Tag Archives: Rattan

This wooden chair uses a geometric trick to draw you into its open embrace

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We’ve seen quite a number of chair designs that revolve around wood, a material favored for its natural beauty and sustainability. Most of these involve very hard and solid types of wood like oak, exactly because they are both actually solid and give off the impression of stability. Of course, those aren’t the only types of wood that you can use for furniture, nor do chairs have to look mighty and grand all the time. Take this distinctive-looking chair, for example, one that is almost just “skin and bones,” so to speak. It evokes a sense of lightness and it is also quite lightweight, while still providing a stable seating platform whose very shape seems to invite you to sit and relax under the open skies.

Designer: Anne Brandhøj

Rattan wood is perhaps better known as a type of material that’s woven to create a more decorative surface or to wrap around different parts of a whole. While that’s definitely a good use for it, it isn’t the only use case, either. The rattan stem can also be used as the foundation and skeleton of a piece of furniture, which is what this rattan chair attempts to do. Thankfully, the flexible nature of the material made it easy to bend the solid length of wood into a circular form, something that’s less trivial to accomplish with hardwood.

Beyond the creative use of rattan for almost the entirety of the chair, Eclipse’s biggest pull is its unique and unconventional design. The base and seat itself are nothing but an open box with strips of rattan wrapped around the front and back, leaving the sides open for both viewing and potentially for storage. The most iconic parts, however, are the two vertical circles that arch over the seated person, a design that serves more than just an aesthetic purpose.

Visually, the circles frame the person seating inside, drawing attention to them. The rear circle is also smaller than the front, creating an almost conical shape that tries to draw you into the chair. The circles also make it seem like the open sky is reaching down to embrace whoever is sitting below. The open design, joined by sparse patches of rattan wrapping, provides a more peaceful and inviting atmosphere compared to a full cover that provides more shade but also overshadows the person.

The Eclipse was conceived as a sort of “thinking chair,” one that aims to inspire the mind into deeper thoughts with the open sky and wide areas as the backdrop. Almost ironically, this kind of chair probably wouldn’t survive too long outdoors given its wooden construction and very minimal protection from both sun and rain. It still has that welcoming and relaxing effect indoors, though, especially when used in open or large spaces. Regardless of where it’s placed, it will easily call attention to itself, despite barely having any meat on its body, so to speak.

The post This wooden chair uses a geometric trick to draw you into its open embrace first appeared on Yanko Design.

How Rattan Can Be Transformed From an Old Furniture Material to a Modern Minimalist One

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You’re most likely to find Rattan as a primary material in woven baskets, or scattered across a Pottery Barn catalogue. The material’s been used for centuries, owing to its flexible yet durable nature, and its ability to resist water damage, unlike other wood. Rattan comes from a cluster of palm species often found in Asia, Australia, and Africa, and it’s lauded for its durability, flexibility, and sustainability. Rattan is known to add warmth, texture, and character to any space, whether you want to create a cozy, rustic, or bohemian vibe… and as a result, it isn’t a likely material for modern furniture or decor. Modern design relies on modern materials, manufacturing techniques, and a rejection of older styles and visual languages – but something about the Mua Lau feels rather modern, even though it uses a material as old-world as rattan.

Designers: Ching Cheng Chang and Xu Da Zzan

The Mua Lau Lounge Chair has a unique silhouette and visual aesthetic that combines the use of rattan with bent metal piping. Rattan is mostly used as a fabric alternative in furniture, but the Mua Lau uses rattan almost as a replacement for foam and cotton. The Mua Lau’s rattan ‘bolsters’ present a certain comfortable springiness, given how they’re constructed. 12 bamboo strips are woven into tight cylinders that have a fair amount of compressive strength and bend when you sit on them or lean back against them. The lower seat has an inner cylinder too, adding a layer of cushioning and reinforcement that simulates the effect of double-layer springs.

The Mua Lau chair gets its name from a beloved Taiwanese treat that boasts a crispy exterior and a soft, chewy interior. This chair is crafted to offer a similarly multi-layered sitting experience, with a crisp outer shell and a plush, comfortable interior. It’s like sinking your teeth into a delicious Mua Lau snack, but for your body instead of your taste buds.

