Wicker— a hard, woven fiber formed into material normally used for furniture or basketry, with the basic material drawn from rattan cane core, willow switches, reed, bamboo, sea grass and water hyacinth—has been made into furniture as far back as ancient Egypt and Pompeii. Today, wicker’s popularity remains high, whether the natural fiber or synthetic wicker such as that made from the Lloyd loom process of the early 1900s,  wicker furniture—indoor or outdoor; bedroom, bathroom, or living room—is made in numerous varieties and styles.

Wicker bedroom furniture can be single piece or full set. The Hospitality’s Oyster Bay antique wicker bed set is an excellent example of a full bedroom set. This set can be ordered for twin, queen, or king mattresses. The bed features a four-piece, headboard-only frame and spring platform, and the set includes a dresser chest of seven drawers (three upper drawers, and two vertical columns of two wide drawers each), a one-drawer, two-door nightstand, and a wicker-frame mirror, all of which are finished in antique coloring in a crystallized lacquer. This is part of Hospitality’s Oyster Bay collection, and you can add three-drawer nightstands and/or an upright chest of five or six drawers.

Bathroom furniture usually involves shelving structures, hampers, wastebaskets, and accessories such as towel racks or stands and even small cabinets, though you may find such accessories as wicker tissue boxes if you look deeply enough, as many wicker enthusiasts do. Seventh Avenue, for example, offers an Easy-Care wicker bathroom series that includes a Space Saver shelf structure with three shelves made of resin wicker, designed to stand above a standard-size toilet; and, a hinge-top hamper with locking wheels and removable fabric bag standing 27 inches high. Both pieces are framed with metal scroll-style framing, and each is topped with scroll-style backing. But if you are more inclined to a corner-fit structure, Atlantic Outdoor makes a sturdy, 57-inch high corner shelf structure that features four shelves, one of which sits atop a two-door lower cabinet, and comes in stain or white finishing.

Wicker living room furniture runs the range from single, distinctive pieces to complete sofa and dining sets. IVG Stores, for example, offers what it calls a three-piece banana leaf living room set in which the wicker is woven from banana leaves. The finish is honey toned and features a 34x56x34 love seat, a 34x34x32 chair, and a 20x32x30 ottoman, all with white cushions of twill fabric. IVG Stores also offers a six-piece living room set mostly in white (though you can opt for a brown wash finish instead), with basket-like seat backings, including a 37.5×23.5×21 glass top coffee table; an 80x35x36 sofa; a 57x35x36 love seat; a 36x35x36 armchair; a 25×19.5×19.5 ottoman; and, a 24×17.5×23.5 end table. The seating features cushions available in 41 fabric patterns. In addition, Pottery Barn offers among other items a single trunk made of synthetic wicker fiber and doubling as a coffee table, which you can use with either indoor or outdoor living room-style furniture set.

Outdoor furniture usually features finishes that are made to withstand the elements at any time of year and come in as many set varieties as living room furniture. Dongguan Shin Din, for example, offers a South Calli series of outdoor wicker furniture in a powder-coated finish with rust-resistant aluminum framing. The pieces include a three-seat rattan sofa, armchair, ottoman, coffee table, and accent table, and the seat  cushions feature embedded-square backs. Other outdoor sets include nightclub-style chairs, bar-and-stool sets, chaise lounges, picnic chairs and tables, and patio benches.

Even that special little girl in your life who works patiently with an elaborate doll house can be part of your home’s wickering—Town Square Miniatures makes polyresin wicker doll house furniture sets. The Doll’s House Emporium makes a chair finished in classic wood-tone with knobbed fronts on the arm rests and rounded high backs and pink-patterned seat cushions. German manufacturer Korbi includes a four-piece  set with column-style seat backs and arm rests, including two chairs, sofa, and small round coffee table, all with orange-painted edging. Moreover, minishop.com offers a four-piece dollhouse furniture set in which iron wire is woven to imitate the wicker style, complete with basket-style seatbacks and valances on two chairs, sofa, and coffee table.

