Create a fresh, summer look with antique rattan

Discover the joys of decorating with this light, natural fibre that has been used for centuries

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Published: September 27th, 2016 at 9:30 am

Even if the weather isn’t so balmy, what could be more pleasurable than making the summer last with an end-of-day gin and tonic enjoyed in a comfortable chair on the patio?

Ever since the days of colonial India, the Brits have been indulging this ritual, usually with a light chair made from the natural fibre rattan. It was around 130 years ago that pieces made from rattan and bamboo began to appear on the British market, imported to our shores from the Far East. It had a resurgence in popularity in the 1970s and these days is enjoying another moment in the sun.

A truly stylish weave

For those expats in the early days of the Raj, the only seating worthy of a place on the veranda was something woven, most likely from rattan, the wonder-plant from the Far East that had recently taken British and American furniture-making by storm.

Back home in Britian, it proved just as popular. The Victorians embraced rattan in their gardens and homes and found a hundred different, inventive and sometimes surprising uses for it. In the 130-odd years since, while fashions have changed, rattan furniture has carried on being produced and, as a choice for the garden, it has never been bettered.

Inexpensive, light and easy to fit into a range of period homes, why not entice yourself to invest in some rattan with these seven easy decorating ideas. Scroll down for a full list of where to buy it too.

Combine different shapes and styles of rattan against bold colours for a sophisticated grouping

A table with a lime green and blue table cloth adorned with woven rattan bowls, baskets and panels

Wall painted in ‘Canton (94)’ Intelligent Matt Emulsion, £45, per 2.5ltr, Little Greene. Fabrics: ‘Chloe Citron’ (04882/26), £59 per m; ‘Chloe Ocean’ (04882/29), £59 per m, both Manuel Canovas. ‘Nendo Pear’ (NLOH131821), £36 per m, Scion
On table: (from left) Lidded ‘Lozi’ basket, c1900, £650, Peter Petrou. Volley ball woven fibre with stand, £50, Clive Loveless. Miniature ‘Prestige’ bowl with woven pine needles, £250, Clive Loveless. Decorative green glass carafe, £35, Raj Tent Club. Lidded ‘Lozi’ basket, £525, Peter Petrou. Turquoise goblet, find similar at Pimpernel & Partners. Medium lidded ‘Lozi’ pot, £690, Peter Petrou. ‘Prestige’ comb, £950 for set of five, Clive Loveless. Large lidded ‘Lozi’ pot, £1,200, Peter Petrou. Turquoise jug, find similar at Pimpernel & Partners. Small lidded ‘Lozi’ pot, £395, Peter Petrou. Ceremonial standing screen from East Africa, £1,250, Clive Loveless

Team a variety of rattan items with a statement lamp for a display that shows them off in style

A console table stacked with a vintage lamp and miniature peacock chair beside palm-print wallpaper

Wall papered in ‘Contemporary Restyled Palm Jungle’ wallpaper in ‘Black’, £82 per roll, Cole & Son. Panelling painted in ‘Stone-Dark-Cool (67)’ Intelligent Eggshell, £54.50 per 2.5ltr, Little Greene. Woven tray, £800, Peter Petrou. ‘Exhibition’ console table, £325, Loaf
On table: Rare Meiji period woven split cane and bamboo basket lamp, £950, Foster & Gane; antique books, from a selection at Briggs & Oliver; ceremonial lidded basket with decorated wooden panel lid, £300, Clive Loveless; ‘Mini Peacock’ chair, £28, The Old Cinema; coloured thread bobbins, from a selection at Briggs & Oliver; ‘Prestige’ lidded basket coiled and woven, £250, Clive Loveless; blue glass bottle, from a selection at Briggs & Oliver

A bold wallpaper with a neutral shade below creates a look that feels tropical without being overpowering. Add textures of velvet and rattan for an easy-to-live-with yet standout scheme

A living room scene with palm-printed wallpaper, a deep blue velvet sofa, a mid-century coffee table and a rattan peacock chair

