Regency Style Shows Interiors a Grand Time
Lavish and hinting at the fantastical, regency designs are still influencing interior decorating 200 years after their birth
Houzz Contributor. Based in Cambridgeshire, U.K., Julia Pockett is founder Director of Sujiivana Design Ltd (http://www.sujiivana.co.uk), an on-line emporium of home accessories and of interior design services. Specialising in affordable design, Julia has worked on projects including full property refurbishments, individual room designs and home staging.
Houzz Contributor. Based in Cambridgeshire, U.K., Julia Pockett is founder... More »
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England's prince regent in the early 19th century, who later became King George IV, had a notoriously flamboyant lifestyle, was a leader of fashion and was an avid collector who spent much money on creating lavishly decorated homes. His reign (1811 to 1830) is now called the regency period, or time of regency classicism; it followed the Georgian period.
The style has its origins in the neoclassicism of the late 18th century, but the colonial holdings of England and France and the growing knowledge of remote civilizations spurred a fascination with exotic themes. The period became a strange mix of classicism and fantasy — an era of extremes from which we take much inspiration today.
The style has its origins in the neoclassicism of the late 18th century, but the colonial holdings of England and France and the growing knowledge of remote civilizations spurred a fascination with exotic themes. The period became a strange mix of classicism and fantasy — an era of extremes from which we take much inspiration today.
The most spectacular example of the regency period is the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, U.K. — a residence and pleasure palace designed for the prince by John Nash. A mix of Oriental styles, domes, elaborate chandeliers, gilded furniture and exotic pinks, reds and greens make it an example of the playful and fantastic aspect of regency design — similar to the look of this dining room.
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The classicism of the regency period's architecture can be clearly seen here. Domes were frequently used in the more grand designs of the day. Elaborate chandeliers were also popular — this one adds a playful note to the dining space.
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Chinoiserie was a big feature of regency design, adding the exotic to a more restrained and classical style. Today you can find many beautiful chinoiserie wallpapers in numerous colors, and the dining room can be a great setting for the style's inherent drama.
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| Chinoiserie is used in panels with a contrasting color here. It gives a sense of the flamboyant and exotic regency period. |
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A more restrained but very popular style in this era was the regency stripe. It's often found in reds, golds and greens, but here it's used to stunning effect in a very contemporary black.
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| Classical friezes featured greatly in the architecture of the era and were also carried through to wallpaper friezes, and as decorative motifs on a wide range of objects. This room shows an interpretation of the frieze above a modern take on the regency stripe. |
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Regency furniture is elegant, often made of woods like mahogany and rosewood. Veneers were popular, often with decorative inlays and ornamental details in brass. The foo dog in this hallway vignette is typical of the exoticism of the era.
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Regency-style table and chair legs often carry carvings in fanciful motifs, such as the leg of a lion tapering to a single foot, called a monopodia. There are many regency reproductions and adaptations of this design available.
Comments
ckirbygagne Love these rooms. How I miss the layered designs of the Sister Parish/Albert Hadley days. Now THAT was grand design.
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Jean Corey Love this ornamented style. Love the woodwork, the color, the gilt, and especially the lion paw legs!
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Tile-Stones Love all the bright colors and intricate details! Especially the chandeliers
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kennedytarheel When color, texture, architecture, and proportion collide in brilliant unison: the result is Regency Style! love love love it!
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groveraxle Not me. I'd feel out of place in my fishermen's pants and t-shirt. And two basset hounds would slobber everything up to two feet high. But I had to take a look anyway...
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Julia Pockett Brilliantly put kennedytarheel :-). Agree it's not for everyone but we can still admire :-)
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dianestyle love that each photo shows a touch of whimsy along with traditional thought.
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Marie-Pierre Ayoul Decorative painting This is also the type of decor a decorative painter could achieve in collaboration with an interior designer. We create custom decors to enhance spaces and lifestyles. Here is a picture of a silver leaf dome I did last year for a glamor loving customer. 
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frenchdecor Beautiful, always admire, though can't afford it.
6 months ago · Like
Marie-Pierre Ayoul Decorative painting Surprisingly, amazing things can be done with small budgets, and artisans are often less expensive than an electrician or a plumber. It's always worth asking for a quote: even if what you liked on Houzz is outside your budget, ideas can sometimes be adapted.
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Tiffani Warren Thank you for writing this article! I LOVE looking at older styles - anything up to very early 20th century. I'm not a big fan of a lot of modern and contemporary styles, which seem to be profiled a bit more often on Houzz. I really want to know more about what differentiates different eras and styles so your detailed descriptions here were very much appreciated! I love the regency stripe.
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patscats2 3rd. from the bottom, the room with the wallpaper friezes example has just so much going oin in that small room. Things are competing in there. The ceiling is too low for some of the things going on like the cornice boards and the ceiling design. Then there's the stripe on one side of the room and then solid black on the other. Oh gee, it's just too much. The room is filed with beautiful things but it's so much you can't enjoy the room.
6 months ago · Like
Fine Art & Portraits by Laurel Thanks for this nostalgic look. When I was painting murals, I had several clients who used this style, and it was so much fun.
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atyg These images make the owners look nouveaux riche, like insecure Hollywood stars. Americans admire this? It's a style that screams aspirational.
5 weeks ago · Like
Ideabook published on Nov. 29, 2012.
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