We’ve been subjected to a very mild spring – including unsettling record temperatures of summer proportions – and it has many thinking of getting their garden ready for summer. Top of the list is to replace the wobbly plastic chairs and old dining table, opting for outdoor rattan furniture. But why choose rattan garden furniture?
1 Environmentally friendly and sustainable
Rattan is a natural material. A fast-growing plant that enjoys the heat and humidity of the tropics, as quick as you cut the long, woody stems down, it sprouts new growth.
The bendy wooden stems are left to dry in the heat. The stringy outer bark is stripped away to reveal the inner strands, long and willow. When weaved together in certain patterns, it creates an incredibly strong material.
With very little in the way of a carbon footprint, it is no wonder that outdoor rattan furniture is popular not just in the UK but across the globe. Like some coffee plantations, there are rattan farmers being supported on some plantations to produce rattan and be paid a fair price for it.
2 Long-lasting and superbly easy to maintain
The problem with wooden outdoor furniture is unless you buy hardwood pieces – not always the cheapest nor the most eco-friendly – it will wither and rot away eventually. Metal furniture tends to rust unless it too is painted, likes its wooden cousin.
However, rattan chairs and the outdoor sofa set are not only super easy to keep clean, but they are also long-lasting and robust too.
No need to paint your rattan garden sofa set, just brush it down or give it a wash with warm water if it needs reviving after the long winter, leave it to dry in the gentle warm breeze of summer and that’s it – your rattan sofa set is good to go.
3 Rattan outdoor furniture is stunning
From high-backed fanned rattan chairs for the conservatory to the beautiful rattan outdoor sofas and chairs, it is a material that is used to create beautiful pieces.
From straight weaved patterns to more intricate patterns and weaves, the results are beautiful. With a modern twist of scatter cushions and throws, outdoor rattan furniture is a joy to the eye.
It can be used to create all kinds of pieces from the large, L-shaped outdoor sofa to the two rattan garden chairs and coffee table sets. Colours tend to be subdued, to mirror the gentle nature of rattan furniture because not everything needs to shout or compete with the brightly coloured blooms in your garden.
Grey rattan furniture is modern chic, with black rattan adding drama or stick with the variations in its natural colour of tan, brown and beige.
4 Any garden, anywhere, any size
Whether you have acres of garden space or a bijou courtyard or a balcony in a high rise block, there is a piece of rattan garden furniture to suit.
For the smaller space, opt for low backed rattan chairs with complementing coffee table for informal seating or for cubed rattan dining sets in which the chairs are pushed beneath the table canopy when not in use, allowing a streamlined, less cluttered feel to the smaller space.
For lounging in the garden, consider an outdoor rattan sofa, perfect for long summer days that seamlessly flow into evenings gathered around the fire pit. Or wine and dine friends and family around larger rattan outdoor dining sets, complete with comfortable chairs.