Rattan and cane have travelled a long way from tropical forests to modern interiors – here’s why these remarkable natural materials still weave their magic today…
At Pooky, we’re a little obsessed with materials. We spend an inordinate amount of time seeking out the very best of them – feeling, testing and experimenting, and asking: what can this material do that others can’t?
In this series, The Language of Materials, we take a closer look at the substances that shape the things we make – exploring their origins, their qualities and the long traditions of craft behind them.
This time we’re turning to rattan and cane: two closely related natural materials that have been woven into furniture, baskets and lampshades for centuries. Light yet strong, practical yet decorative, they have moved effortlessly from colonial verandas to modern loft apartments – and their appeal shows no sign of fading.
There are certain interior design styles that are rightly described as timeless, so broad and long-lasting is their appeal. The same is equally true of certain materials, and rattan is a prime example.
With botanical roots in Southeast Asia, rattan has been in daily use for thousands of years, but its versatility has assured its place on the global interior design stage and its sustainability chimes with 21st century eco-awareness. Rattan furniture, baskets, accessories, lampshades, of course – and much more – all have universal appeal. You are as likely to find rattan or cane in a Soho loft or minimalist dream home as you are in an English country cottage, or on a Cape Cod coastal deck. We thought it was time to settle into a rattan chair and find out more…
Rattan— what, where and when…
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Picture a climbing palm in a tropical forest, its lengthy, flexible stems reaching high into the forest canopy. It belongs to the rattan group and is one of a family of about 600 species that grow in Southeast Asia – Indonesia, in particular – and Australasia. Rattan’s light, strong stems bend easily without breaking, which have always made it such a practical and aesthetically pleasing material that can be used in so many ways.
Today, rattan is harvested sustainably, as it always has been: cut into long lengths and its outer skin stripped and left to dry in the sun. This produces a material with a glossy surface and soft inner core; unlike wood, it does not splinter and is easily woven and, as a product of the tropical forest, it copes brilliantly in hot, humid climates.
(Rattan, cane and wicker are often confused. Rattan is the raw material – the long, flexible stems of the rattan palm. Cane usually refers to the smooth outer skin of the rattan stem, which is peeled off and used for weaving and binding. Wicker, meanwhile, isn’t a material at all but a weaving method, which can be used with rattan, cane or other natural fibres such as willow or seagrass – and sometimes even synthetic fibres.)
Across Southeast Asia and the Far East, it was turned into baskets, mats, storage vessels and simple everyday furniture that was light enough to be lifted and moved easily.
And then, in the 17th and 18th century, the traders and colonialists arrived…the British and Dutch were impressed by the refined exoticism of rattan furniture and saw its import potential. They were not wrong. By the mid 1800s, rattan furniture had become hugely popular in Britain, providing a light but sophisticated contrast to the heavy wooden furniture associated with the Victorian era. Step into a Victorian sunroom or garden, or onto a veranda, and you would frequently find rattan – and that is still the case today.
By the end of the 19th century and into the early years of the 20th, rattan was very much in the ascendant, thanks to advances in steam-bending techniques. These made it possible to bend rattan into elaborate shapes, such as curves and loops that added decoration to this highly functional material.
Rattan and Modernism
As the 20th century unfurled, rattan increasingly found a place indoors, as Modernism called for flexible materials that offered a practical response to the demands of daily life. Many of the designers, including Jean-Michel Frank, Gio Ponti, Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret, who have featured or been mentioned in our ‘great interior design styles’ series, added rattan to their designs for Modernist interiors and furniture ranges. The Marcel Breuer’s Cesca chair gave rattan a permanent place in the gallery of furniture design classics.
The rise of international travel and holidays in the 1950s and ‘60s meant that rattan was more popular than ever, acquiring a glamorous polish associated with the good life: fun in the sun, big, bold prints and plants, and a taste for brass.
But hubris and nemesis and all that…By the second half of the 20th century, plastics and other synthetics were moving up; materials such as rattan were seen as dated and were elbowed out…
However, it turned out to be temporary blip. Minimalism was waiting in the wings and, when it arrived, it packed a pared-down design punch and offered an obvious place for rattan’s simple charms. The new millennium and growing concerns about sustainability brought with them a renewed interest in natural materials and craft skills. Rattan was back in favour and today’s homemakers appreciate its versatility and character. In its quietly understated way, rattan adds substance and texture to an interior: a natural material for all times, all seasons and pretty well all design preferences.
Rattan’s light touch
If you are drawn to rattan, do take a look at our complete range of lampshades made from this marvellous material. Here are some of our favourites…
As you might expect from its name, we love our Aphrodite pendant. Smoothly finished with solid brass accents, Aphrodite sparkles as the light hops through its woven rattan. It comes in two sizes; this is the larger.
Our Bellamy pendant is a great example of the timeless quality of cane; it is a style that has been popular for decades. Its simplicity belies the enormous skill to weave rattan into that orb shape.
But there is more to rattan lighting than shades; it makes brilliant lamp bases too. Take a look at Rattle for example; we took a classic shape and decided that it could work beautifully in cane:
See Pooky’s rattan lamp shades here and browse our full range of lights and shades by material.
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