Have you ever thought about investing in rattan furniture? There’s no doubt that rattan furniture can be an excellent addition to many properties, and the unique style it provides is often so easy to integrate with the other designs in your home. However, to make the most of rattan furniture in your home, we highly recommend you consider today’s essential tips and suggestions to make your decision a little easier. After all – rattan furniture is an attractive, environmentally friendly option for your home.
We’ll consider why this is and how you can make the most of this eco-friendly solution in today’s guide. Having provided the highest quality Rattan furniture here at Cane Industries for several years, our team is passionate about Rattan. If you want to order some beautiful pieces, look at our website today, including our brochure, we are sure you will find Rattan furniture that you love.
What Is Rattan And How Is It Harvested?Â
Rattan furniture is a natural material found most often in South East Asia; it is found in the jungle and is a genuinely excellent wood material. The rattan plant consists of a vine that climbs and wraps around the jungle trees, this vine can reach up to 100 metres long when it is in the wild, but more often than not, there are controlled Rattan farms that are used for the production of rattan furniture and other rattan pieces.Â
Once the plant has been harvested, it begins its incredible journey from the plant in the jungle to a dining table or chair in your home. When it is ready to be harvested, the rattan gets cut down into around 13-foot-long pieces; it is laid out onto tarps and left to dry in the sun.Â
One of the most critical aspects of the drying process is that the rods are kept perfectly straight to be used in production; if they bow or bend, they will not be suitable for weaving or wrapping. Once the Rattan has been left to dry in the sun, it moves on to manufacturers who transform it into the rattan furniture you are used to seeing in shops and homes across the UK.Â
One of the most significant benefits of rattan furniture is that it grows incredibly fast; on average, it grows around 2cm per day, meaning a new vine can be ready to harvest in just two years, a process that if you were using wood would take around 30 years of waiting.
When it comes to rattan, due to the rate at which it grows, it is highly sustainable, not only because of its longevity and how quickly it grows but also the benefits it supplies to the local wildlife and the ecosystem in the forests. It also benefits the people who live in the local villages and provides them with work; it is an excellent material that benefits many people across the process whilst enhancing and not damaging the local environment
Rattan Benefits The Environment Rather Than Harming It
Rattan furniture is considered one of the most environmentally friendly materials for furniture production because it is easily replaceable when harvested and benefits the livestock, natural environment and people nearby. As we know, rattan is easier to maintain and sustain than wood due to the high-speed regrowth rates; it also has a positive impact on the environment; this is because it is easier to replace than wood, which, when removed from forest areas, causes devastating deforestation.Â
By using rattan, companies can help save the rain forests and help protect environments that are home to hundreds of different species, as well as this; rattan is mainly found in flood plains with soil that is generally forgotten about, but with this plant comes an opportunity to attract animals, making it a rich biosphere. This information shows that rattan furniture provides homeowners with sustainable, eco-friendly and maintainable furniture.
Does Rattan Produce Much Waste?Â
When searching for a sustainable material, it is not just about how much grows and how it affects the area it comes from; it also comes down to the amount of waste it produces. You will be happy to know every part of the Rattan harvested is used in the furniture-making process; nothing goes to waste, making it a well-rounded and sustainable product.Â
Once the rattan has been pulled from the ground, the outer skin gets peeled back and removed; this is used mainly for weaving patterns onto the furniture pieces and even adding detailing to rattan baskets. Then the inner pay of the rattan cane is manipulated and twisted into specific shapes used to design the furniture.Â
What is Rattan Furniture?
Before we can go any further, we should first consider rattan furniture. Rattan furniture is a unique design that has been expertly woven from rattan vines or cane. It often has a very similar texture to bamboo at the harvest, making rattan materials easy to integrate with furniture-making activities.
Typically, rattan furniture is made in a weaved (wicker) design, one of the most extended established forms of furniture-making methods known. Evidence of rattan furniture exists, dating back over 5000 years, but it remains a highly effective method that can offer countless benefits to your home.
Some of the critical benefits of rattan furniture for your property may include the following points:
- Most rattan furniture is finished in a natural or neutral colour, making it easy to integrate with your current home designs.
- Practical solutions for indoor and outdoor use help ensure that rattan furniture is exceptionally versatile. Rattan furniture is also waterproof, making it ideal for outdoor use – although you may want to bring any additional cushions inside if it rains.
