Regency furniture is the term used for British furniture made between about 1800 and 1830, a period named after the Regency of the Prince of Wales, later George IV, from 1811 to 1820. The style developed from late Georgian Neoclassicism but became bolder and more archaeological, drawing on Greek, Roman and Egyptian sources as well as French Empire design.
Regency furniture is characterised by elegant, often architectural forms, sabre legs, lion-paw feet, reeding, scrolled arms and restrained but crisp decoration. Rosewood, mahogany and exotic veneers such as zebrawood and amboyna were fashionable, frequently enriched with brass inlay, gilt-brass mounts and ebonised details. Characteristic forms include sofa tables, pedestal dining tables, sabre-leg chairs, chiffoniers, bookcases and circular library tables. Designers such as Thomas Hope and George Smith published influential pattern books. Regency furniture is highly regarded for its sophistication and proportion, and it sits particularly well in both period and contemporary interiors.