With numerous other makers and suppliers beyond those described above, your home—and your favorite little girl’s dollhouse—can go wicker without a great deal of effort other than applying your own taste and style preferences.

Wicker furniture is constructed of natural fibers that are woven together in patterns, to create sturdy designs. The most common materials from which this type of furniture is made are willow, reed, rattan palm, and water hyacinth. Often these materials, once woven into furniture, require a finish and regular maintenance in order to maintain their moisture and their beautiful appearance.

Some of the common ways for wicker to degrade prematurely include over drying, or lack of moisture within the woven materials, fading from excessive light or sun exposure, and discoloration from mold or mildew. There are simple solutions for all of these issues however, which will be discussed below.

When left in dry conditions for excessive periods of time, wicker can become brittle, resulting in cracking or degrading of the material. To avoid over drying of the furniture, there are several simple solutions that you may wish to apply. For indoor furniture, ensure that no piece is placed in the direct line of any air or heating vent, since blowing air, particularly hot air, will dry the very core of the material, and once a crack occurs, it is hard to remedy without executing a complete restoration.

In order to ensure that moisture levels are maintained within the grains and weaves of wicker furniture, periodically spray all of the surfaces with water from a spray bottle, and then wipe those surfaces down with a dry towel or cloth. Wiping down the furniture with a light soapy solution, and using a toothbrush to get at the hard-to-reach areas, will address two issues at once: You will be cleaning the furniture and preventing build up and possible mold or mildew damage, and you will be hydrating the fibers at the same time. When using any form of soapy solution, always be sure to rinse the soap off with clear, clean water, so that once dry, no soap scum will create a new form of build-up.

Wicker furniture is a beautiful addition to any backyard patio. Unfortunately, wicker will likely degrade much quicker when exposed to outdoor elements, such as sun and rain. Avoid discoloration or fading, as well as over-drying, by keeping your furniture out of the direct sunlight. If you are concerned that the lifespan of your furniture will be compromised by the outdoor elements, then consider either of the following options: Synthetic wicker furniture, or white wicker furniture.

Synthetic wicker is an excellent choice for an outdoor patio set. While maintaining an authentic look and feel, it will be much more able to stand up to natural conditions that would compromise authentic wicker, and will reduce the maintenance and cleaning time considerably. It is still advisable to keep the furniture out of the direct sunlight, in order to prevent fading.

White wicker furniture creates a beautiful, homey feel to any front porch. In addition to the visual appeal of white wicker, there is also a considerable advantage in terms of durability and longevity; the white paint over the natural wicker functions as a natural sealant, keeping the existing moisture in, and preventing damage or drying from external elements.

There are many rattan bedroom furniture sets available on the market that include bed frames and wicker headboards, night stands, foot chests, decorative vases and wicker table lamps. The uses of wicker are also common in baskets, urns, and wall hangings. If your style is contemporary, wicker can still be suitable for your home. In fact, some of the most modern furniture available today is made with wicker. The flexible material can be shaped to any form, and accents like a minimalist aluminum or steel frame complement this theme. The clean lines of modern designs can be found on indoor and outdoor dining sets, nesting tables, benches that double as storage, and more.

Reproduction pieces of antique wicker are hard not to visualize when thinking about woven furniture. The making of everything from rocking chairs, to side tables, and wicker headboards, has been very popular for centuries. These pieces were frequently ornate and found in Victorian homes, and utilized stick wicker to great extent to create the intricate patterns.

Strong and attractive wicker bedroom furniture is usually made with rattan, which has a rich glossy bark that can be finished in many different shades. This sturdy material can grow up to four inches around, but pole-sized reeds about two inches in diameter are best suited for furniture construction. Wicker rattan bedroom furniture sets combine stability with a light weight, making furniture easy to move and re-arrange. The technique of using rattan for the framework dates back to the 1800′s, when the poles were steamed until they were bendable. Rattan is also easy to paint, and many manufacturers produce red, black, as well as white wicker bedroom furniture sets. It is an easy and cheap material for use in baskets, and indeed, it is hard to find a storage chest or bench that is not wicker.

