Rattan furniture: woven lace in interior design

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Wicker rattan furniture is increasingly becoming an integral part of modern interiors. It not only conquered country houses and recreation areas, but also fit perfectly into the eco-style of apartments. Exotic interior items made of rattan bring comfort and coziness into the room, give the warmth of a natural material, and delight with wear resistance. These and other features of rattan furniture, as well as options for its use, will be discussed in this article.

Rattan furniture looks great both in the garden interior and inside the house

Natural rattan: what is it?

The features of any furniture products are determined by the material from which they are made. The production of wicker furniture is no exception. What is rattan? Why did you choose it for the manufacture of wicker furniture?

Natural rattan is a vine from trees of the palm family.

Rattan is an exotic vine of the palm family. It is found in Asia, Australia and Africa. However, among the numerous 330 species of this plant, only a few of them can be used for furniture production, mainly those that grow in Southeast Asia. This choice is due to a number of characteristics that are unique to this material.

The main advantage of rattan is the incredible length of its branches. On average, this value is 200-300 m, but there are also record holders - up to 350 m. This is why it became possible to weave furniture and various products from rattan: the material allows elements to be made without joints or to minimize their number.

Important characteristics of rattan are the same thickness of the stem along the entire length of the vine and the complete absence of knots and shoots. These properties allow you to fully use the length of the vine without waste. The maximum trunk diameter is up to 7 cm; young palm stems are thinner.

The length of rattan branches can reach 350 m, thanks to which furniture can be woven from it almost without joints

One of the advantages of rattan is its strength, which is due to the structure of the tree. The cut of the branch is not hollow inside; it is divided into several layers: bark, porous part and hard core. It is the core that provides the material with excellent resistance to heavy loads. For openwork weaving of furniture, use only it, clearing the stem of all top layers.

This is interesting! Some furniture designs made from natural rattan can withstand a load of 500 kg, and local residents use this raw material in the construction of houses and suspension bridges.

Strength classes and coloring of natural rattan

The smaller the porous part of the vine stem, the stronger the rattan and products made from it. It is customary to divide rattan wood into three strength classes:

Most often, rattan is painted in natural light brown shades or left white.

• class A - the highest, has a premium variety: the rattan trunk is ideal, i.e., without stains, scuffs and other cosmetic defects;
• class B is an intermediate option, products made from it are more affordable in price;
• class C is the lowest limit for rattan furniture, used in products that are not subject to heavy loads.

The strength class affects the cost of rattan furniture. The price of products with exactly the same design may differ by 2-2.5 times if materials of different strength classes were used in production.

Wicker furniture uses raw materials that can be bent at different angles. The stem of a vine in its natural form is not very plastic. To give it the necessary properties, rattan is treated with steam and only after that the production of products begins.

Natural rattan comes in 3 strength classes: A – the highest, B – average and C – low

A rattan trunk ready for production is white, but it can be painted in one of four natural shades:

• honey;
• cognac;
• coffee;
• olive.

If the surface of the raw material is ideal, the natural color is usually left. Very rarely, vines are painted in colors such as red or black. Manufacturers try to preserve and emphasize the beauty and warmth of natural material, but for some design solutions, shade options are possible.

Advantages and disadvantages of rattan wicker furniture

Rattan furniture is natural, light and aesthetic. The material combines well with leather and textiles, gives designers room for imagination in creating exclusive models and emphasizes the individuality of products, since weaving is done by hand. Other advantages of rattan furniture:

The main advantages of rattan furniture are lightness, strength, moisture resistance and durability.

• natural environmentally friendly material;
• does not contain allergens;
• excellent strength;
• good moisture resistance;
• tolerates temperature changes without problems, so can be used outdoors;
• durability – service life 20-25 years;
• light weight of products, which can be appreciated when rearranging and transporting;
• special smell and texture, plus a bonus in the form of micromassage;
• orthopedic shape of sofas, armchairs and chairs;
• easy care.

