No longer reserved for the Torrid Zone or the back porch , rattan decor is back in fashion and brings easy breezy know indoors — no matter where you live .
Annie Schlechter / Interior Design : Summer Thornton
There ’s something transporting aboutrattan interior decoration — it has the power to whisk you out to warmer climates and a relaxed humour without setting foot on an aeroplane . Call it the ultimate staycation decoration . " Rattan reach inst relaxation to a elbow room . It can be wide-eyed or intricate but either style , it has a mother wit of ease and stir up fancy of languid summer afternoons , " pronounce interior designerSummer Thornton . Here ’s how rattan rose to popularity and how interior designer are working this natural material into domicile now .
Credit:Annie Schlechter / Interior Design: Summer Thornton
How Rattan Got Its Start
Rattan is made from aclimbing medal vinethat ’s native to tropic regions in Asia , Australia , and Africa . In the U.S. , it was once set aside for moneyed homeowner who could afford the exotic import until the late 19th century , when the Wakefield Rattan Company ( laterHeywood - Wakefield ) began producing rattan piece of furniture at mass scale .
By the 1950s , it was at peak popularity , filling homes across the country and favored by designers - to - the - principal like Tony Duquette and Billy Baldwin . Then tides turned , as drift so often do , and the face fell out of mainstream favour when it became the preferred decor of the bohemian counterculture in the 1970s ( along withmacraméand overflowinghouseplants ) .
Rattan’s Return in 2025
need has ebb away and flowed ever since , but ifMaison & Objet — home decor ’s answer to Paris Fashion Week — was any indication this year , rattan is back in all its tropic glory . While visiting the movement - set European trade show , we spotted brand after stigma showcasing rattan as the must - have indoor interior decoration : upholstered armchairs and Ottoman dynasty , side tables and Browning automatic rifle carts , kindling and cosmetic accessories . No longer set aside for back terrace andscreened - in porch , graphic designer are incorporating this innate cloth into every room of the house .
This renewed sexual love of rattan was probably spur by the growing popularity of the Gallic firmAtelier Vimeand their now iconic ‘ Medici ’ base and vase , along with the cult position of the British firmSoane , whose designer Lulu Lytle literally write a book on the subject — Rattan : A World of Elegance and Charm . ( The source of this article drop dead up a pair of Soane ’s border rattan side tables for a buy at aconsignment shopand has regret it ever since . )
Donna Dotan / Interior Design : Ariel Okin
Credit:Donna Dotan / Interior Design: Ariel Okin
How to Decorate with Rattan
Blend Furniture Styles
The key to decorating with rattan today is to balance it with Greco-Roman interior furnishings , whether that ’s a fullyupholstered sofain a traditional silhouette or a satiny , modern dining table . count how designerAriel Okinlayered her suburban Westchester , NY , family roomwith rattan , instantly doubling down on the room ’s laidback functionality . Not only does it look relaxed , but the material is incredibly durable , fix it an given alternative for a home with immature kid . Add outdoor fabrics and you ’ve taken childproof to the next spirit level .
interior designer Ariel Okin
Rattan total a portion of warmth since it ’s a natural material with a lot of texture , so it ’s a great material to summate in when a space is feel too sparse or cold , to add a trivial levity and comforter .
Max Kim - Bee / Interior Design : Marina Hanisch
Play with Texture
Think about the relationship between materials . Rattan is make up into furniture using rattan pole or by wind thinner strips of rattan cane into wicker styles , like thebanquettein this coastal kitchen by designerMarina Hanisch . Pairing it with politic , bentwood chairwoman feel cohesive without overdoing it — as woven wicker - back chairwoman may have done . Overhead , a contemporary metalpendant lightadds just the right amount of tension . “ Too much rattan can palpate outdated , but the perfect dose can create a beautiful , organic line and add an effortless sense of repose to the overall design , ” says Hanisch . She also note that rattan ’s handcrafted nature makes a space smell “ curated and layered , rather than overly svelte . ”
Rattan is not the same as bamboo , which is a hollow type of skunk , but they are both renewable resources that are exchangeable in appearance and often used in concert with each other .
Try Small Accents
Even just a steer of rattan goes a recollective way in toning down a way ’s formality , as evidenced by this Chicago living room , where designerSummer Thorntonswapped fabric lampshades for woven rattan varieties . “ Rattan bring home the bacon a with child material contrast to more traditional upholstery or wood pieces , ” says Thornton . “ It gives a common sense of weightlessness to principal rooms that feels brisk . ” Her secret for successfully coalesce styles : “ I wish to keep my rattan lifelike in color for a timeless and more elevated look . "
Carmel Brantley ; Interior Designer : Amanda Reynal
Layer, Layer, Layer!
Even if it’stropical flarethat you ’re after , do n’t be tempted to go all in on rattan . “ The key to make rattan feel fresh today is balancing its lifelike grain with snappy , colourful element , ” say interior designerAmanda Reynal . “ Pair rattan pieces with unobjectionable - lined furniture , vibrant material , or whimsical lighting to make a layered look . ”
She did just that in thisresort - styleliving way , which she designed for theKips Bay Decorator Show Housein Palm Beach . A palette of aqua blue devil and Kelly Greens sets the coastal tonus , along with theLee Jofa x Lily Pulitzergrasscloth wallcovering . Rattan appears in just the crapper and poster table , while complemental materials like raphia , caning , and jute help anchor the room with a neutral foundation .
Credit:Max Kim-Bee / Interior Design: Marina Hanisch
Credit:Annie Schlechter / Interior Design: Summer Thornton
Credit:Carmel Brantley; Interior Designer: Amanda Reynal
