Synthetic Rattan Furniture

Many of us now have conservatories added to our homes and Rattan Conservatory Furniture has become the preferred choice to fill them, but how did Rattan Furniture become so popular?

Rattan Furniture, or wicker conservatory furniture, as it is more commonly known, has been popular in England since the Victorian era. With their love of cleanliness, the Victorians considered wicker far more hygienic than upholstered furniture as it collected less dust. Initially the furniture was used for outdoor, but then increasingly for indoor use, as its simplicity and flexibility lent itself to a variety of different styles. More recently woven furniture has seen changes in manufacturing materials and processes to fit with our modern lifestyle.

The origin of woven furniture can be traced back even further than the Victorian era to the ancient Egyptian empire where examples of furniture and baskets have been found made from reed and swamp grasses.

Wicker isn't a material; it is a process of weaving. The resourceful ancient Egyptians discovered the strength of the dried grasses from the banks of the river Nile and created a variety of woven furniture that spread through the kingdom. Wicker furniture items made in Egypt travelled through the ancient world to become popular with the Romans who began using wicker to create their own styles. Wicker had become popular in Europe by the 16th and 17th centuries and eventually, explorer's expeditions into Southeast Asia brought the discovery of Rattan, a sturdier material for wicker than reed.

Rattan, despite being the most popular material for wicker furniture, little is known about it. The term 'Rattan' is the commonly used name to describe many species of climbing palm native to tropical regions of Africa and Asia and is considered one of the strongest hardwoods available. It has been known to grow hundreds of metres long and is processed by stripping the skin for use as a weaving material and the remaining core is used for other furniture making purposes. The frames of traditional Rattan Furniture is made from thicker stalks steamed and bent into the desired shape, as the frame dries it holds its shape.

Although popular during the Victorian era, popularity declined during the early 1900s as tastes changed to simple clean design lines. Design of more simplistic furniture and the use of synthetic materials to reduce the cost helped increase popularity and by the 60s and 70s Rattan Furniture had again increased in popularity which has continued to the present day.