COLONIAL ERA FURNITURE DESIGN WAS BUILT TO LAST

Furniture design in the colonial era was shaped by practical problems. Pieces had to cope with heat, humidity, long sea voyages and enduring the wear and tear from moving between various career postings. A handful of design ideas answered those problems again and again. This article looks at the ideas and ingenuity behind British colonial furniture design.

FURNITURE DESIGN THAT LASTS LONGER 

Good design did more than one job. In a secretaire antique chest of drawers, press the buttons on the inner side of the top drawer and the front falls down to a fitted writing surface, with pigeonholes and small drawers behind it. The lower drawers have ample space for important documents, and there are secret drawers and compartments for those who know where to look. One piece holds storage, a desk and hidden compartments. Learn more about these secret compartments.

The planter's chair, also called a plantation chair, appeared in India by the middle of the nineteenth century, and its arms are a small piece of engineering. Each is a flat plank with a rounded end, joined by a dowel or a brass pin to a near identical plank that rotates out. Swing the arms out and they become a footrest. One simple mechanism adds a footrest without adding another piece of furniture.

Understanding this definition helps explain why some antique furniture adapts well to modern living conditions, while newer pieces struggle with long term functionality and longevity.

FURNITURE DESIGN SHAPED BY LOCAL HANDS

Card and game tables were very popular in Regency England. The top swivels open to reveal a compartment for cards and game pieces, and opens into a square to double the playing surface. When card playing and club life followed the British to India, clients wanted these tables there too. Local workshops interpreted the form in local materials and with local techniques. The craftsman kept the swivel top and added deeply carved detail to the frieze, the pedestal and the legs, sometimes in local motifs.

In England the tops were often veneered. An antique card table from an Indian workshop can have a top in one solid, thick length of wood. An antique card table like this was never standardised. Army officers, civil servants of the East India Company, Crown officials and the Indian elite all ordered them, so each was close to one of a kind and far fewer were made. Because it folds against a wall in very little space, an antique card table like this still suits a modern home.

© The Past Perfect Collection-colonial rosewood games table

FURNITURE DESIGN FOR A TROPICAL CLIMATE

Heat and humidity shaped both form and materials. The back and seat of the plantation chair are caned in one continuous sections so air flows through, which mattered in a hot climate.

The timber was chosen with care. Teak is strong, naturally water resistant and holds hardware well, which suited long sea voyages and high humidity without warping or splitting. Mahogany is seldom attacked by woodworm and was available in pieces large enough for a wide table top without joining. The hardwoods used in British colonial furniture were picked for these qualities. Panels that sit inside a frame can also move slightly with the humidity without splitting.

FURNITURE DESIGN THAT TRAVELS

Furniture often crossed oceans and vast swathes of land and the furniture had to be designed for these journeys. Campaign furniture, a distinct style of British colonial furniture, was developed by the British in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries for officers and gentlemen abroad. It was made to be taken apart, packed and carried. Handles were sunk flush with the surface, corners were strapped and some legs would screwed on and off. Hinges let pieces fold almost flat. A campaign chest of drawers comes in two parts with carrying handles.

The most clever pieces packed into themselves. A chess table could fold up and fit into a small wooden box. A sofa could come completely apart. In some sets the chairs fitted inside the table like a box within a box. 

FURNITURE DESIGN IN THE JOINERY

The best place to judge furniture design is inside a drawer. In an antique chest of drawers the drawer sides are solid wood at full thickness, not pressed board over ply or a thin veneer. The corners are dovetailed, cut so the pieces lock together like puzzle pieces. Slide a drawer out and look at the boards between the drawers, the runners and the drawer stops. Together they show how the whole piece was planned.

Good furniture design plans for the back as well as the front. That is why an older piece, such as an antique chest of drawers, can handle more moves and stay in good condition for longer, and why years of use add an authenticity that is hard to copy.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why is antique furniture often better made than modern furniture?

Older pieces commonly use solid wood at full thickness, cut joints such as dovetails and careful finishing, including on the back. Many modern pieces use a board with a veneer and a thin back which doesn't survive many moves.

Is a planter's chair the same as a plantation chair?

Yes. Both names describe the same reclining chair with a caned seat and swivel arms. It is believed to be named after planters who owned tea and sugar cane plantations, although the precise origin is uncertain. We have an in-depth article about planter’s chairs here. 

Can British colonial furniture cope with humidity?

Many pieces were made in hardwoods chosen for tropical conditions, and panelled construction allows for slight movement. Ask us how a particular piece is likely to do in your home.

How often do new pieces arrive in The Past Perfect Collection showroom?

We receive regular shipments throughout the year. Each piece is one of a kind and chosen with our current customers in mind. If one of these pieces pictured has caught your eye, let us know. We have connections with suppliers who hold a wide range of furniture, and we can search for something similar.

SEE COLONIAL FURNITURE DESIGN IN PERSON

The best colonial pieces were designed with purpose. They did more than one job, drew on local craftsmanship, suited a tropical climate, travelled well and were built to last. Those ideas show in a photograph and show more clearly in person, when you can open a drawer, turn a chair around and feel the weight of solid wood. Join the Collector's Circle to hear about new pieces as they arrive, or visit us at 100 Pasir Panjang Road to see these details for yourself.