If you thought that rattan furniture is a fairly new thing, you thought wrong!
Even though it’s very popular today, items made of rattan were actually first discovered buried with pharaohs in ancient Egypt! This proves that rattan, or wicker as we more commonly know it, has been used for many centuries now and for a variety of different purposes, too!
Ancient Egyptians used it to weave baskets as well as some furniture, but it was the Romans that took the furniture thing further and perfected it, producing all kinds of pieces to decorate their homes with and make them more functional. Since rattan is a naturally renewable palm tree that can be found in Australia as well as a few other places in the world, it’s quite expectable that we continued to make furniture and decor items from it through the ages.
With its own authentic look, rattan furniture is a favourite to those who love to involve nature in their homes nowadays as well as those who are all about rustic and vintage vibes. Often left sporting its own natural colour, rattan chairs, tables, shelving, and so on are a great way to introduce eco-friendly furniture to your house as well as add a more laid-back yet still sophisticated atmosphere to it.
There really is a huge variety of rattan-made furniture out there. Since rattan is pretty easy to bend and shape it can become practically anything, from a simple basket to a complicated bookshelf, a cupboard, and even a vanity!
Most commonly, however, rattan is used to make seating sets as well as tables for patios and gardens because of its natural water-resistant features. Thick and smooth, rattan outdoor furniture is very durable and sets made from it are known to last for years when well made. Alongside this outdoor furniture, we can often see wall fixtures made of rattan, too, which are used as shelving for decor items and are meant to round up the nature-inspired atmosphere, giving the whole space a fresh and unique feeling.
So then, if it can be done outdoors and with such success, why not use it indoors, too?
As I said, wicker furniture is various, but my absolute favourite for both decor and functionality are the shelves!
Quite unusual (in a good way!)and extremely striking when you see them, rattan shelves are all about giving you more storage space while beautifying the room at the same time. Available in two types, either as hanging wall shelves or stand-alone, unit shelves, they’re an excellent way to refresh your space and fill it up with a bit of natural brightness!
Let’s look over the options a bit deeper!
Hanging rattan wall shelves are an excellent investment for anyone who’d like to add a bit more storage space into their home without actually taking away from the room.
Extremely sturdy and very detailed, well-made rattan hanging wall shelves are a decor piece by themselves and can function just as good without anything actually on them. Still, if you’d like to add something, decor pieces are always welcome and will bring in a much-needed breath of fresh air into any room whatsoever.
Placing potted plants on your hanging shelves can also do wonders, especially if it’s a type of vine that’ll wrap itself around the rattan itself and really round up the garden-fresh look.
These hanging shelves are suitable for homes nurturing a vintage decor style as well as those who’re into rustic, natural, Scandi, and traditional vibes. Furthermore, with the right coat of paint or when they’re made of bleached rattan they can be easily incorporated into more modern spaces, like minimalist homes or homes with one foot into the future. Even though they sport quite a raw look, they can still be adapted to suit a diverse crowd, making them an ultimate interior design piece!
You can use a hanging rattan shelf above your bed in the bedroom or as a way to create a focal point in your living room. In the kitchen, your rattan shelf can be used to store spices and teas alongside cups and mugs and any plants you may have laying around. A hanging rattan shelf is also excellent for the bathroom as long as you have untiled walls.
Perfect for those who have more space and could afford to have a bit taken up by a stand-alone shelf, rattan shelving will offer a new twist to an old design and give you a bookshelf that opens the room up instead of one that closes it down.;
Bookshelves can often be massive, dark, and heavy, which can become overbearing and overpower the rest of the room. Rattan shelves, however, are light, easy, and quite compact, so you can place them anywhere you’d like and they’ll create a spotlight of themselves immediately. Able to support decent weight, they can be used for books as well as for decor pieces.
A unit rattan shelf goes great in the living room, but it’s also perfect for the bathroom because of its moisture-resistant properties. You can use it to store towels, toiletries, and small decor items like candles or moisture-friendly plants for that extra bit of freshness. In the bedroom a unit rattan shelf can easily become an extension of your cupboard, a nightstand, or a changing station for your baby, keeping everything you’ll need at the reach of your hand.
Rattan shelving is a diverse product that can find its place within any home, all you really need to be able to use it is a bit of creativity regarding its placement and what you’re going to use it for.
Rattan has always represented a way for us to show our skills and imagination, so tap into yours and work on a way to add these wonderful pieces of furniture into your home! You can use both or just one of the rattan shelving types depending on your needs. However, always make sure to pair them up well with any other pieces of wooden furniture you might have, especially regarding colour, as too many shades can become distracting instead of flattering.
Once you have that covered, all that’s left to do is decorate and enjoy the olden novelty that is rattan, or wicker, shelves and furniture!