How to Style Rattan Furniture: Practical Design Guide

Today, rattan furniture has become one of the most prominent furniture choices to highlight the natural elegance of the space. The timeless charm blends perfectly with various aesthetics, from coastal-themed patios to minimalist interiors.

For global buyers, sharing a rattan design guide & inspiration can be a smart tactic to impress and give more value to the customers. Through this article, you will learn about an in-depth explanation of how to style rattan furniture, along with the spacing tips for more organized spaces.

Why Rattan Furniture Works in Many Settings

Rattan exudes a visual suitability to any style; here’s the reason for that.

Natural Texture and Visual Lightness

Compared to hardwoods with a heavy visual weight, rattan provides a rich, organic texture and supports a lighter appearance for solid furniture. Its woven nature allows a breathable design, making it perfect for smaller rooms or open spaces to be more spacious.

Flexibility for Different Interior and Outdoor Styles

While often associated with tropical looks, rattan is incredibly versatile. Whether outdoors or indoors, it matches perfectly with Scandinavian minimalism that is popular for semi-outdoor patios or even high-end contemporary design for interior rooms.

Key Principles for Styling Rattan Furniture

To pull off an organized rattan space that stands out visually, there are two things to keep in mind.

Balancing Texture and Structure

Because rattan is highly textured, it looks best when paired with smooth materials. You can put a woven rattan chair next to a neutral, plain teak dining table. The contrast makes the craftsmanship of the weave stand out beautifully, making it an easy-to-notice item in the space.

Scale, Proportion, and Placement

Aside from planning the visual thoughtfully, considering the furniture to room size proportion is a must to generate a well-arranged space. Avoid putting scattered rattan pieces in large areas. Instead, use them to highlight spots or pair them with larger upholstered sofas for a more cozy vibe.

Styling Rattan Furniture by Space Type

Understanding the key principles is not enough; you need some real examples for a better picture.

Indoor Living and Lounge Areas

To stand out from the ordinary look of living areas, you need rattan furniture to keep the room alive. For a relaxed vibe, you can put a rattan coffee table or side chair in a room corner. Or you can have a full calm experience by putting a rattan-accent sofa.

Outdoor and Semi-Outdoor Spaces

The natural appeal of rattan creates a seamless transition from the house to the garden, the perfect furniture choice for tropical design. However, natural rattan is not resistant to weather; that’s why using synthetic rattan for areas with direct rain exposure is recommended. And for shaded outdoor areas like a veranda, you can use natural rattan to maintain a high-end feel.

Hospitality and Commercial Interiors

Rattan’s lightweight is the perfect match for hospitality areas with high-traffic activities and a need for practical furniture that can be moved easily. The distinct visual appeal also adds a textured layer to highlight a bland hotel lobby or cafe lounge.

Choosing the Right Rattan Furniture Pieces

Now, we’re getting into the furniture type selection. This is crucial as to whether the item selection can support your design plan or not.

Seating, Tables, and Accent Items

For a neat space, it’s better to plan the design carefully and choose what type of furniture should be in there. For example, if you plan to create a coastal-themed patio that highlights minimalism with signature elements, it’s better to choose one item to stand out, like putting a rattan-accent table.

Coordinated Sets vs. Mixed Materials

For a unified space, it’s highly recommended to put rattan furniture sets rather than putting a single rattan item. The piece would indeed add a visual statement to the space, but it doesn’t radiate resemblance.

But putting all-rattan furniture is also risky as it makes the room look cramped. To balance the crowdedness & uniformity, you can try putting mixed-material pieces like rattan-teak furniture, which is gaining more popularity these days in the global furniture market. Like our iconic Wishbone Chair, which has a distinctive visual appeal, yet can calm whoever lands their eyes.

Color, Material, and Texture Pairing

Rattan itself can be the texture of the room, but pairing with the right material can prevent a too-noisy space.

Pairing Rattan with Wood, Metal, and Stone

The key to perfect rattan styling is to find a plain yet bold material like metal, stone, or smooth-textured solid woods like Sungkai. Pairing rattan with hardwoods or stone can enhance an earthy, warm look, while matching it with metal displays a modernized vibe suitable for an industrial theme. 

Cushion, Fabric, and Upholstery Considerations

Rattan is a friendly material for others, including the soft ones like upholstery elements. When you choose rattan mixed with fabrics, it creates a cozy space. Just remember to only pair rattan with neutral tones like off-white or sand to allow the natural honey tones of the rattan to shine.

