Wicker Furniture is a Great Accent to
Your Home – Inside or Out
While people
generally think of wicker furniture as being solely made out of
rattan, the fact is that wicker can be made of any plant fibers
which have been woven together. With rattan, the rattan’s stalk’s
cores are used to form the wicker weave while other parts of
different plants are used throughout the globe to create wicker
furniture. Although it was commonly used for baskets in ancient
times, wicker has now gained popularity through furniture, as it
provides a durable surface while still allowing for ample amounts
of comfort. Wicker furniture first took form as chests and chairs
until its popularity exploded during the mid eighteen
hundreds.
Wicker furniture is most commonly constructed
from rattan, which is a vine found in various parts of Asia.
Due to the solid core of its vines, rattan has claimed its place as
the most durable and usable of all plants made into wicker
furniture. The stems of rattan, called the canes, can also be used
for making strong wicker furniture. The cane, due to its yellowish
color, is commonly used in stained wicker pieces.
Although not as strong as rattan, bamboo is also
found in most wicker. It grows much more quickly than rattan,
allowing it to be harvested much more often. However, it lacks
rattan’s strength due to its hollow core. Willow from Europe and
certain parts of the United States have also been used in making
wicker furniture. It has the fast growth properties of bamboo and
the strength of rattan. Furthermore, it can stay moist for long
periods of time so it can be easily woven together, making it an
ideal wood for wicker furniture production.
Recently, due to the cultural revival of wicker,
prices have risen on antique wicker products. Foremost, antique
pieces from the Arts and Crafts movement and from the
Heywood-Wakefield company in Massachusetts have greatly increased
in value.
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