Kathmandu:

Earlier these pieces of furniture were relegated to spaces outside the house, and were very popular as verandah or garden furniture. However, over the years and with change in taste and design, the cane (or wicker or rattan) furniture have slowly made their way into our kitchens (as baskets), living rooms, bedrooms, and in some homes have even ousted the elegant wood furniture.

What is it?

Indonesia cultivates almost 90 per cent of the world’s cane, which grows crawling on the ground or on trees. While it is commonly known as cane furniture and has gained popularity with this name, there are various kinds of ‘cane’ furniture available.

Rattan is the first layer which consists of the pole along with the skin. Cane is the second part used which consists of the skin or bark of the rattan palm and is mostly used for weaving. Both these have a natural glossy touch to it.

Then there is bamboo, which looks very much like rattan but the difference is that while bamboo has a hollow centre, rattan has a solid core centre.

Durable and environment-friendly

As the harvesting period is only around two to three years, making goods from cane does not really damage the environment. Hence, it is considered very environment friendly.

According to cane furniture retailers here, the wicker furniture can last a lifetime if it is used with the needed care.

Picking the right one

“You should personally like it from within when you see it, and feel like taking it home,” says Rajesh Shrestha of Interweave Cane Furniture (Kalamandir at Kupondol) of picking the right piece of furniture for one’s home.

“We don’t try to influence our customers to buy cane furniture. Mostly they instantly like it,” he adds.

That’s the charm cane furniture holds.

Diverse choices

Long gone are the days when cane meant the picnic or the laundry baskets. Today the cane range emcompasses everything from elegant sofas with intricate designs for your living rooms, well designed beds and dressing tables for your bedrooms, sophisticated cabinets and drawers, convenient dining tables, refined chairs and coffee tables, stylish lamp posts and pot holders, and many more items.

Apart from Kalamandir, good cane pieces are also available at Dibya Interior, Naxal, which has been in this business for the last 30 years.

Personalising it

The best part of cane is that it can be personalised to form any desired shape. Shrestha, who has been trained at the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan, China explains, “We choose the various pieces by measuring the diameter of the cane for the structure according to the framing. Then the binding and weaving process is completed. Finally the finishing is done to get the ultimate product.”

The other beauty of these pieces is that they are all completely handmade. It goes well with almost any colour of the room, and blends well with other kinds of furniture. You could keep the natural colour of the cane, but if you wish you could paint the furniture the shade you want.

Go for quality

Yes, even the cane industry is not out of limits of the cheap or bad quality products. So when you are investing in it, make sure that you are buying the best quality cane. Otherwise it will be easily destroyed by insects.