WHAT IS RATTAN?
Rattan is a naturally growing vine like species (part of the palm family) that is native to and grows rapidly in the tropical rainforests of Australia, Asia, and Africa. Due to its quick growth rate, rattan is a great alternative to wood (timber) and plastic. Fun fact: there are over 600 different species of rattan!
To access the rattan core and for production use, the skin is peeled away and utilised for weaving purposes, and the rattan core is used for different types of furniture.
WHAT IS WICKER?
Many confuse rattan with wicker and use the two terms interchangeably. However, wicker simply refers to the type of weaving style, whereas rattan is a material that can be weaved into the wicker pattern. Wicker can be weaved using a variety of materials including rattan, bamboo, cane and reed.
HOW DO WE USE RATTAN?
Because of its strong, fibrous qualities, rattan is a very popular choice for furniture.
Due to the properties of rattan, furniture constructed from the rattan plant are sturdy and yet extremely light. And its material flexibility allows it to be designed for both hard and soft products.
Picking from various thickness of rattan types, our team of master craftsmen uses rattan to create the frame and skeleton of our furniture.
Below is an example of the various thickness of rattan cores and canes that is combined to create a beautiful and classic rattan piece.
Additionally, rattan skin can be peeled and used to create smooth rattan weave, patterns and rattan wrap.
Here's an example of the rattan closed weave as seen on our fun Noah's Animals Barn and Farmyard -
And here's how our craftsmen masterfully wrap our gorgeous upcoming display shelf -
Notice the square webbing on our Tabby's Afternoon Tea & Snacks Cart Trolley? That too is a beautiful weave that rattan can be manipulated into, other than square weave, there is also a variety of unique rattan weaving patterns that we are looking into incorporating to our future furniture pieces.
We hope you enjoyed our very brief introduction to rattan and how Kathy's Cove uses it as a key material for our range of Rattan Children's Toys and Furniture. Shop our full range online and enjoy free delivery for Singapore orders above $150!