Wicker furniture are present in the homes of mankind for thousands of years. They came in fashion often in modern times and disappeared again. Nowadays this type of furniture is referred with furnishing of gardens and patios. In old times, they could be found in the homes of peasants just as in the castles of the nobles – in a different way of course.
The name above is a summary of products made of floral materials with handmade weaving technique. Several plants are used for this purpose: willow twig, rush, bamboo, sisal (seagrass), rattan, cane. All of them are well paintable and warnishable, this way the not so old, boring pieces can be easily renewed. Basically, there are two groups of wicker furniture: the whole piece was made by this technique or only the back/seat is woven filling the frame. The latter can be found among classic English and French furniture as well as in simple pieces made by the Shakers. This type of furnishing became popular again thanks to the penetration of shabby chic and country styles.
When buying wicker furniture, prefer the ones made of natural materials instead of fake made of plastic. Ask for help of an interior designer for choosing the proper pieces.