What is Wicker?

The term wicker naturally brings cane or rattan furniture to mind, but originally wickerwork was formed by weaving flexible branches such as willow or vines around a frame to make an item of furniture.

The materials used in modern furniture can also include synthetics, bamboo and reed. Rattan, also known as cane or wicker, is what most furniture is made from, and is actually obtained from palm trees from sustainable sources in South East Asia.

Stems are cut, dried and left whole to be used as the furniture’s frame, or cut into strips to be woven to form the seat, back and arms of a chair, for example.

Once painted, stained or varnished they make lightweight, but hard-wearing and sturdy furniture that can be crafted into modern or traditional designs.

Lloyd Loom

A material you wouldn’t expect to find furniture made from is paper. In 1917 Marshall Burns Lloyd invented a process which allowed twisted kraft paper to be woven around a steel frame. His original process was used to produce baby’s prams, but within a few years Mr Lloyd’s factory was also creating furniture which became a must-have throughout Canada, America and the UK.

It is still produced using the characteristic weave invented by Marshall Burns Lloyd and is still seen as a classic and stylish addition to the home.