The main disadvantage of rattan wicker furniture is the price. Much of the production process is done by hand, so each product is one-of-a-kind and labor-intensive. Another disadvantage is the lack of assembly for the products. On the one hand, this is an advantage, since the furniture arrives to the customer in finished form, but on the other hand, its transportation may require larger vehicles. Natural rattan is “afraid” of the sun: if you constantly keep products in direct sunlight, they will fade and dry out.

The biggest disadvantage of rattan furniture is the high cost of the products.

Helpful advice! If the rattan weave has dried out and small cracks have appeared, lubricate the surface of the furniture with linseed oil. This will protect the product from moisture evaporation.

Accessories

“Every element in a space should work with something else without appearing overwhelming,” says Irene Lauder. -Use a carpet or blinds made from natural materials that will complement the ambiance. Rattan goes well with any color palette, but beige and brown shades look especially fashionable. You can also use interior items made in the same style.”

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Natural and artificial rattan furniture: how to distinguish

Along with furniture made from natural rattan, in stores you can find products made from artificial material - polyrattan. The performance characteristics of both types of furniture are almost the same, but there are differences:

• artificial rattan is completely homogeneous, there are no roughnesses on it;
• if the fibers of the material are geometrically ideal, it is artificial rattan;
• the artificial material has a uniform color throughout the entire product: if you look closely, it is very noticeable;
• Furniture made of polyrattan can be painted in any color; it can also be decoratively processed and textured;
• polymer fibers can have different cross-sections, including ideal flat strips;
• the quality of weaving of artificial material is always higher, and if natural rattan is used in furniture, there will certainly be slight thickenings and minor irregularities;

If the furniture is completely homogeneous, the lines are perfectly smooth and there are no roughnesses, then it is artificial rattan

• furniture made from non-natural material is heavier, because for strength, the weaving is applied to a metal, most often aluminum, frame;
• the price for identical models will be lower for furniture made of polyrattan;
• no matter how hard the manufacturers try, new artificial rattan furniture will fill the room not with the subtle aroma of wood, but with the smell of synthetics; after a week it will disappear, but when heated in the sun it may appear again.

In defense of furniture made of synthetic material, we can say that it is completely unpretentious in maintenance, is more resistant to mechanical stress, and can remain outdoors all year round.

Rattan furniture: photos in the interior and examples of use

Wicker rattan furniture will be appropriate both in a country house and in a city apartment. It will “accept” almost any interior and style; it is important to be able to harmoniously choose accessories and the color of rattan. The range of products is varied: armchairs, chests of drawers, sofas, chairs, coffee tables, cabinets, screens, boxes, beds, lampshades and much more are offered for installation in the bedroom, living room, children's room and even bathroom.

An unusually shaped bed made of natural rattan will become the main decoration of the bedroom

Rattan is a fertile material for designers, which is why photos of rattan furniture have recently become more often used as examples for interior design. Products made from it can take on a variety of shapes while remaining durable and lightweight. Rattan furniture is cozy and comfortable, tactilely pleasant and original, it gives airiness to the interior and smoothes out the geometry, brings light and expands the space.

Rattan chairs: design options and their place in the interior

Rattan chairs are one of the most popular wicker furniture products. They have become popular due to their comfortable orthopedic shape and the variety of designs offered. They are as reliable and comfortable as other types of furniture made from natural wood, but not as bulky and monumental.

Wicker chairs can take a place in the interior of a country house or apartment, become part of a relaxation area in a gazebo, on a terrace or balcony, in a living room or children's room. Rattan chairs come in the following types:

Rattan chairs can be of various shapes and made in different styles

• traditional armchair with armrests;
• rocking chair;
• large oval-shaped Papasan chair.

A traditional chair with armrests will require an addition in the form of a similar coffee table or sofa, a chest of drawers or a lamp, or, in extreme cases, another similar chair. Models with continuous weaving, without openwork lace, and a laconic design are suitable for almost any style.

