Rattan furniture has been making a huge resurgence in recent years and even more so recently with the trend for Seventies-inspired interiors and nostalgic, retro designs.
The allure is all in its laid-back versatility – rattan armchairs work both inside and out, sitting equally at home in an eclectic, bohemian space as a minimal Scandi home. It’s about blurring the boundaries between the home and the garden, extending your living room to create a cosy corner outside or bringing a feeling of nature and the outdoors in. Natural, tactile, handmade, simple and honest, rattan furniture is a lovely addition to any home, especially if you have beautiful boat house like these House Doctor images! Let’s dream…
Sustainable and renewable, rattan is a strong, lightweight, climbing plant, originating from Africa and Asia, that can be bent into shapes without snapping. As well as the traditional curvaceous shapes and rocking styles, there’s now smart offerings with clean lines and dark colours. Rattan is special in that it can be painted or stained in almost any colour – go for black for a new, contemporary take on the classic, or clean white for a fresh, airy look.
Here I’ve rounded up 12 of the best rattan armchairs, from simple designs under £100 to design classics that have stood the test of time under £1,000. They’re not all technically made of rattan, but I think they do all fall into that category or style.
My top choices? For the traditionalists there’s Nanna Ditzel’s elegant Nanny Rocking Chair, which the Danish designer created in 1969 at the height of rattan’s popularity, as well as Bonton’s classic, decorative style available at Smallable. For those looking for something more minimal, head to Maisons du Monde for all sorts of shapes and sizes or check out House Doctor’s contemporary interpretations inspired by 1950’s Scandinavian furniture. For affordability, look to IKEA’s new Industriell collection created with Dutch designer Piet Hein Eek that aims to turn mass-produced uniformity into products that have a beautifully imperfect handmade quality. So take your pick!
1. Petunia rattan rocking chair, £107.50, Maisons du Monde
2. Singapore open chair by Pols Potten, £286, Amara
3. Low rattan chair, £275, Cox & Cox
4. Cuun dining chair by House Doctor, £303, Nunido
5. The Nanny rocking chair by Nanna Ditzel, £895, Att Pynta
6. Ko Samui round white resin string armchair, £96.74, Maisons du Monde
7. Industriell armchair, £120, IKEA
8. Oaxaca black metal and woven cord armchair, £149.50, Maisons du Monde
9. Bonton adult chair, £181, Smallable, *available end of May*
10. Broste Copenhagen Frida Rattan chair, £175, Amara
11. Cuun armchair by House Doctor, £378, Made in Design
12. Amarelo woven rattan armchair, £214, Maisons du Monde
All images courtesy House Doctor
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