The use of weaving grasses and other natural fibers into usable storage and furniture is well-documented throughout history, and the tradition carries on in our more elaborate homes today. Advanced production techniques have made wicker furniture readily available. It’s comforting strength is appropriate for vanity tables, coffee tables, and wicker laundry baskets. A wicker headboard constructed of stylish or simple lines makes a wonderful accent for a bedroom set.

Caring for Wicker

The demand for wicker furniture, particularly for unique bedroom and patio furniture, has grown over the years. To satisfy this demand, makers have created resin outdoor patio furniture that is resistant to harsh weather and is especially designed for outdoor use. However, unless you live in a tropical climate, it is not necessary to use resin wicker indoors. This leaves many more options open, including looking for rare antique beds, rockers, or any piece you desire.

Maintenance

Indoor wicker furniture requires some care to make sure it lasts as long as possible. To clean wicker furniture, vacuum off debris and dust, and use a moist cloth or soft sponge for scrubbing. For tough spots, it is safe to use a bleach and water mixture, or mild soap to clean the wicker. Take care of your investment in wicker bedroom furniture sets by keeping humidity levels low, and be sure to take it out in the sun to dry after cleaning.

However, what can you do with this type of furniture? It is important to determine where it will fit best; whether in an apartment or a home. If you are a person who enjoys the solitude while reading book, then you may want to consider placing conservatory furniture or even placing your furniture in a sunroom. There is nothing more pleasing then relaxing in Mother Nature’s comfort along with a book.

On the other hand, you may want your indoor wicker furniture to be more prominent in your home. If this is the case then you may want to consider positioning wicker living room furniture where you can achieve this. For the prospective buyer you can choose from a wide range of choices, which can be customized to the needs to the customer. Some of the types of wicker living room furniture available are loveseats, dining chairs, and sofas, which provide a cushy and soft comfort, which is ideal to go along with an elegant beauty in your home. It is even possible to have furniture sets painted and stained in any color of your choosing which is beneficial to matching the rest in your home, a popular timeless style is to have white wicker sets that are easy to match with any decor whilst producing clean lines.

As well as living room and sunroom furniture there are also a wide selection of designs of wicker dining sets with all different styles of dining table and chair sets available that can be mixed and matched with any other furniture you have.

It is also possible to purchase bedroom furniture in wicker. Bedroom furniture creates a timeless elegance while also creating a soft and heavenly place to retire to each night and to awaken from each morning.

However, if you want to position your wicker sets outside, you may be worried about how it holds up in harsh weather. You should not be. Mentioned above, wicker is taken from rattan stalks and as a result is perfect in nature. The material is resilient to the changes that happen in the environment and will not lose its toughness or its strength that many are after. The perfect place to position wicker furniture is on a patio that is covered that overlooks a swimming pool.

It may also be worthwhile to think about purchasing a dining set. This way your family and yourself can take delight in morning breakfasts or dinners while also enjoying the nature that is around you.

Furniture that is natural is a good choice for the outside; however, they can also be utilized as furniture for inside the household too. It is important however to determine what you want to gain from purchasing wicker furniture. Once you have determined this, you will be able to go from there. One thing you can rest assured though is that when you purchase your indoor wicker furniture you will know that you are purchasing a lasting and elegance piece of furniture that will certainly turn your house into a much loved home.

Countless living room furniture is will not survive a long time unless you buy leather; however cane is a timeless material that only requires little maintenance. Indoor wicker furniture does however come at a price, because of the amount of craftsmanship that is gone into it. Yet it is worth the initially investment, in order to have a timeless piece of furniture that will add grace and comfort to your home.

