With today’s focus on being environmentally friendly and using renewable resources, we think wicker furniture deserves is place in the sun once again. Wicker has a rich history, and has had a significant influence on modern furniture design.
Danish designers were at the forefront of using Rattan in modern furniture design. Arne Jacobsen used this fantastic material in his 1929 Paris Chair (originals now valued between $2,000 – $4,000) and Nanna and Jorgen Ditzel are famous for their Hanging Basket Chair manufactured by R. Wengler in Copenhagen. These highly collectible hanging chairs, the first of which was manufactured in 1959, can go between $3,000 – $4,000 at auction.
Rattan, the material used in making wicker furniture, is harvested mainly in Indonesia, and is a fast growing, renewable crop. Although an arduous task to harvest it, Rattan makes a viable alternative for local industry instead of logging tropical woods in their rain forests.
The process of creating wicker furniture is labour intensive and time consuming. The canes must be heated and curved over a bending iron to make them malleable enough to weave. Once the frame has been set, the canes are woven to create a chair – a process that can take up to 14 hours. The time put into creating each chair is often shown in a higher market value.
Although there is a glut of cheap knock-off wicker furniture on the market – primarily from Poland and Yugoslavia, if you do your research and keep eyes open for quality you can usually find great deals on lushpad for cane, rattan and wicker and also at consignment stores, garage sales and auctions.
So go on, double up on your environmental karma by buying used furniture that is also made from natural, renewable materials.
Content for this entry was provided by Lynne Jensen at Klassik By Lynne. Lynne specializes in Danish Modern furniture in Emeryville, California. Have a look at some of Lynne’s items for sale on Lushpad.