Related article:

Pine furniture: grace and harmony in interior design

Advantages and disadvantages. Varieties of pine products. Scope of use. A combination of style and practicality. Recommendations for making furniture with your own hands.

A rocking chair can “live” autonomously in the interior and not be tied to the decor of one room, since its light weight allows you to easily move it from place to place.

The large oval Papasan chair - a stable original design with a single “leg” - will appeal to everyone. It is worth choosing weaving to match the main furniture and complementing the chair with a mattress or pillows in colors that match the style. The chair itself claims to become a concentration of comfort in a house or apartment.

Rattan chair is the most popular type of furniture made from this material.

Options for using a rattan sofa in the interior

You can safely place a wicker sofa where guests often visit or children play, because furniture is primarily installed not for beauty, but for use. The design of rattan sofas is durable, the frame is reliable, and comfort is guaranteed. The product can withstand heavy loads, including several guests at the same time.

Sofas are most often included in a set of rattan furniture in an ensemble with armchairs and a coffee table. Sofas with different weaves are selected for different interiors. The Victorian style will suit furniture in light shades, for classics and minimalism - with solid weaving, and Art Deco will require a strict, no-frills style and dark tones.

Wicker sofas are placed in offices and living rooms, reception areas in the office, in the country - under the canopy of a gazebo or on the veranda. Structurally, rattan sofas can be straight or angular, with high or low legs, with or without additional storage compartments.

A rattan sofa will look chic in a living room, office or on the veranda

Safe wicker furniture: rattan for children's rooms

The arrangement of a children's room always has special requirements for environmental friendliness, safety and the organization of maximum free space for games. The main advantage of rattan furniture is its safety and environmental friendliness. Weaving does not provide sharp corners in the designs, therefore, parents will not be afraid that the child will injure himself.

In the nursery, you can place the sets as a single ensemble, select a set of rattan furniture from different but color-matching elements, or complement the finished interior with separate products. Wicker furniture is very light, and if children decide to use it for games, then you don’t have to worry about injuries if the constructed structure turns out to be not too strong.

Chests of drawers are perfect for storing things: a child can easily handle the lightweight drawers and find everything he needs on his own. The wicker structure will ensure that clothes always remain fresh thanks to good air exchange. For the same purpose, you can use separate baskets installed on open shelves. They are also good for storing toys.

Children and teenagers will love the rattan hanging chair

Bookcases and shelves for various small items and books are very practical. They can be combined in height, selected in width and easily rearranged if necessary. Rattan furniture can withstand heavy loads, so over time the shelves will not bend under the weight of the load.

Helpful advice! Although rattan furniture is very durable, it is not recommended to stand on it or jump on it. This may cause the product to break.

If space allows, a good solution would be to install a rocking chair, an oval wicker Mamasan sofa or a large Papasan chair in the children's room. Such furniture elements will appeal to both children and teenagers. Supplement them with decorative pillows or covers that match the overall style - and get an exclusive interior for the nursery.

Is it appropriate to use rattan furniture for a garden?

Interior items made from natural rattan can be used for cottages, gazebos and terraces. Country furniture made of rattan is resistant to temperature changes, can withstand rain, it is light and easy to care for, therefore it meets all the basic criteria characteristic of this type of furniture. However, it does not tolerate drying out well, so it is better not to install it under the sun.

Rattan furniture - fits especially well into landscape interiors

When arranging terraces and gazebos, sets of rattan wicker furniture are actively used. Photos of the organization of such interiors are very popular on the Internet. The most commonly used models are sofas of various shapes, armchairs, tables and chairs. Also in a country house they install hanging sofas in the form of a swing.

When choosing interior items for your dacha, you need to focus on the overall style in the house. If the terrace is large, then you can put furniture of any size. For small areas, designers recommend installing wicker products in light colors and modest sizes.

