Wood
20th Century British British Colonial Desks
Hardwood, Leather
1780s English Antique British Colonial Desks
Brass
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Desks
Brass
Mid-20th Century British Colonial Desks
Leather, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish British Colonial Desks
Bamboo, Cane
Mid-20th Century German British Colonial Desks
Metal
Late 20th Century Philippine British Colonial Desks
Bronze
1930s American Vintage British Colonial Desks
Leather, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century British Colonial Desks
Mahogany
1970s Unknown Vintage British Colonial Desks
Grasscloth, Bamboo, Rattan
20th Century British Colonial Desks
Brass
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Desks
Brass
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Desks
Leather, Faux Bamboo
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Desks
Grasscloth, Bamboo
19th Century English Antique British Colonial Desks
Leather, Mahogany
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Desks
Brass
Late 20th Century Philippine British Colonial Desks
Grasscloth, Faux Bamboo
Mid-20th Century American British Colonial Desks
Brass
Late 19th Century English Antique British Colonial Desks
Pine, Paint, Leather, Mahogany
19th Century British Indian Ocean Territory Antique British Colonial Desks
Leather, Teak
19th Century English Antique British Colonial Desks
Leather, Mahogany