There was a time when outdoor wicker furniture was expensive and tended to have a short lifespan. This was because the furniture was constructed from natural weaves that had problems surviving in damp climates outside of the summer period if left outdoors. The weaves used tended to be natural rattan vine on hardwood frames, banana leaf, sea grass, reed, rush and bamboo cane in construction. If left outdoors in light rain or early morning dew they could suffer from mold and mildew that was difficult to remove over time. Excessive sunlight would cause fading of the natural wicker weave coloring and worse still, result in the drying out of the natural weave leading to brittleness in the fibers and eventual failure of the furniture. Advances have been made in surface protection of natural wicker, so much so that this furniture is still a great choice for indoor use in areas of the home such as bedrooms, sun rooms and conservatories and indeed can still be outdoors if it is brought in overnight or out of the summer season.

Now if you want to enjoy wicker furniture outdoors you need to be looking at synthetic woven outdoor furniture. Affordable in price, robust and available in a far greater variety of styles than natural weave furniture, synthetic wicker garden furniture is essentially furniture constructed from a man made fiber woven in a wicker style and typically mounted on a lightweight, robust, anti rust aluminum frame. The result is a weather proof, environmentally friendly piece of furniture that does not require indoor storage and can be created any where in the world meaning prices are often much more realistic for the average householder. This modern patio furniture comes under a number of names, it is often referred to as synthetic wicker outdoor furniture, all weather, resin, plastic, or poly wicker outdoors furniture. All these terms describe exactly the same thing.

A significant benefit of contemporary all weather woven outdoor furniture is that it is exceptionally easy to maintain. Apart from removing covers all you have to do with this outdoor furniture is hose it down or use a stiff brush on it once in a while to keep it in good condition. No further maintenance is required. Often these pieces are so robust that manufacturers will offer a 5 year warranty or longer on this type of garden furniture.

One of the other major benefits of this style of furniture is the sheer number of styles the furniture is often available in. No longer do craftsmen have to painstakingly hand pick perfect natural materials to create a style, designers can specify length, diameter and texture of the fibers used to weave the wicker loom. The result is a wide variety of contemporary and traditional styles of outdoor wicker furniture to suit every taste. Whereas previously a wicker poolside lounger would have been uncomfortable and impracticable now the weave can be created with a smooth to the touch weave that resists splashes and water. Likewise contemporary and minimalist furniture shapes are difficult to achieve with natural materials but not so tough with modern man made all weather wicker weave.

If you are interested in wicker garden furniture you should consider what type of set or furniture pieces are really required by you and your family. These pieces last so long if chosen well that you want versatile pieces that can offer use throughout their lifetime. Most people opt for an all weather outdoor dining set. Even amongst these, the choices are huge. Most sets vary in size according to seating arrangement. You can opt for four seaters, six seater or eight seater options usually. Dining tables will often be available as square plan for four seater options, rectangular for six seater and eight seater although you can get round wicker garden dining tables to suit all options. Most will be glass topped for improved usability and aluminum framed for structural integrity. Consider if you require a parasol with your patio dining set or even footstools. If you are short on storage space or enjoy minimalist furniture you could opt for cube garden furniture. This is essentially a dining set where the chairs stow under the table when not used to create an easy to store cube shape.

Perhaps you want to be able to lounge about in a more relaxed manner. In this scenario you could consider a wicker outdoor sofa or lounge set made of two sofas, or an all weather wicker armchair and sofa set. Available in all styles and colors from colonial through to modernist in natural colors or black, you can opt for sets with footstools or coffee tables included to transfer your lounge outdoors on days with great weather. Again because of their construction you can leave outdoor wicker chairs out on the deck all year round without any problems, just remember to remove covers and cushions to get the longest life out of them. Most cushions and covers do tend to be washable, removable, splash resistant and shower proof but always check before ordering with these items.

If you don’t want the expense of a full furniture set you can often get high quality, affordable all weather wicker outdoor furniture pieces to suit most scenarios. Have a look around our shopping pages and you will find great quality contemporary resin weave sun loungers, traditional outdoor love seats, rocking chairs, bistro sets, storage boxes as well as the standard outdoor furniture sets you might expect to find.