Wall papered and painted as before. Wicker ‘Peacock’ chair, find similar on eBay. ‘Izzy’ three-seater sofa in ‘Deep Turquoise’ velvet, £1,680, Sofa.com. Cane and faux bamboo ‘Regency elbow’ chair, £480, Foster & Gane. ‘Palm Springs’ aqua metal-and-wood coffee table, £180, Raj Tent Club. Woven flatweave rug with geometric patterns in greens, £1,950, Foster & Gane
On shelf: set of ‘Prestige’ combs, £950, for five, Clive Loveless; ‘Uchiwa’ light by Ingo Maurer, £354, Retrouvius
On coffee table: medium lidded ‘Lozi’ pot, £625, Peter Petrou; turquoise beads, find similar at Oka; glass carafe, from a selection at Briggs & Oliver; circular marriage basket, £340, Foster & Gane
On chair: cushion in ‘Serendip Turquoise’ fabric (04811/01), £92 per m, Manuel Canovas. On sofa: blue cushion in ‘Ava’ (J861F-14), £32 per m, Jane Churchill; ‘Yellow Diamond pattern’ cushion, £50, Raj Tent Club; cushion in ‘Hama Paradise Amazilia’ fabric, £59 per m, Harlequin; Ikat silk velvet cushion, £125, Raj Tent Club

Mix and match rattan furniture with statement fabrics for an outdoor dining room that really packs a punch

An outdoor table scene with blue woven chairs and a palm-printed table cloth

Curtain in ‘Nendo Marine’ (NLOH131819), £36 per m, Scion. Vintage rattan aqua chairs, £200 each, Raj Tent Club. Cushion (on aqua chair), find similar at Pimpernel & Partners. Plaited cane stool with upholstered seat, £280, Foster & Gane. Lloyd Loom green chair, find similar at Pimpernel & Partners. Vintage bark cloth cushion (on Lloyd Loom chair), from a selection at Pimpernel & Partners. Picnic basket, from a selection at Charpentier Antiques. Blue glass jug (on floor), from a selection at I&JLBrown. Trestle table top with rustic legs, £650, Raj Tent Club. Rattan pendant with bird, £460, Quindry. ‘Tunis’ straw floor mat in ‘Indigo’, £95, Raj Tent Club
On table: fabric tablecloth in ‘Malfa Absinthe’ (04915/01), £69 per m, Manuel Canovas. Turquoise jug, £75, I&JLBrown. Recycled bottles, from a selection at Lost & Found. Rattan ‘Kikapu’ woven vase, £90, Raj Tent Club. Woven tray, find similar at Graham & Green. Recycled green carafe, £14.95; glasses, £15 for four, both Rockett St George. Black-and-white basket (just seen on floor), £106 for set of three, Rockett St George

Hard-wearing rattan is perfect for outdoors, especially when paired with vibrant fabrics

An outdoor scene featuring a woven rattan chair and side table

Ebonised canework screen, £750, Foster & Gane. Woven basket, find similar at Quindry. ‘Angrave’ rattan chair, £225, Peter Petrou. Cushion (on chair) in ‘Rumbia Lagoon/Gooseberry’ (131520), £75 per m, Harlequin. Faux bamboo nest of tables with cane tops, £900, Quindry. Vintage case, from a selection at Briggs & Oliver. ‘Celadon’ planter, £30, I&JLBrown. Faux aloe plant, £16, Rockett St George. On table: glass demijohn bottle, from a selection at Lost & Found; blue glass stem vase, from a selection at Pimpernel & Partners; medium lidded ‘Lozi’ pot, £550; small lidded ‘Lozi’ pot, £395, both Peter Petrou
On ground: ‘Pretty Maids Saffron, Winter’ notebook, £10, Vanessa Arbuthnott; vintage camera, find similar at Briggs & Oliver

Beautiful rattan and cane pieces stand out against a colourful background

A rattan armchair and tall rattan lamp in front of green and blue zigzag wallpaper

