With a vast inventory of beautiful furniture at 1stDibs, we’ve got just the piece of Caribbean colonial furniture you’re looking for. An item from our selection of Caribbean colonial furniture — often made from
wood,
mahogany and
fabric — can elevate any home. There are 140 variations of the antique or vintage choice in our collection of Caribbean colonial furniture you’re looking for, while we also have 15 modern editions of this piece to choose from as well. Your living room may not be complete without an object in our assortment of Caribbean colonial furniture — find older editions for sale from the 18th Century and newer versions made as recently as the 21st Century. When you’re browsing for the right option in this array of Caribbean colonial furniture, those designed in
modern,
Regency and
Victorian styles are of considerable interest. A well-made piece of Caribbean colonial furniture has long been a part of the offerings for many furniture designers and manufacturers, but those produced by
Ramses Wissa Wassef Workshop,
Andrianna Shamaris and
Mills Lane are consistently popular.
Prices for a piece of Caribbean colonial furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — at 1stDibs, they begin at $45 and can go as high as $248,500, while the average can fetch as much as $8,800.
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.