Styling for Comfort and Function

Enough with the visual emphasis, a room also needs to be comfortable and function for basic needs.

Ergonomic Layouts

When styling a space, it’s necessary to consider the 90cm spacing rule between items. While rattan gives off a “crowded” look, it’s better to set more distance between each other, especially when the furniture sets are rattan-heavy. Also, make sure to buy only good-quality rattan furniture to prevent shaky products after only a few uses. 

Movement Flow and Accessibility

The key to a comfortable room is to position each item at a moderate distance so that everyone can interact freely without being afraid of hurting their knees from the too-close furniture friction. This also applies to rattan furnishings that sometimes add a layer, making some furniture wider than the usual size.

Styling Rattan Furniture for Long-Term Use

Rattan is naturally durable if placed indoors, but not in unprotected, open space outdoors.

Exposure Considerations for Indoor and Outdoor Areas

Rattan holds up well in normal humidity, making it stand longer when used as interior decorations. On the contrary, rattan can’t withstand a condition when it’s constantly exposed to direct sun & heavy rain.

This is why choosing synthetic rattan for outdoor use is highly advised. If you prefer to maintain the original look of natural rattan, make sure the manufacturer chooses Grade A rattan and be ready for regular maintenance and repeated stain reapplication.

Maintaining Appearance Over Time

Given the nature of the complex surface of rattan, it’s hard to keep it polished if not regularly cleaned. Focus on dusting and use a mild soap & a damp cloth to reach a difficult spot. Try doing this for a minimum of once a month to prevent accumulated dirt.

Common Styling Mistakes to Avoid

Now you know what’s right in styling rattan, you also have to know things that are wrong.

Overloading the Space

Using too much rattan can make a room look like a garden center. Balance it out with other materials with plain, smooth texture, like neutral woods or metal. Or add some softness by adding bland, soft cushions or fabrics that can calm the rattan noise.

Ignoring Usage and Environment

Last but not least, considering how the room is used versus the physical nature of rattan is also important to prevent a shorter lifespan. For example, don’t place delicate natural rattan in a high-spill dining area without the proper protective finish.

Rattan Furniture Styling for Brand and Project Consistency

For commercial use, rattan can’t be purchased & placed randomly. Here’s why.

Aligning Furniture Style with Brand Identity

Making sure your brand image exists in your furniture choices is crucial to make your brand present in each item. They are the visual representation of your brand; this is why furniture selection must be accompanied by a clear brand image in mind.

Creating Cohesive Visual Experiences

A cohesive space uses repeating elements in each furniture piece. If you use rattan chairs, make sure small rattan details are also present elsewhere, like webbing cabinets. This way, you can pull the whole design together without feeling forced.

Conclusion: Functional and Intentional Rattan Styling

Wrapping up, styling rattan furniture is mostly focused on the visual emphasis. From the furniture choices, the color-texture best pairing, to the space consideration, these three things are the key to having an organized rattan space that stands out visually.

However, using rattan for comfortable, functional spaces is also possible, simply by applying a moderate spacing to avoid a crowded vibe. You also need to apply the best maintenance treatment for longer use of the rattan furnishings.

Working with a Rattan Furniture Manufacturer

Last but not least, it’s also crucial to choose the right partner that can help turn your vision into reality, and as a trusted Indonesian furniture supplier, MPP Furniture is ready to help you out. With over 20 years of experience, we’ve worked with numerous clients across the US, Dubai, Australia, Spain, and South Africa, and succesfully help them launch exquisite product lines in their respective niches.

We offer only high-quality rattan furniture, various mixed rattan materials, and also a proven experience in the export industry for smooth, hassle-free transactions. Our expert craftsmanship & transparent communication have led us to gain 99% of client satisfaction and only a 0.56% complaint ratio.

Custom Designs and Material Selection

We’re open for custom/ODM/OEM requests, exclusively create product line made for your brand only. You can request specific sizes, layout planning, design & shape. With the help of our 200+ craftsmen who have mastered expert joinery, MPP Furniture is confident to help you launch a successful rattan project with premium handcrafted products.

How MPP Furniture Supports Rattan Furniture Projects

To collaborate effectively, we’ve implemented a proven system to enhance trust & communication with our clients, which provides prototype design for custom orders & gives real updates about the production process.

We also produce various rattan furniture in our own 16,000 m² factory, allowing direct, strict quality control at every stage. This also ensures our clients with consistent quality from the first item to the last. Interested in working with us? Schedule a free consultation and talk to us about your future rattan project!