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Get the Look: Wicker Furnishings & Accessories

These pieces are so much more refined than the wicker chest I had in high school in my Laura Ashley bedroom. (Believe me, it was an improvement over the whole rainbow and unicorn thing I had going on in junior high.) If you’ve been thinking of adding a little texture, these are cute and inexpensive wicker furnishings made from all sorts of often renewable, natural (and a few synthetic) fibers. A word of caution however. If you have a puppy, skip the wicker. Years ago I borrowed a white wicker table from a boyfriend’s mom to use in my sparsely furnished studio apartment. My ten-week-old cocker spaniel ate the entire thing, literally. (He was really cute though.)

Shopping Guide

Rattan pouf, $88 at Urban Outfitters.

NÄSUM banana fiber chest, $60 at IKEA.

Lighted rattan spheres, $20-$45 at Pottery Barn.

Red synthetic wicker outdoor stacking chair, $70 at Pier 1 Imports.

Woven palm leaves pendant, $199 at West Elm.

Woven seagrass mirror, $149 at West Elm.

HULTÖ peeled rattan chair, $70 at IKEA.

LINUS rattan and steel chair, $40 at IKEA.

Woven jute and metal studded tassel pull, $9 at West Elm

Fat handcrafted rattan stool, $100 at Pier 1 Imports.

Casa rattan table lamp, $70 at CB2.

Whitney Design banana leaves storage bench, $120 at Target.

Wicker cafe conversation collection, $1,160/set of 3 at Target.

Beale rattan and steel lounge chair, $249 at CB2.

Seagrass chair, $159 at Pottery Barn.

Water hyacinth and rattan open weave storage baskets, $7-$15 at CB2.

Montage: Wicker

It’s all about texture. You can’t talk to a designer without he or she singing its praises. Texture adds depth and interest, and can warm up an otherwise sterile space. Wicker is pretty useful for this sort of thing. A longtime fixture on Granny’s front porch, wicker is being pulled inside in various incarnations, from the of-the-moment pouf to simple headboards to Victorianesque fan chairs. And just what does “wicker” mean? It’s actually not a fiber, but a process. Wicker pieces are woven from many a material, including rattan (an über strong vine), willow, reeds, or even synthetic composites. Here is a sampling of rooms with all sorts of wicker pieces.

Photos: Apartment Therapy; Nate Berkus; Ken Fulk; M. Design; Tom Scheerer; Tom Scheerer; photographer Simon Watson; Tripod Agency; John Loecke; Tom Scheerer; Tom Scheerer; O at Home; C.W. Eisner; Tom Scheerer; Apartment Therapy DC; Apartment Therapy San Francisco; Desire to Inspire; Dave Coote; Mimmi O’Connell; unidentified; unidentified; Ferm Galli; Nate Berkus; Apartment Therapy; House Beautiful; Skona Hem; Nate Berkus; Phoebe Howard; Lynn Morgan Design; Breese Architects; Deborah Timmerman in Country Living; photographer Lisa Cohen; Villa & Vila; Ken Fulk Design; Aqua Vitae Design.