Why is cane furniture all the rage right now?

India’s leading interior designers and brands share the reasons for the current popularity of this versatile material
Home Decor Why is cane furniture all the rage right now
Cane furniture is strongly associated with mid-century modern’ style, which is timeless and as relevant as ever

If there is an interior design trend that has dominated homes for a while, it's definitely cane. And it's here to stay. The process of cane weaving is one of the oldest techniques in craft. To create cane furniture, rattan is harvested in a sustainable manner and its bark is cut into fine strips and woven into patterns and designs for furniture pieces.

We checked in with some of India's leading interior designers and brands to learn about the popularity of this trend. Here's what they had to say.

Cane furniture is consciously produced

Sustainability

In recent years, there has been a shift towards creating and purchasing environmentally sustainable home decor items. “There is an ever-growing focus on sustainability and the importance of living with a more simplistic approach. With the uptick in concepts such as circular design and wabi-sabi that focus on our tendency to shape a space that is more respectful of the environment and smarter in its uses of resources, it comes as no surprise that we want our personal spaces to reflect the same,” states Sanchit Arora, Studio Head Architect, Renesa Architecture Studio.

“Cane furniture is making a comeback as part of a global move towards more consciously produced goods, be it food, clothing, home products or consumables. Therefore, in furniture and home decor as well, handmade, sustainable products are becoming more popular than mass-produced, industrial products,” states Deepak Srinath, Founder of Phantom Hands.

Not only does cane have a lower carbon footprint, it looks good too. Young couples moving into new homes prefer the look and style of cane because it has a throwback quality and is lighter on the environment. Adds Dipali Patwa, Group Head of Brand & Community at Fabindia, “Nostalgia and millennial interior design styles are blending more than ever before. What goes around comes around! Uptick in the use of natural elements and indigenous techniques are on the rise. Natural materials and elements from nature seem to resonate more strongly now, especially with the millennial generation. In addition, cane is exceptionally durable and is an eco-friendly material.”

Age-old Craftsmanship

Additionally, there has been an upswing in furniture companies that are striving to revive and reinvent craft-based production and help them stay relevant in today's world. Anchored firmly in the concept of sustainability, cane furniture pays homage to the artisanal craftsmanship of cane weaving. “The recent trend of cane furniture, which is more implicitly aesthetic and more regional than its Nordic counterpart, dates back to design cues from Pierre Jeanneret's works from his time in India. With an inherent concern towards craftsmanship and making use of the context, these works were created that played with shapes and perspectives. In today's time, amidst raising awareness for local crafts and ephemeral materials, cane furniture offers the perfect amalgamation,” states Arora.

Universal Appeal

Cane seamlessly blends in and enhances the interiors of any kind of space. “Whether you are conceptualising the next biggest maximalist space or you've held your affinity for minimalism, there is a way to make the cane furniture trend work for each space. Working our way through and forward, as a studio we believe that the best spaces should get better with age and use materials that develop a natural patina over time,” adds Arora.

Timeless Aesthetic

The classic woven cane texture is instantly recognisable and is guaranteed to look stylish for years to come. “As wicker is neutral in colour and texture, it will never go out of style. The beauty of these materials is that you can also layer them with various other materials for a more contemporary style or juxtapose them with bold colours for a fun look,” adds Patwa.

“This furniture evokes a certain imagery of sepia toned photos of large verandahs in kothis of rural Punjab in my imagination. Personally for me, wicker furniture is an element that works well in modern eclectic spaces. Wicker refers to a technique of criss-cross basketry weave rather than referring to a particular material, it dates back to as far back as ancient Egypt. In today's world, this artisan craft has interesting potential in evolved living and working spaces!” adds Noor Dasmesh Singh, Principal, NOOR Architects Consultants.

In addition, cane furniture is strongly associated with ‘Mid-century Modern' style, which is timeless and as relevant as ever. "The irony, however, is that most cane furniture produced in Europe today is actually made with machine woven, mass produced cane webbing rather than the traditional hand woven webbing that artisan based workshops like us weave,” concludes Srinath.

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