Rattan is a cane grown in the far east and western Pacfic region, mostly in Indonesia but also in the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Bangladesh. With a superficial resemblance to bamboo, rattan is durable, light, and somewhat flexible, making it both easy and ideal for fashioning into furniture. Rattan patio furniture has been popular for a long period of time and lends an understated tropical feel to any deck or patio, open or enclosed.
Because rattan is easy to shape into different silhouettes and it is not too selective with the kind of paint to use, it has been a favorite in patio furnitures. In fact, it is often confused with wicker furnitures. It comes as no surprise though because wicker has been derived from the main section of a rattan and thus they have identical properties. Rattan is best for its lightness, flexibility and durability, these traits make it ideal for outdoor furnitures.
But rattan patio furniture includes barstools and tables, chaise lounges, basic dining sets, and deep seating sets. The Grenada set offered by Rattan Shack is a good example. It comes in what the company calls a viro antique finish with anodised aluminum frams and includes frosted glass inserted into the table top, with stackable armchairs that do not require seat cushions, though many if not most rattan furnture seatings come with such cushions as standard features.
South Sea Rattan’s Key West series features a sofa, a loveseat, a chair, and an ottoman, with cushions for all seats as well as the ottoman and a glass-topped coffee table. This set lists for $3,299, but South Sea Rattan is now offering it for $2,876.
Eho Studios’s rattan patio dining set has the look and the feeling of contemporary art, featuring two chairs with rounding in the back of the seats and mounting extended from the front edges with no rear supports. The stands resemble sandal tops, and the set includes a small table with a slightly recessed top. You can choose red, black, or white seat cushions for this set, which lists for $1,579 but is being sold now for $979.
Anderson Collections features a Bellagio model rattan patio dining set. This set includes a large rectangular table and seating for six, with four armchairs and two armless chairs plus white seat cushions and a woven tabletop. Amazon.com shows the Bellagio at $2,999, $1,000 under the set’s usual list price.
If you like sectional seating and have a taste for rattan patio furniture, Echo Studios of Minnesota makes a large, three-section rattan patio sofa with thick backs, slender cake-like seat cushions, and a matching round glass-topped coffee table. The set lists at $2,969 but you can buy one through several online outlets beginning at $300 less.
Find out more about Poly Wicker Patio Furniture at Anthony Pinitmontree’s site Rattan Garden Furniture Guide
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