Materials developed for wartime use became available for domestic goods and were incorporated into mid-century modern furniture designs. New building techniques, such as “post-and-beam” construction, allowed the International-style schemes to be realized on a small scale, in open-plan houses with long walls of glass. The lean, functionalist “ International Style” architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the ’30s by Philip Johnson and others. Postwar American architects and designers were animated by new ideas and new technology. The style, which emerged primarily in the years following World War II, is characterized by pieces that were conceived and made in an energetic, optimistic spirit by creators who believed that good design was an essential part of good living. If you’d prefer hassle-free garden furniture that you don’t need to shelter in winter look for poly-rattan instead, which is synthetic and weatherproof.Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe vintage mid-century modern American furniture. To keep your rattan looking its best, only use it outdoors when the weather is dry otherwise keep it under cover. It’s also worth noting that it will fade over time in the sun. You shouldn’t keep natural rattan furniture outside in the rain as it’s not naturally waterproof, so it can be spoiled by mold and mildew if the fibres get wet. Cane (often used for panelling on door fronts or stretched over chair seats) is a much thinner material that’s made by stripping the rattan plant. Wicker could be made from a variety of things including rattan, bamboo, willow or synthetic fibres. Wicker isn’t a material at all, it’s the name of the method of weaving. Let’s clear this up: wicker, cane and rattan are often used interchangeably to describe rattan furniture so what’s the difference between them? Rattan is simply the name of the material that comes from the rattan palm. Rattan furniture first became fashionable in Victorian times, but it’s even better known for the peacock chairs and tiki-style bar trolleys from its sixties and seventies heyday. Used because of the strength and flexibility of its vines, the fibres can be woven and bent into various complex decorative shapes. Traditional rattan furniture is made from a group of climbing palms native to Southeast Asia. Some of the below pieces are sold as indoor furniture but their manageable weight and natural material means they’re the great chameleons of the home, so they’ll work perfectly out among the plants (or wheeled out for a garden party), as long as it stays dry. Virtually every piece (sun loungers aside) in our edit of rattan garden furniture will look just as good in your living area – or the corner of a bedroom – when the weather takes a turn for the worst. Alas, we don’t share California’s year-round sunshine, so it’s wise to choose flexible indoor-outdoor furniture that works for all seasons. Whether you’re buying Franco Albini for a Modernist flat or cane Chinoiserie for a period house it always looks good and it always feels reminiscent of a more glamorous time or place.Īside from perhaps a motel in Palm Springs or a farmhouse in Provence, there’s no better place to kick-back on a rattan chair than your own patio. Do you dream of Atelier Vime? Did you feel seen by a kindred spirit when Soane Britain’s Lulu Lytle wrote a book about rattan? The natural, textural finish of woven furniture is timeless and it really does go with everything.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |