Regency Style Furniture: Timeless British Majesty

We have many antique-inspired pieces in our online furniture store that draw on the classic Regency style. This new furniture is either based on actual antique Regency pieces, or it takes its design cues from the style. So what is Regency style? It is named for the time in England in the early 1800s when George IV served as Prince Regent. This meant that he ran the country on behalf of his father who was unfit to carry out his duties as king due to mental health issues. George IV became king himself later, but the name Regency style has stuck as a way to describe furniture crafted during this era.

The History of Regency Style Furniture

The furniture developed its look from Neoclassical Georgian furniture but it went even further with themes and motifs inspired by ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian architecture and design. It has a majestic look, but it is not overly fussy.

The furniture is generally large with a stately and monumental feel. It is usually made in dark woods to add to the imposing effect, like this new Theodore Alexander Regency cabinet above, crafted with mahogany and satinwood veneers with brass moldings.

Mahogany was highly popular with furniture makers, and rosewood and zebrawood veneers also added impressive surface effects. The new mahogany Jonathan Charles late Regency console table above shows how great mahogany can look, especially with classic banding. The new mahogany Jonathan Charles Regency style chest of drawers  below is another example.

Although designed to impress, the furniture profile tended to be fairly streamlined with clean edges. There were no frills, rather a more masculine approach of straight lines, crisp arches, and geometric shapes. The clean-edged look was sometimes ornamented by brass ring handles.

Decorative Luxury

Other decorative motifs included classical symbols such as laurel wreathes, acanthus leaves, rosettes, masks, and mythological beasts including the Egyptian sphinx and griffins. The draping on this new Stanley Furniture Regency mirror with its gold and champagne silver leaf finish shows the regal pomp!

This style also featured ornate gold ormolu mounts and classical and military motifs. Brass accents and inlays were frequent decorations, and we also see metal paw feel on chairs and tables or claw and ball feet.

This new Jonathan Charles Regency style chair is a good example of how dramatic yet restrained the gilded look can be, especially against the chair's ebonized black paint finish.  If you want gold in your space without it being too feminine, the Regency style is a great choice for you! Brass ring handles sometimes featured lion heads to add to the sense of majesty, as in this new mahogany and brass Theodore Alexander Regency style occasional table adorned with lion masks.

The Regency style is often reproduced today by contemporary furniture makers with wonderful attention to detail. They look like original furniture of the period, but they are often scaled down in size to suit the size of today’s homes.  Check out all our new Regency style furniture and if you have an interior design scheme in this style, we’d love to see photos!

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If you love 18th century English or French decor, then Regency furniture is for you! Whether you choose a bookcase, dining table, set of chaise dining chairs, sideboard or any other 19th century English regency piece, we think you'll be impressed. Fans of this style may also be interested in the Victorian,Baroque, Chippendale or Rococo furniture.