Wicker furniture is a versatile style that fits just about anywhere in the house. I bet you have some in your home! Indoor furniture, like dressers and headboards, can easily match the style of outdoor wicker furniture for a unifying theme in the home. Wicker can easily be painted and it is exceptionally light, so it’s easy to move around. Did you know this style of furniture has been popular for centuries before it ever got into your home?

Because wicker is so versatile and long lasting, it’s a great value

What Is Wicker?

Wicker actually isn’t a type of material. You can’t harvest wicker from the woods, and it doesn’t grow on trees. Wicker is a more general term for woven furniture. It can be made from natural fibers like rattan, cane, bamboo, seagrass, or even synthetic vinyls and resins. Older sets are typically made from natural fibers while modern wicker sets sometimes use synthetic materials. These wicker patio chairs are made of natural grasses and materials, combined with paper-lined high-tensile wire. These materials are wrapped over a frame, which is usually aluminum, and then treated.

How Wicker is Used

Wicker used to be primarily for baskets, but today it is widely used to make furniture pieces, home accents, chairs, and wall decorations. It is typically treated for outdoor use, which boosts its resilience. All weather wicker patio furniture, for instance, uses a special coating to keep the material resistant that uses synthetic materials. This durability makes it attractive for outdoor furniture, but also for screened-in porches and beach homes, which may see more wear and tear from the elements.

Eco-Friendliness

Wicker is considered an eco-friendly material. The materials come from renewable sources, and sometimes those materials have been recycled. Today, wicker is made out of stronger materials than before so furniture doesn’t need 100% natural fibers to have the same strength. This keeps costs lower, and means a lighter environmental footprint. Wicker Paradise has a selection of wicker furniture, chairs, and patio sets.

Wicker’s Ancient Roots

Wicker has been around since ancient Egypt. Back then it was made from reed and swamp grasses, but most families could only afford a piece or two. Wealthy pharaohs had wicker chests, baskets, chairs, tables, baskets, and more, according to archeologists who uncovered their tombs. Wicker was also used in Persia and in ancient Rome before spreading across Europe. The next time you sit in a wicker chair, remember that wicker furniture was found in the tomb of the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamen.