Empire Style Interior in Sydney.

This Empire style interior in Sydney demonstrates the richness of colour to be found in early 19th century interiors. Empire’s contemporary and similar British style is Regency, which used equally strong colours. The main influence in both was the classical world of Rome, Greece and Egypt, although the Orient also had influence. Empire takes its name form the French Empire of the first Napoleon and ran from 1804, when Napoleon proclaimed himself Emperor, til 1815, when things did not work out well for him. This room, long dismantled, which was illustrated in my 1999 book, The Australian Room, was part of the home of renowned late antiques dealer Bill  Bradshaw.