This clever approach hits two birds with one metaphorical stone. The rattan plays both a visual as well as functional role in the Mua Lau’s design. Its highly open weave is incredibly eye-catching (try to not drop your keys into it!), and it practically invites you to come and sit on it. Once you do, the flexibility of the chair’s design amazes you further, allowing you to feel a dense cushion level of comfort with what’s essentially strips of wood!

The Mua Lau is a Silver Winner of the A’ Design Award for the year 2023.

The post How Rattan Can Be Transformed From an Old Furniture Material to a Modern Minimalist One first appeared on Yanko Design.

Inspired by the chairs of our childhood, this modern lounge chair is a rattan-based derivation of the iconic Eames chair!

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Inspired by the chairs of their childhood, Cuong Nguyen designed RU, a rattan cushioned lounge chair that weaves together nostalgic and modern elements to bring us back to the simple times of our own childhood all in the comfort of our living rooms today.

Remember the chair from childhood that everyone called dibs on? Whether it was the honey walnut wood rocking chair or the unmatched leather power recliner, the chairs from our childhood will forever bring on a feeling of comfort. What I’d give to sink back into my childhood family room’s chenille tweed corner sofa with a can of soda in one hand and the TV remote in the other. Industrial designer Cuong Nguyen took to the interior design of their own childhood for inspiration in visualizing RU, a rattan cushioned lounge chair that finds modern comfort in its nostalgic design.

Described by Nguyen as, “A bit of embracing crib, a bit of the curve of dragonfly wings, interpreted by rattan,” the arms and lower back of RU feature webbed rattan weaving to support the cushion’s taut upholstery fabric. Muted in freckled amber orange, RU is paired with an ottoman that can either tuck beneath the chair’s cushion, work as a footrest, or become an additional seat.

Both the lounge chair and ottoman are propped atop a cushioned base to embrace the comfort that RU was designed to provide. Named after the Vietnamese word for ‘lullaby,’ Nguyen conceptualized RU to be made up of materials from their childhood, namely rattan and what appears to be a tightly woven linen fabric.

While the wide size and the gradual slope of RU’s backrest hearken back to the 1990s when lounge chairs were all the rage and designed to swaddle you whole, Nguyen incorporated modern elements like slim, yet plush cushions and uniform upholstery to bring RU into the 21st century. All of these design features enhance RU’s comfort, but the rattan touches are the sure showstopper.

Noting his inspiration behind choosing rattan as a building material, Nguyen describes, “To me, lines and materials should be the storytellers in product design. Therefore, when you lie down on this chair, I hope that sweet childhood memories will come back to you and lull your mind to peace.”

Designer: Cuong Nguyen

Rattan armrests and backing support RU’s slim upholstered cushion.

The gradual slope of RU’s backrest provides plenty of space for lounging, a nice ’90s touch. 

While the rattan armrest and expansive backrest are design elements rooted in the ’90s, the slim cushion and uniform upholstery bring the RU lounge chair into the modern era. 

This detailed rattan room divider fuses traditional crafts with modern furniture design

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This double-sided rattan room divider is the designer’s interpretation of unity – between the harmonious lines and the color palette ranging from warm to cool tones.

Rattan is a locally sourced material – one in fact we have seen our grandparents use in their day-to-day life with ease, and we have disregarded it in our modern adaptation of plastics. Truly, I often feel, sustainable design has roots in our past; if only we can find the discipline to research, revise and adapt these practices on an everyday basis. Rattan is the material derived from dried vines that is weaved into a usable pattern we call wicker – next time you lounge on those IKEA outdoor wicker chairs, be the one to identify these differences!

The divider here, named Bilid, uses 2 contrasting lines designs – straight and wavy to depict 2 opposite reactions. The straight lines create a harmonious texture to evoke peace, whereas the wavy lines reflect the conflict one might see over the contrasting/undulating waveform. Each divider is held in place with an undyed beige rattan design, allowing the colors to do the talking.

Speaking of the lines, the designer explains, “the vertical line implies orderly and strong structure, strength, higher, rigid while conveying a lack of movement. I used it to refer to an ideal orderly place, peace, decency, and harmony.” On the other hand, the wavy lines depict,” the serpentine Line implies energy, sense of movement and dynamism from social conflict, conflict movement and inequality that inspired from domestic society.”

Using rattan, a locally sourced material, the designer emphasizes the story of different perspectives, portraying how the dissimilarities could co-exist through the materials, colors, and two opposite variances. Different rattan patterns express meaning through the material and colors to create a colorful emotion and represent a new mood of rattan furniture with tinted/pastel color combinations—the two blends to provide a contrast of “warm & cool” tones.

