Rattan furniture is a style of outdoor furnishings that has been around for a very long time. As such, it is a perennial favorite in luxury outdoor living rooms for many good reasons. In this article, we explore the question, what is rattan furniture?, define rattan, and review all the reasons why it is a great choice for your San Diego backyard oasis.
What is the Difference Between Wicker and Rattan?
A common misconception is that wicker and rattan are similar materials used in crafting woven outdoor furniture. However, this is not true. Although the two types of furnishings may look alike, there are plenty of differences.
For one thing, wicker actually refers to strips of varying types of plant material that are woven into a cross hatch pattern. Wicker is not a material at all but simply a method for creating beautiful outdoor furniture.
When posing the question, what is rattan?, the answer is a type of plant. Whereas wicker is the craft of weaving together plant strips, rattan refers to the actual plant material often used to create wicker furniture. Rattan is a tropical plant with stalks of small circumference that grows exceptionally tall. The core is the part used to make furniture, after it is carefully hewn into small pieces and then steamed to make it malleable. The thin, flat peel of the rattan plant is used, as well, to tie together joints of rattan chairs, sofas, rockers and other pieces.
Advantages of Rattan Furniture
Rattan is a natural material, although today’s rattan furniture is often crafted from a synthetic version of rattan created specifically to look like the real thing while providing superior benefits. Not only is it available in a variety of natural looking colors, rattan retains its gorgeous hues due to UV light and weather resistance. Today’s rattan furniture requires little maintenance to keep it looking great and cleaning it is a breeze. Modern rattan is very durable due to the flexibility of the material and lightweight in addition to providing quite comfortable seating.
The San Diego area is the perfect setting for rattan garden furniture. It fits right into the lush, seaside landscapes that grace so many of our luxury outdoor living rooms. It easily withstands the punishment from heat, sun rays and sea spray. The natural coloration is the perfect foil to a backdrop of azure sea and bright blue sky. Rattan furniture is classic in style, yet transitional enough to look right at home in a contemporary backyard oasis.
Now that you know what rattan is made from and all the reasons why rattan furniture is an excellent choice for your backyard, why not browse through our selection of gorgeously designed outdoor pieces? Remember that you can easily shop for rattan furniture right from your own home, if you wish, or visit our newly reopened showroom where we use best practices to keep the environment sanitized and safe. Rattan furniture is a perennial favorite that is sure to look right at home poolside, in your backyard or on your patio.