- Rattan designs are often surprisingly durable, which may help ensure you get the most from them for as long as possible.Â
- Despite its excellent durability, rattan furniture is still incredibly lightweight and easy to use, which may make them more practical. After all, trying to move a heavy, traditional chair can be almost backbreaking; luckily, lightweight rattan furniture may provide a valuable alternative for many applications.
- Rattan furniture is often eco-friendly and could be an excellent option for your home. However, always check your chosen rattan furniture offers excellent eco-friendly credentials, as not all rattan furniture is created equal (as we’ll consider momentarily).
What Are The Key Elements Of Sustainable Furniture?Â
When it comes to searching for sustainable furniture, companies across the board have followed a set of guidelines for several years; this could be an endless list that goes on forever to find the perfect material that offers sustainability across all aspects, but sticking a set of guidelines does make it easier.Â
Some questions manufacturers ask when they are sourcing sustainable materials;Â
- The renewability of the material being usedÂ
- The use of chemicals in the furniture productionÂ
- What is the manufacturing process, and who benefits from it?
- The carbon footprint from transportation
- What is the durabilityÂ
- Can the material be recycled?Â
Why Rattan Furniture Offers an Eco-Friendly Solution
Is rattan furniture sustainable? It’s often easy to overlook just how excellent traditional rattan furniture can be from an environmental perspective since it uses from one of the fastest-growing tropical woods. Since growers harvest rattan wood after around two years of growth, which is ten times faster than many hardwoods; plus, it can fully renew itself in as little as five years.Â
Naturally, this provides a superb and sustainable option. And, here at Cane Industries, we’ll never compromise on the quality of our rattan wood, either. So, when you choose our team, you can count on the highest-quality, natural wooden solutions for your home; whatever you might need, we’re here to provide.
Carbon Sequestration Capabilities
Of course, rattan wood can also provide an additional benefit as a natural plant-based material rather than a synthetic plastic. Growing rattan trees naturally sequester carbon from the air into their wood during their lifetime, primarily kept locked away and secure during the manufacturing process – helping trap carbon rather than releasing it into the atmosphere.Â
With each rattan tree harvested, new ones are planted in its wake, offering a long-term and renewing solution with continuous carbon sequestration potential. Plus, young trees typically tend to sequester more carbon than older, mature trees – so harvesting the rattan so quickly allows rattan growers to make a substantial difference in terms of carbon sequestration overall.
Long-Term Lifespan
However, the sustainability of our rattan furniture doesn’t just stop there! Indeed, because rattan wood furniture is exceptionally durable, it can offer a further benefit: it lasts longer, cutting back on the number of new, replacement furniture pieces you need to buy. Naturally, this can enhance your home’s sustainability, further boosting your property’s eco-friendly credentials.
A Word of Warning: Not All Rattan Furniture is Necessarily Environmentally Conscious
Most modern rattan furniture is made from natural materials and could offer an excellent, environmentally friendly solution. However, a select handful of rattan furniture designs are made from artificial materials such as plastic.
Naturally, while these can provide excellent durability for your home, they come with the drawback of a far higher carbon footprint and may not be as ecologically friendly. You should consider whether you would prefer to opt for natural rattan furniture or artificial rattan furniture; if you ask us, nothing can beat the quality, aesthetic appeal, feel, and design designs of a natural rattan chair or table.
So, if you’ve been considering investing in rattan furniture for the eco-friendly credentials they can provide, always ensure you’ve spent a little time checking what your chosen furniture is made from. Indeed, while synthetic rattan furniture may be more sturdy, it’s not a very green option for your home – and so, you may want to consider investing in other solutions instead.
Get In Touch With Cane Industries Today For Rattan!
Rattan could be an excellent option if you’ve been looking for a top-quality furniture solution for your home. Indeed, in many cases, it can seem a little challenging to find the ideal solutions for your home; too many furniture options can seem either overly expensive, poorly designed, or not eco-friendly. However, if you ask us, it shouldn’t have to be that way, so we’ve put our all into designing professional, top-quality, and luxurious rattan furniture that’s gorgeous and eco-friendly.
We’ve been proud to be a British family business for several years here at Cane Industries, and we do our utmost to ensure that there’s a solution for every customer. It’s what makes our specialist cane furniture manufacturers different, and we’ll do our best to find a top-quality solution that works for you.
You can also find out more about replacement cushions and covers here.
