Wicker living room
furniture and rattan living room furniture go well
with almost all type of living room decorating ideas.
They can look elegant and formal and at the same time
lend an oriental touch to the living room. The
wooden-like finish makes it suitable country style
living room furniture and best suited as rustic living
room furniture. Rattan and wicker furniture is not
only beautiful and available in various handcrafted
styles, but it is perhaps the most versatile,
strongest and durable furniture available in the
market that is very easy to take care of. It requires
very little maintenance.
Wicker living room furniture is
lightweight and hence can easily be shifted from one place to
another making cleaning and sweeping much easier.
Rattan and wicker living room furniture has great endurance
quality and can withstand the rough and tough handling and common
problems of everyday usage. Unlike other furniture and accessories
made out of wood, rattan and wicker furniture is environmental
friendly too. It is actually made out of living vines that
replenish themselves and grow up and are ready to harvest all by
themselves in about each seven to ten year period. Versatile
wicker living room furniture can be adapted easily to casual and
informal living room styles and also to classic formal styles by
just opting for the right fabric for its upholstery. Most of the
wicker sofas, chairs and seats come with unattached cushions so
that you can easily change their covers to match the color scheme
and decoration style of the room without spending a fortune on it
like re-upholstering the traditional furniture.
Fine quality and premium line wicker and rattan living room
furniture usually have stained or natural though Southwestern
living rooms often use new wicker living room furniture that has
been white washed to match the living room color theme. The
popular painted finishes for wicker furniture are either pastel in
color or have darkest pecan color with smooth and consistent
finish. Sometimes there can be some color variations with minor
mineral streaks that just enhance the natural beauty of rattan and
wicker living room furniture and lend uniqueness to every single
piece of its handcrafted furniture. It is not advisable to use
silicone based furniture polish product on rattan and wicker
furniture as it can seal it and will not allow the poles to absorb
moisture and oils readily to keep it strong.
All you need to keep your wicker furniture in good shape is to
dust it regularly with a damp cloth and occasionally apply a light
coat of lemon oil to protect it and give it sheen. Wicker
furniture is also good enough to be used in outdoor living spaces
such as patio living rooms or living area made on a deck. Rattan
is actually a member of the climbing palm family found deep in the
tropical rainforests of the Far East. This tropical vine grows as
tall as 600 feet. It is solid and strong like steel but is pliable
and flexible too and thus, can easily be molded into furniture and
furnishings after heating. Wicker actually means woven
furnishings.
Besides rattan, it can also be made up of other natural and
synthetic materials such as willow, reed, twigs of other plants,
sea grass, banana peel, leather, paper, metal or plastic. Wicker
living room furniture also includes bamboo and cane furniture.
Bamboo is a tropical grass that is hollow and not very flexible.
Unlike rattan, it has limited usage and can split over time and is
best suited as an accent on furniture or for unusual accent
pieces. Cane is thinly split strips of the outer skin of rattan
and its peel that has been soaked in water is often wrapped around
joints and framework of beautifully crafted rattan furniture to
give them more support after it dries. Cane is also popular for
weaving chair seats and backs.
