What is Rattan Wicker Furniture?

Rattan wicker furniture has been around for hundreds of years. Rattan is a vine originating in tropical regions predominantly in SE Asia. Rattan vine is tough and durable and only becomes workable when heat is applied. As soon as the heat is removed the rattan stiffens and remains fixed.

Wicker is the process of weaving used with natural materials as varied as rattan, sea grass, reed and cane. So rattan wicker furniture is essentially rattan vine that has been wicker weaved. This woven rattan is then applied to furniture frames traditionally made from hardwood such as teak to produce traditional hand crafted natural furniture.

Rattan wicker work is great for furniture to be used in tropical climates. Unfortunately it does not do as well in colder damp climates as the rattan can be liable to develop mold and mildew being a natural fibrous material. As a result natural rattan wicker weave furniture is often used indoors in temperate climates. For such climates synthetic rattan wicker garden furniture made from man made materials can give you the chance to enjoy wicker rattan furniture in your garden without needing large storage space indoors.