Wall papered in ‘Groove Marine/Moss’ (110853) wallpaper, £37 per roll, Scion. Tunis straw floor mat natural, £95, Raj Tent Club. Rattan ‘Kikapu’ vase, £90, Raj Tent Club. Yellow lidded pot, £125, I&JLBrown. 1970s Italian rattan floor lamp, £1,240, Fiona McDonald. High back rattan armchair, £480, Foster & Gane. Soft linen jacquard throw in ‘Silver Dust’, £275, The Linen Works. Mid-century magazine rack, £75, The Old Cinema. Mounted ‘Mans Status’ cloth from the Congo, £650, Clive Loveless

A dramatic wallpaper and contrasting patterned fabrics create a confident framework for a trio of eye-catching rattan mirrors

A double bed with a woven rattan headboard against green and blue zigzag wallpaper with three rattan mirrors

Wall papered as before. Mirrors, £300 for the set, Magus Antiques. ‘Margot’ rattan bed, £825, Loaf. Rattan coffee table, £230, Rockett St George. Vintage Ercol chair, find similar at Florrie & Bill
On bed: ‘Lazy Linen’ bundle bed linen in grey, £245, Loaf; cobalt and emerald zig zag cushion (just seen), £20; turquoise round embroidered cushion, £24.95; velvet Ikat cushion, £125, all Raj Tent Club. Cushion in ‘Manila Blue/Linen’ (DVOY223280), £55 per m, Sanderson. Cushion in ‘Life & Eternity Teal’, £46 per m, Vanessa Arbuthnott. Kantha stitch bedspread with embroidered flowers in green, £450; Moroccan wedding blanket ‘Ouazarzate’, £380, both Raj Tent Club
On table: Antique ‘Anglepoise’ lamp, £354, Retrouvius. Large ‘Antibes’ vase, £90; ‘Dela Lines’ vase, £35, both I&JLBrown. Antique books, from a selection at Briggs & Oliver

WHERE TO BUY ANTIQUE RATTAN

Foster & Gane, Nottinghamshire and Buckinghamshire. 01494 269829; fosterandgane.com
The Old Cinema, 160 Chiswick High Road, London, W4 1PR. 020 89954166; theoldcinema.co.uk
Peter Petrou, London. 07831 633886; peterpetrou.com
Clive Loveless, London. 0208 9695831; bada.org

10 things you (probably didn’t know about rattan:

Records of wickerwork stretch back to Ancient Egypt, where remnants of pieces have been found in pharaohs’ tombs. It is also recorded as having been used to make shields for battle.

The word ‘wicker’ comes from the Scandinavian vika, meaning ‘to bend’.

The basketware of the Tutsi people of Rwanda and Burundi is considered among the best. It often has finely tapered conical lids and dramatic abstract designs. Some are as small as a thumb and, according to tribal art specialist Clive Loveless, were woven by high-ranking women not only as containers but also as symbols of status. Many of the smallest were used for holding jewels.

Native American baskets of the Pomo, Apache and Navajo tribes are also highly collectable, especially in the USA. Specialist dealers there build up portfolio collections for enthusiasts often with very specific interests.

Wickerwork doesn’t only include pieces woven from reeds and rattan, material varies from papyrus and bamboo to sorghum and raffia.

Work by Paiute weavers is especially sought-after. The most expensive Native American basket ever sold at auction went for $336,250 – three times the presale estimate. Woven in 1929 by Paiute Indian Tina Charlie, it was one of only ten of its kind ever made.

Rattan is an Asian palm that grows in Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Philippines. The name ‘rattan’ covers about 600 sub-species. It differs from other palms by having much thinner stems.

Until the 1880s all rattan furniture was imported into the UK. In 1886 and 1889 two companies began to produce it: WT Ellmore & Son in Leicester and Morris, Wilkinson and Co in Nottingham.

No one knows the origin of the ‘Peacock’ chair (pictured, above) but many famous beauties have draped themselves across one for photographs including Marilyn Monroe, Liz Taylor, Kate Moss and Brigitte Bardot.