Home Decor Trend
Rattan is making such a big comeback into the interior design space. I almost wonder if we the material isn’t a classic choice. From New Traditionalists to the Bohemian Modernists of the moment, the material is stealing the show in accent pieces from side chairs, to coffee tables, to wall art to lamps.
So we decided to dig in and see what we can learn about the material and just versatile it can be.
Origin & Production
A quick jaunt through the Las Vegas Market has me scouring for a few key rattan pieces to add to the SHOP TEOT collection. Our luck led us to the showroom floor of Selamat Designs where we got schooled on the origin and the production of the material.
Rattan, the thin pliable stems harvested from a number of Palm species, is harvested by hand and according to the evenness of the Stem ranked. Subsequently, the raw material of dirt is removed and split, and the individual strands can be rolled up and dried as desired shortened or for later processing. Since Rattan is a natural product, small bumps, cracks, different material thicknesses and differing color intensities can not be avoided, thus making each piece of furniture from rattan unique.
Characteristics
Rattan is not fungal and weatherproof . Garden furniture made of rattan should thoroughly waxed or with a transparent coated plastic film (check before buying) be. Important: Rattan contains tannins and discolored if it comes in a wet state into contact with metal, dark gray to brown-black. Therefore, the items of good quality rattan furniture and rattan furniture is of quality manufacturers with wooden pegs, or glue connected.
In principle, the closer and tighter the weave , the more material was used, the longer a braider has worked – the better the quality and longer service life , the product but also more expensive. In addition, the base material is crucial: Good braiding are round, smooth and cling to formal. If the material contrast edgy and rough, the flat fibers are not so organically braids and break more quickly at the edges. In addition, can damage clothing with seating rough wattle.
Untreated rattan is not weatherproof and should never stand in the rain, or longer in the fog. Even pretreated Rattan may gray and turn brittle after a few downpours . If using outdoors and not in a covered space, you may need to invest in a good set of moisture protective covers.
Wicker, Rattan, Bamboo – What’s the difference?
Rattan is a solid vine material while Bamboo is hollow one.
Wicker, rather than a material, is actually a process and it is how we refer to the more textile like covering that is made from weaving strips that have been cut or shaved off of the the rattan, or perhaps they have been woven from the smaller in diameter vines of Rattan. Wicker may be woven from the thinner ends of a rattan core, but it may also be woven from bamboo, from straw, from rush or from willow. More recently, we are seeing more and more synthetic materials making their way into the “wicker” category, for durability.
Where to buy?
