Other uses for rattan
Rattan makes a great piece of furniture, and can be used both indoors and outdoors. As we have discussed, the benefits of rattan for furniture are that it is durable, dense, easily worked, and attractive. Of course these qualities lend themselves to a range of other uses around the home, both inside and outside!
Rattan is traditionally used to weave baskets and hampers. These can be a great addition to a home in which you are going for a earthy, natural vibe. Try decorating your patio with some tall woven baskets, containing interesting dried branches or other found objects – this will complement your rattan furniture too!
Another interesting use of rattan is in musical instruments, particularly rhythm instruments – as rattan is a form of bamboo, the hollow stems can be dried and tuned by cutting them to different lengths.
Because of its strength, rattan makes excellent matting and flooring. Woven rattan mats are another attractive way to add interest to a room. As rattan takes paint and dye quite well, these mats can be colored to suit your own décor. Don’t be limited by natural colors if you are more interested in a contemporary look – think outside the box and try a bright primary color to act as the centerpiece of a room.
Finally, rattan can be used as a strong flooring option. Rattan flooring is laminated, and formed into panels which can interlock – just like regular floating flooring. As with any bamboo flooring, rattan flooring can be made of panels set lengthways so the texture is quite a broad stripe, or on edge so that the texture is stippled and finer grained.
These ideas are just the tip of the iceberg – see what other creative applications you can find to add a tribal and creative touch to your outdoor area!