The British Colonial interior style is a hugely popular interior design aesthetic that homeowners and interior designers go back to again and again. And in an age when interior designers and homeowners want to create a stronger connection with nature and indoor-outdoor living, mixed with their love for travel and adventure, a British Colonial design style is an excellent option.
But where did the interior design style come from, what is the British colonial style, and how can you incorporate it into your home? We’re here to answer all your British colonial decorating style questions with luxurious furniture and decor examples to help you recreate the look.
Table of contents:
- What is “British Colonial Style”?
- How to create a British Colonial chic interior design in your home
What is “British Colonial Style”?
At its peak around the turn of the century, the British Empire encompassed a quarter of the world’s land area, including parts of India, Africa, Asia, the South Pacific and North America.
Born out of necessity
Colonists brought their home British comforts with them to these colonies. However, they soon realised that their Victorian softwood furniture could not withstand the diverse tropical climates they found themselves in. The heat and humidity warped and bent their British furniture, ushering in a need for local materials and woods for furniture that would suit the environment.
Like this, many of the distinguishing features of the British colonial design style were born out of necessity.
- For example, whitewashing the interior walls, high ceilings and ceiling fans to keep the house cool.
- Using natural and locally sourced materials like teak, mahogany, bamboo and seagrass to create furniture that would work with the environment instead of against it.
- Shutters and sheer fabrics on the windows also helped keep the house cool and allow air to circulate.
- Lastly, sheer fabric was draped over the four-poster bed to deter mosquitoes and prevent malaria. All practical aspects have now become synonymous with the aesthetic.
Worldwide influences
Due to the vast nature of the British Empire, colonists were exposed to a wide range of design influences; this is why British colonial interior design can feature an eclectic mix of influences from all corners of the globe. From tropical flowers to oriental rugs and animal hides to West Indian low-seat chairs, if you’re trying to recreate this look in your home, the more diverse, the better.
Campaigns and military influences
British Colonial style also gets it’s influences from the military campaigns associated with colonisation. Think campaign chests, trunks, collapsible writing desks, and folding director’s chairs. Any furniture that can be easily moved is ideal for this aesthetic.
Globe-trotting trophies and souvenirs
During this period, travel to the colonies became popular among the rich, who would bring back pieces and artefacts from their travels and incorporate them into their stately home decor, creating a fusion of British Colonial style back home, for example, maps, globes, telescopes, magnifying glasses, vintage-bound leather books, ceramics, artwork or soft furnishings. Displaying your trophies and knick-knacks collected from travels is mirrored in the modern take on the interior design style, allowing you to add your own unique interests to the theme.
How to create a British Colonial chic interior design in your home
Now that you know where British Colonial chic originated from and its influences, you can try and replicate this in your own interior design. If you love globe-trotting or want to create a relaxing, refreshing feel in your home, here are some ways to get the British Colonial interior style.
Neutral and contrasting colour palette
When thinking about your colour palette while creating your British Colonial interior style, you want to create the balance between traditional British interiors and exotic, natural tones; for example, stick to light neutrals and whites to cool the environment on walls and soft furnishings and window dressings then contrast this with dark stained timber in the furniture and floors. Add metallic gold, jewel blue and jade green accents to your soft furnishings and decor to complete the look.
Contrasting black and white alternating floor tiles are also a hallmark of this style. These would go perfectly in a British colonial chic kitchen or a British Colonial-style bathroom.
Open architecture
There is always something grand and sophisticated about British Colonial interior design. Start with the architecture to create an authentic look; grand homes with high ceilings will look the part. Floor-to-ceiling windows or, better yet, an open veranda with white marble pillars, arches, or porches will help instil the style’s indoor-outdoor living ethos. A cooling, ventilated layout for hot and humid climates is also a hallmark of the style.
Airy window dressing
As mentioned, this interior look requires light, airy, versatile, and adaptable window dressings. Adjustable timber window shutters are a signature of the period style. They shut out the mid-day sun, protect against changeable tropical weather, and allow air to flow and temperature control.
For the perfect British colonial-style curtains, you can also dress the windows in sheer, lightweight linen, cotton, or muslin fabrics to contrast against the wooden shutters, improve airflow, and prevent the room from getting too hot.
