Bringing “the outdoors in” is a technique repeated by designers and architects from the early designers of coastal interiors. Placing rattan furnishings in interiors is an excellent technique to bring the warmth and coastal ease into the home and one favoured by Michael Taylor, becoming a pivotal feature of his “California Look”.
Installing furniture reserved largely for conservatories and garden rooms into the main house is, in itself, a playful gesture. Rattan furnishings harness the lightness and gayety of summer days both in the colouration from the blending and weaving of this natural material and in the open fretwork and airy structure of the furniture frames themselves. These shapes can vary depending on purpose. Exaggerated shapes like the vintage Emanuelle Peacock chair are almost artistic statements with their swoopy curvilinear backs. These forms are whimsical and add a lightness into a room’s décor.
Rattan shapes can be individual statements, with the furniture, frames or accessories having a personality of their own with clever curves, shapes and forms. They can be sculptural in nature or consistent in design. With seating, a rattan chair can provide an individual statement piece or a consistent suite, filled with plush upholstery for a clever spin of the more traditional upholstered seating plan. Comfort is yours to choose according to the design selected.
Fabrics too are a place for individuality for a splash of colour in coral or pattern on scatters or a seat on an elaborate rattan form. Equally, fabric in shades of blue and white are coastal references which return the spirit and mind to the feeling of warmth, golden sun and sand.
This natural material’s flexibility and strength provides an excellent material for sculptural shapes that are also largely delicate frameworks allowing light and air to pass through the varied designs. There are many styles today of rattan furnishings to add this coastal narrative, whether side tables, bedside tables, pendants, table lamps, consoles, commodes or seating.
Pendants are another fun and playful means of adding that coastal informality to a room. The natural material and texture provide a lovely warmth to a room casting playful patterns through a flattering play of light and shadow created by the intricate and delicate patterns. Lights are also available with frames wrapped in rattan, a welcome change from the more expected materials of metal or wood. Mirrors are another means of providing that whimsical lightness and fun both in design and structure. French Riviera rattan mirrors designed in the 60’s and 70’s from designers such as Franco Albini are wonderful examples of this aesthetic. Adding this curvilinear design above a curved rattan commode could create a joyous bar setting to recreate the festive summer evenings. Light, air, playfulness and golden natural materials are all components of coastal design and found in this varied and sculptural material.