Cozy and original, but at the same time eco-friendly interior is the dream of many residents of megacities. One way to achieve this effect without unnecessary difficulties and costs is to dilute familiar pieces of furniture with rattan products. Wicker bookcases, rocking chairs, lampshades, mirror frames or flower pots made of this material will bring those very bright touches to the decoration of any room or other living space, such as a hallway. Wicker rattan furniture is so comfortable and versatile that it will successfully fit into the interior of a country house, the veranda of a restaurant or cafe, and even into a recreation area in the office.
What is rattan
Rattan is a plant material that is actually an ordinary palm tree. In addition to the most famous name for this type of wood, one can also find synonymous names - "rattan" and "kalamus". They all refer to the peeled and dried stems of a tropical palm tree, which grows mostly in Southeast Asia (Malaysia) and Indonesia. By the way, Indonesian raw materials are valued higher than Malaysian raw materials, as they are stronger.
The length of the described stems can reach 300 meters, so the natives gave her a nickname"damn rope".
Structurally, rattan stems consist of three layers:
- bark;
- porous layer;
- solid core.
The thickness and porosity of the stem affects the strength of the manufactured furniture. This principle of stem differentiation is the basis for dividing it into classes in the manufacture of furniture.
There are three of them: A, B and C, while class C is considered the lowest. The cost of such furniture is significantly lower than that of the other two. The price of the same piece of furniture of class A and class C usually differs by 2-2.5 times.
Preparation of natural rattan
At the first stage of production, the trunks are debarked, polished and sorted by diameter and wood grade. And on the second, the calibrated rattan is subjected to fire and steam treatment, after which it is installed in templates to dry and maintain the desired shape. This technology gives the stems the highest degree of strength, making them very hard. That's what rattan is.
Usually, the thickest stems in diameter go to load-bearing and massive parts of various furniture, and the thinnest ones are cut into strips for braiding all corners, ends or joints. Rattan furniture is braided with natural thick leather or bark.
Beautiful openwork weaving is obtained from a strong core of a split stem, which gives the product not only a decorative effect, but also the ability to withstand a constant load without sagging, without bending and keeping its shape for many years.
Processthe production of rattan furniture is completed by varnishing finished products.
What is synthetic rattan and how is it made
In addition to furniture and other design items made from natural rattan, products made from its artificial counterpart are also interesting. The latter is also called techno- or poly-rattan - it is a particularly durable, high-quality and, importantly, environmentally friendly artificial material, the invention of which made it possible to furnish not only a house and a summer house, but also garden verandas, gazebos and landscapes with wear-resistant and beautiful furniture.
Innovative material was invented by German chemists back in the 90s of the last century. Since then, such furniture has become popular both among buyers around the world and among designers.
Artificial rattan is obtained by extrusion, that is, forcing melted synthetic raw materials through holes of a certain size. The resulting techno-rattan resembles a plastic tape or cord and comes in the following modifications:
- tape with imitation of tree bark;
- round rod;
- flat texture stripe.
The length of such a blank can be arbitrary, which allows you to have no joints in the manufacture of furniture. This feature of artificial rattan makes furniture from it the most comfortable. Additional strength of techno-rattan is provided by reinforcement with silk or nylon threads. Such material can be of various colors, which allows you to create furniture for any interior of an apartment or a country house,which attracts designers from all over the world.
Artificial rattan: pluses
Furniture made of artificial rattan is now at the peak of popularity. But the main question, which is better - artificial or natural - often remains with those who want to purchase wicker furniture for the first time.
The most important plus of the artificial option is the price of finished furniture. Only a small percentage of the population in any country can afford to choose interior items without looking at the price tags, and artificial rattan is much cheaper than its natural counterpart.
The flexibility of rattan, which makes it attractive in furniture production, ensures demand for it. Magnificent examples of wicker designer furniture are obtained due to this feature. And artificial rattan has a higher flexibility than natural rattan. In addition, due to the arbitrary length of the source material, finished products made of artificial rattan may not have joints at all.
Manufactured rattan furniture is generally superior in performance to natural rattan furniture as it uses unique manufacturing techniques to increase durability and is able to support more weight and more people sitting on one sofa, for example. At the same time, the condition of such furniture almost does not change over time.
It is also important that artificial rattan furniture can be installed outdoors, which allows you to decorate country houses, greenhouses and household plots with it - because it can endure drops longerhumidity and temperature, sunlight or precipitation. Such furniture lasts much longer and is not as capricious in care as natural wicker lacquer furniture, although it is still not recommended to leave it completely without care.
Dignity of natural rattan
Natural rattan furniture at first glance loses to artificial, but still there are no fewer fans of everything natural in the world. If funds allow, it is better to give preference to natural material. It's eco-friendly, safe, and just more fun to use.
In addition, natural material furniture can be made without metal structures - rattan trunks are so strong that they can easily withstand loads, such as the weight of a person. And the unique flexibility of a plant can never be recreated by synthetic analogues, especially for chairs. Rattan flexes to the shape of the human body for maximum comfort and relaxation.
Where rattan furniture fits
Everyone imagines what rattan is and how it looks, but in the minds of many people it is associated only with a wicker chair on the veranda. However, not only furniture can be wicker.
Braid can look very stylish as a screen for a heating battery and flower pots. They even create designer paintings from it. Polyrattan is used in the production of accessories not only for the home, but also for women and men. They decorate pieces of furniture, balconies and loggias, weave fantasy fences from it.
The biggest and most popular group is wicker rattan in outdoor garden furniture. She looks very impressive and respectable. Artificial rattan is good for a living space in combination with metal, leather, textiles, glass, ceramics, stone and wood, which makes things from it indispensable and unique in any interior - from the Middle Ages or classics to a modern chilly loft, which softens such details.