Natural material furniture
As the British colonists used locally sourced materials to make their furniture, you will often get British colonial furniture in Victorian styles but made of teak, mahogany, rattan and bamboo in British colonial interior designs. That’s why in the modern take, you will see a lot of bamboo and rattan-backed chairs, dark mahogany four-poster beds, teak desks, and a chest of drawers. Combine expertly carved wooden consoles and tables with rattan-backed chairs to achieve this look. Or, add a dark wood four-poster bed for the perfect British Colonial-style bedroom.
For soft furnishing and sofas, stick to sumptuous sofas and daybeds in classic light-toned hues. Stick to natural fabrics like cotton or linen to embrace the warm climate look.
Exotic textiles & textures
As well as locally sourced furniture, local and exotic textiles were also used to furnish colonial homes. Tropical textures like woven rattan, wicker and leather, paired with the grand sophistication of mahogany and teak, perfectly encapsulate the two interwoven styles. As many British colonial settlements were close to the sea for better trading, natural fibres like sisal and seagrass, stones and slate were popular in this trend.
Recreate this look with seagrass rugs, placemats, and curved rattan-backed chairs paired with the larger mahogany and teak furniture.
Indoor greenery
Part of experiencing the colonies was also experiencing the local flora and fauna. During the “age of discovery”, botany was a hugely popular pastime and explorers and botanists travelled to the colonies to document the tropical plant life. Many incorporated their findings into their decor in display cases or as indoor potted plants, which is where the pairing of tropical greenery marries well with the British Colonial interior trend. What’s more, due to the open architectural designs of the colonial homes, nature and plant life were right on the doorstep, creating an interplay between indoor and outdoor living.
Rich, dark greens look beautiful with the dark wood and rattan furniture of the Colonial look. Incorporate this tropical British Colonial-style aspect with various indoor plants dotted around your home, like ferns, palm trees, fig trees, rubber plants and other tropical plant varieties. If you’re not green-fingered, you can incorporate faux plants and plant prints in framed wall art, plant sculptures, or botanical wallpapers to create the look.
Eclectic accessories
When it comes to British Colonial chic decor, more is more. Globetrotting Brits brought back a wealth of eclectic accessories from their travels, including fine china, carved wood, and silver. They loved to display these unique items on display shelves, desks, and cabinets to commemorate their experiences. Fine leather trunks combined with globes, telescopes, letter-writing boxes, jars, leather-bound books, and animal hides set the scene for a colonial chic aesthetic.
If you’re considering artwork, embrace this trend’s greenery and botanical aspect. Framed pressed flowers or botanical diagrams work well. Animal prints or vintage travel maps also complement this design aesthetic. Alternatively, make a feature wall out of a panoramic wallpaper design. A botanical scene, print, or art piece with a panoramic view of the time will perfectly encapsulate the British Colonial design style.
You can’t go on a British colonial expedition without a cooling beverage or afternoon tea. That’s why bar carts are a hallmark of this interior style, displaying glassware and your gin and tonic collection. Why not combine decor concepts with a drinks globe or a drinks trunk? High tea sets, displayed on decorative trays collected from around the world, are also perfect as decor pieces in this style.
Soft, ambient lighting
When planning your lighting scheme in the British Colonial interior style, you should incorporate soft, ambient lighting with lots of natural light from windows, glass doors, or skylights.
To match your lighting to the theme, choose wall and ceiling lights and table lamps made with brass or glass or ones incorporating sisal, bamboo, or rattan. Lantern-style pendants and wall lights perfectly emulate the oil-style lanterns used at the time. Alternatively, chandeliers evoke the grand and sophisticated Victorian style of the period, which always featured in the interiors of British Colonial settlers.
Also, pepper your space with a range of candles. In the colonies, power was intermittent, with frequent power outages, so candles were essential for people to continue their daily lives. Today, candles perfectly complement this interior style, so decorate with them liberally.
Colonial Chic decor pieces at UBER Interiors
If you’ve fallen in love with this iconic interior design style, like us, look no further than our British Colonial chic collection to help you recreate it in your home.
Inspired by colonial antiques and exotic travels, browse decor inspired by flora and fauna, dark wood furniture, and rattan galore. You’ll be transported to exotic locations without leaving your home!