Helpful advice! If rattan furniture gets wet from heavy rain, let it dry completely and do not use it for at least a day.

You can place a stylish rattan coffee table on the terrace or gazebo

Selection by interior elements

Wicker furniture is a rare exception to the rule that it should stand out from the walls. Usually we select it in a different color in relation to the walls (the exception is the case when a very light interior is created - white walls + white furniture or milky, cream walls + the same furniture). We don't like it when interior items blend in color with the wall.

With wicker furniture you don’t have to worry about this - even if the wall turns out to be the same color as in the photo, it will still stand out due to its weaving - the light is unevenly distributed along the knots, so the furniture “plays”, we see it.

Poverty interior

An important point that I would like to draw your attention to is a certain poverty of interior decoration with wicker furniture.

Such interiors, even if they are made in traditional decorative styles, such as marine or coastal, always use natural colors and materials, and do not overuse decoration, luxury, glamor and the like. In our context, such things will look funny, not beautiful. Look at the photo below.

In the photo on the left, this rule was neglected, and the result was a stupid, pretentious interior. Curtains made of golden organza, the same lampshade of a floor lamp, leather (!) trim on wicker furniture, a picture in gold (!) mat, an ornate chandelier - all this makes a pitiful, and not at all “rich” impression.

Naturalness

How much more dignified the interior looks in the next photo - the modesty and neatness of the decoration and decor creates a much more pleasant and cozy impression. Wicker furniture is incompatible with glamorous shiny fabrics, gold and silver embroidery or fringe, frilly accessories, complex curtains, carpets and the like. Naturalness, simplicity, charm and comfort are her “trick”.

So, one more rule:

— wicker furniture goes well with natural materials and poorly with any glitter, gold, silver, pretentiousness and glamor

Bad example

However, this rule should not be elevated to a cult, otherwise it will turn out like in the photo below.

They wanted to make the interior in the photo in a fashionable Zen style - in natural colors and materials, with minimal decor, in a restrained color scheme. The result is something dull - the color monotony makes the interior lifeless, and the decor is chosen in such a way that it in no way sets off the beauty of the wicker furniture, but gives the impression of some kind of, excuse me, dung heap. The beautiful marsh color did not work - it is a bad partner for itself, it needs accents in other autumn colors.

Keep this in mind if you want to create a discreet interior with wicker furniture - choose decor so that it does not suppress its beauty, but brings it out.

Other options for placing rattan furniture in an apartment

Rattan furniture can be installed in different parts of the apartment: in the bedroom, dining room, bathroom, hallway, kitchen and balcony. Beds, wardrobes, chests of drawers, bedside tables, poufs are placed in the bedroom as a set or selectively by detail, matching them to the main furniture by color and style.

In the kitchen, bathroom and hallway, the use of rattan furniture is possible due to its moisture resistance. Storage systems are mainly applicable here: cabinets, baskets, shelves. In the kitchen or dining room, the dining area is complemented with rattan chairs because of their convenience, lightness and wonderful combination with solid wooden tables. The design of the chairs gives a wide choice for organizing a different interior; this is facilitated by variations in the height and curvature of the back, the presence of armrests, weaving techniques, etc.

In addition, rattan can be used as decoration. It is used to make rugs, wall panels, openwork screens, mirror frames and even furniture for pets. This material brings positive energy into the home and promotes comfort, which is why it is becoming more and more popular every year.

The headboard of the bed, made of rattan, looks impressive, beautiful and unusual

Decor

To update the existing interior and create a comfortable environment in a furnished room, it is enough to replace some decorative elements. Wicker products - baskets, trays, bedside tables, tables or chairs - are perfect for these purposes.

A coffee table with a glass top is universally integrated into the interior of any style. In combination with transparent surfaces, rattan in the interior acquires amazing properties. You get the feeling that this element of decor has always been present here, the atmosphere becomes so cozy. And adding pillows and blankets in the appropriate style to the sofa standing next to it will add some comfort.

