A vine will bend but unlike wood it will not splinter or break, allowing it to be woven together to create multi-strand cables. The multi-strand cables can then be bent and woven to create intricate pieces of furniture such as chairs, rockers and tables.
Wicker furniture is most frequently made from the rattan vine. Rattan is a solid core vine which makes it ideal for furniture making. Rattan plants are climbing palms found in the rain forests of Asia and South and Central America. Honey rattan of Southeast Asia is considered the highest quality rattan. Rattan grows to lengths of six hundred feet and diameters up to two inches. Rattan is harvested between seven to fifteen years of new growth.
When wicker furniture is made from high quality materials and is woven properly it can last for over one hundred years. There are even some pieces of wicker furniture from the Victorian period still in use today. The Egyptian Empire has left behind the oldest surviving pieces of wicker furniture; chests made of reed and papyrus, wig boxes made of reed and rush, and wicker hassocks and chairs. The popularity of wicker in America began around 1850 and recently is on the rise again.
Creating wicker furniture is mostly done by hand. First the vines are run through a forked stick driven into the ground to remove the thorny leaves. Then the rattan is sent down the river out to the sea where it is then cured in the sun. The cured rattan is then shipped to the factory where it is molded and woven into shapes. When the rattan dries it gains rigidity and strength.
Real Good Furniture offers a variety of wicker and rattan furniture at low wholesale prices. Check out all our wicker and rattan furniture in Real Good Furniture's online store. |
