Regency Seating
Like France’s Empire style, Regency-style furniture was rooted in neoclassicism; the characteristics of its bedroom furniture, armchairs, dining room tables and other items include clean lines, angular shapes and elegant details.
Dating roughly from the 1790s to 1830s, antique Regency-style furniture gets its name from Prince George of Wales — formally King George IV — who became Prince Regent in 1811 after his father, George III, was declared unfit to rule. England’s Regency style is one of the styles represented in Georgian furniture.
George IV’s arts patronage significantly influenced the development of the Regency style, such as the architectural projects under John Nash, which included the renovation of Buckingham House into the formidable Buckingham Palace with a grand neoclassical facade. Celebrated designers of the period include Thomas Sheraton, Henry Holland and Thomas Hope. Like Nash, Hope instilled his work with classical influences, such as saber-legged chairs based on the ancient Greek klismos. He is credited with introducing the term “interior decoration” to English with the 1807 publishing of Household Furniture and Interior Decoration.
Although more subdued than previous styles like Rococo and Baroque, Regency interiors incorporated copious use of chintz fabrics and wallpaper adorned in chinoiserie-style art. Its furniture featured fine materials and luxurious embellishments. Furniture maker George Bullock, for instance, regularly used detailed wood marquetry and metal ornaments on his pieces.
Archaeological discoveries in Egypt and Greece informed Regency-era details, such as carved scrollwork, sphinxes and palmettes, as well as the shape of furniture. A Roman marble cinerary chest, for example, would be reinterpreted into a wooden cabinet. The Napoleonic Wars also inspired furniture, with martial designs like tented beds and camp-style chairs becoming popular. While the reddish-brown mahogany was prominent in this range of pieces, imported woods like zebrawood and ebony were increasingly in demand.
Find a collection of antique Regency tables, seating, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
1940s English Vintage Regency Seating
Leather, Walnut
1960s American Vintage Regency Seating
Metal
1820s British Antique Regency Seating
Velvet, Walnut
19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Other
1940s French Vintage Regency Seating
Walnut
1960s American Vintage Regency Seating
Upholstery, Cherry
Early 19th Century British Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
1990s American Regency Seating
Giltwood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Brass
2010s American Regency Seating
Velvet
19th Century Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
19th Century British Antique Regency Seating
Wood
1960s French Vintage Regency Seating
Upholstery, Wood
Early 19th Century Irish Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
1990s American Regency Seating
Wood
1820s Antique Regency Seating
Upholstery, Mahogany
19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Other
20th Century French Regency Seating
Fabric, Wood
1820s Antique Regency Seating
Upholstery, Satinwood
21st Century and Contemporary British Regency Seating
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Regency Seating
Wood
Early 20th Century Regency Seating
Mahogany
1820s English Antique Regency Seating
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Regency Seating
Mohair, Hardwood
Early 19th Century British Antique Regency Seating
Brass
Early 19th Century Scottish Antique Regency Seating
Walnut
1820s English Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
20th Century Regency Seating
Cane, Wood
1980s American Vintage Regency Seating
Leather, Wood, Giltwood
Early 19th Century Irish Antique Regency Seating
Fabric, Mahogany
19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany, Paint
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Brass
Late 20th Century American Regency Seating
Metal
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Brass
1820s English Antique Regency Seating
Brass
Late 20th Century American Regency Seating
Upholstery, Cherry
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
1980s Philippine Vintage Regency Seating
Upholstery, Resin
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Upholstery, Mahogany
1820s British Antique Regency Seating
Fabric, Wood
Late 20th Century Unknown Regency Seating
Cherry
20th Century American Regency Seating
Brass
Late 20th Century American Regency Seating
Velvet, Giltwood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Linen, Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Wood
19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Brass, Bronze
Early 18th Century French Antique Regency Seating
Walnut
Early 20th Century English Regency Seating
Walnut
1920s English Vintage Regency Seating
Leather
1960s American Vintage Regency Seating
Upholstery, Cherry
Late 20th Century American Regency Seating
Brass
1820s Antique Regency Seating
Wood
Early 19th Century British Antique Regency Seating
Wood
Early 19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Mahogany
Late 20th Century American Regency Seating
Brass
1970s American Vintage Regency Seating
Brass
19th Century English Antique Regency Seating
Other
1790s English Antique Regency Seating
Fabric, Mahogany