Basic rules for caring for rattan products

Rattan wicker furniture is easy to care for, but it still needs it. In order for products to retain their appearance for a long time, several rules should be followed:

• when using wicker furniture for a summer house, do not leave it in the open air for the winter; it is more advisable to bring it into the house until spring;
• try to avoid chips and scratches on the protective varnish layer;
• Do not place rattan furniture near an open fire or near a radiator: it will quickly dry out and become fragile;
• do not place hot objects on the surface and avoid exposure to any chemicals;
• if the furniture gets very wet, dry it well and ventilate it so that mold does not form in the weaving cells;

To prevent rattan furniture from losing its appearance, it must be wiped with a damp soft cloth.

• to remove dust from furniture, you can use a piece of cloth or a vacuum cleaner; for heavy dirt, use a damp sponge soaked in a soap solution;
• furniture must be protected from drying out, so you should regularly wipe it with a damp, but not wet, sponge;
• Once a year, rattan products undergo global cleaning with washing with detergent and subsequent thorough drying.

Comments

Ekaterina says: 03/29/2013 at 8:10 pm Do you think it would be appropriate to put wicker chairs by the fireplace if the room also has a sofa for watching TV, but it stands away from the fireplace, and the wall with the fireplace is decorated with stone ?

ticca says: 04/21/2013 at 5:21 am Of course, it’s appropriate. Depends, of course, on the overall decor of the room, but in general, unless your room is glamorous and shiny and ultra-modern and cool, then wicker chairs will almost certainly do the job.

How to choose high-quality and natural rattan furniture

To choose really high-quality wicker furniture, you should personally visit the store, touch the material, look at the color, see the shades, and not just choose a photo of rattan furniture in an online store and buy it in one click. There are certain criteria by which furniture is chosen:

The varnish coating on natural rattan always has a transparent structure

1. Please note the manufacturer. The best factories producing quality products are located in Indonesia.
2. If the furniture will be used intensively, choose strength class A. Class B has a more affordable price and is practically no different in appearance from category A.
3. Be sure to check the strength class from the seller. If he cannot answer your question, then there is a high probability that you are considering a low-end product or a fake.
4. The color scheme of products presented in the store must necessarily contain light shades.
5. The varnish coating must be transparent. If the structure is tightly covered with paint, then there is a possibility that material defects were hidden in this way.
6. If the furniture has openwork weaving, it is important to pay attention to the material from which it is made. Reeds and paper strands will quickly spread and break. Natural products must be 100% rattan.
7. Carefully consider the quality of the joints and the density of the braid. The braid must be tightly wound and well secured, otherwise it will not provide the product with durability; the strongest ones are made of rawhide.
8. If you are buying upholstered rattan furniture, take an interest in the fabric and filling of the cushions. It is not enough to find out that there is polyurethane foam inside: if it is a sheet, then over time it will wrinkle and form depressions; if it is latex, there will be practically no shrinkage; if it is crumbs with the addition of fibertek, the pillows will be especially soft and fluffy. When filled with holofiber, the seat will “float” in hot weather.

For furniture made from natural rattan, the joints are made with high quality, and the braiding is well secured.

Rattan furniture is versatile in the interior, durable in use and easy to maintain. Show a little creativity and healthy adventurism to install wicker furniture in the interior - and it will definitely reward you with comfort and originality.

Hanging chair

Hanging furniture is one of the trends in interior design. This hemispherical chair will fit perfectly into the interior of the living room, loggia or any other corner of your home that you want to equip for relaxing with a fascinating book.

Photo: freshidees.com

Typically, such chairs are used with a soft mattress in natural neutral shades (for example, gray). Moreover, manufacturers often offer a soft part complete with a chair. The solution is suitable for any interior style.

Pay attention to these models:

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