The overall theme of Unity is inspired and represented with these 2 different patterns of rattan.  The rattan pattern on one side is smooth conveys calm and peaceful in the same way to create a calming emotion for space. In contrast, the other side uses wavy weave rattan to reflect on the conflict to create a movement emotion to the home space.

Each line of this divider is designed with care, giving you a sense of focus and calm, the same way the designer must have invested himself while designing this metaphorical representation of life as we know it – full of ups and downs, warm and cools but presenting a harmonious front when we look back from the perspective provided by the passage of time.

Designer: Sarunphon Boonto

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Furniture meets dog house with this rattan side table that repurposes excess plant water for your dog!

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If there’s one thing millennials are keeping alive, it’s plants – and I am guilty of being an obsessive plant parent myself. A quick check of the #plantsofinstagram with its almost 10 million posts tells you this trend is here to stay. However, millennials don’t just want plants, they want plants that match their aesthetic goals with planter designs that are multifunctional and elevate their interior game!

Designed by Ben Hansen, this simple yet innovative dog house uses excess water from watering plants and filters it into the dog’s water bowl! Rattan with green accents gives it a light, airy feel. The minimal dog house will brighten any corner of your home – hard not to when it holds a cute plant and pet! It’s an adorable piece of furniture that not only serves as a home for your pet but also doubles up as an elegant plant holder, harmoniously merging with the interiors of your home. Ben’s approach to this is an almost reversal to the way we treat our pets and plants. While we love the use of rattan and wish to promote this sustainable material, there is also a certain lightness to the material which needs to be balanced by a strong and heavy metal frame to keep your energetic puppy from toppling this over! There are rather obvious questions about the actual purification of this plant water runoff and we hope Ben will soon share more details on the design’s execution.

This is the beauty of concepts – where we challenge traditional designs with the promise of something new. And while that new is not 100% ready yet, we know that this design can match our interior, pet, and plant baby goal in one neat package!

Designer: Ben Hansen

This rattan luggage design puts a modern spin on ancient Chinese basket-weaving techniques!

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When I saw this backpack and suitcase set, my first thought was, Wow, this is beautiful, but is it sturdy enough for practical use? I was pleased to learn that the eye-catching basket-woven exterior was made a durable material called rattan, which had been used to make luggage 100 years ago in China.

Aside from being an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic, rattan offers several advantages as a material. It is breathable, shock-absorbent, and molds comfortably to the shape of your back. The white cloth material, Lycra, is very flexible, changing shape to fit all of your items. Instead of playing Tetris with your clothes, trying to squeeze everything into limited space, the Lycra covering stretches to accommodate your needs. Imagine being able to close a full suitcase without pressing your full body weight on top of it.

Last year, the Regression travel bags took home the bronze award from the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). However, I still have concerns about its practical use. I used to travel frequently via plane, and my suitcase accumulated many scuffs and dents over the years. Even if the Regression backpack and suitcase could withstand the light jostling of an airplane cargo hold without breaking, I believe that even a small amount of dirt would tarnish from its pristine beauty. In short, these bags are too gorgeous for my personal needs, but I would be very jealous of anyone who owned them.

Designer: Zidi Chen of Shantou University

This stool was designed to break traditional uses of rattan in furniture design

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First impressions really quickly – did you think this was a whisk or folded spaghetti? I thought spaghetti but maybe I am just hungry. This rattan stool is stood out to me because of its visually curiosity-evoking design. Is it comfortable? Probably. Is it cool? Absolutely.

Rattan is an eco-friendly natural material that is usually used in the creation of baskets or furniture, especially chairs. It is sustainable and resilient which makes it an exceptional wood that renews in just 5-7 years. Designers love rattan for creating furniture because the manufacturing is low-tech and production process usually involves crafting by hand or using facilities that do not negatively impact the environment. Rattan is also an easy material to mold physically and creatively to fit your idea, it accepts paints and it can be worked into many styles. Moreover, the inner core can be separated and worked into wicker – talk about reducing waste!

This stool explores the malleability of rattan as a material in furniture design, we are so used to seeing it in a checkered woven form that the noodle-like seating of this piece becomes a testament to how we can use often overlooked materials unconventionally to push boundaries. As the world moves towards a sustainable future, so must design.

Designer: Wiktoria Szawiel