We have to go way back, all the way back to the time of the Pharaohs. That’s right, they were making wicker furniture in ancient Egypt. Local material was used to make everything from chairs to Moses’ little floating basket. The grasses growing along the Nile would have been used back then, today most wicker furniture is made of rattan. In fact rattan has been used so much that the two words are often used interchangeably. All rattan chairs can be called wicker but not all wicker chairs are made from rattan. Rattan is the natural wood, a very long plant that is harvested mainly in Indonesia while wicker simply refers to an object made by weaving.
As with most design styles, wicker has had its ups and down through the ages. Like most fashionable objects there was a major decline during
the dark ages. It was the Victorian age that really sprung wicker furniture forward. As the wealth of estates grew people began to have more leisure time and spend much of this time in gardens or in conservatories. The natural airy form of a wicker made it perfect in an outdoor setting. Easy to move around, easy to clean and will stand up to the elements.Wicker furniture was always fairly popular in the US but it was when Cyrus Wakefield made his famous discovery of rattan on the docks at Boston than rattan furniture flourished. He quickly began importing his own rattan and as the story goes, became the father of the American wicker industry. The use of wicker went into another slump but again has made a comeback. Thanks to improved production techniques and modern protective coatings, wicker furniture now comes in ever increasing fantastic designs and colors and is built to last. Wicker is once again riding a high and a beautiful rattan chair and table can be seen on many porches and patios.
photo credit: magnusfranklin
