Rattan Chairs

Choosing a rattan chair

Rattan is strong for its weight and the weave breathes, which is why a rattan chair stays comfortable through a long dinner and is light enough to move with one hand. Below is where it belongs, how to keep it, and how to tell a well-made chair from a cheap one. For the background on the material itself, our guide to what a rattan chair actually is covers how it is grown and woven.

Can rattan chairs be used outdoors?

Natural rattan is an indoor and sheltered-outdoor material. It handles a covered terrace or a conservatory, but sustained rain and UV dry the fibres until they split. For an open balcony or garden, choose all-weather synthetic rattan on a powder-coated aluminium frame, which is built for permanent outdoor use.

How long does a rattan chair last?

Indoors, a well-made natural rattan chair lasts ten to twenty years, because the failure point is the binding at the joints rather than the weave itself. Kept in direct sun or beside a radiator, the same chair can turn brittle within two or three years. Position matters more than price.

How do you clean a rattan chair?

Dust it with a soft brush every few weeks, working along the weave so grit does not pack into the gaps. Wipe spills immediately with a barely damp cloth and dry at once. Never soak it, never use a pressure washer, and never leave it wet, because trapped moisture is what loosens the weave.

Are rattan chairs comfortable for dining?

Yes, and often better than a solid seat over a long meal, because the woven back flexes slightly and lets air through instead of trapping heat. Look for a seat depth of 40 to 45 cm and a gently curved back. Add a tie-on cushion if you regularly sit for two hours or more.

Can rattan chairs be used in a restaurant or cafe?

Only contract-grade ones. Domestic rattan is not tested for commercial use. For hospitality, look for seating tested to EN 16139 at use level L2 or above, and choose synthetic rattan on an aluminium or steel frame for terraces, where weather exposure is constant.

What should you look for when buying a rattan chair?

Check three things. The frame, which should be solid bent rattan or a welded metal core rather than a hollow tube. The binding at every joint, which is where rattan fails first. And the weave tension, which should spring back when pressed instead of staying dented.

Rattan, cane, bamboo and synthetic: how they differ

These four names get used interchangeably in listings and they are not the same thing. This is what you are actually buying.

The shortcut: if it lives outside and gets rained on, you want synthetic on aluminium. Inside, natural rattan gives you warmth and grain that synthetic cannot fake. Cane is a panel material rather than a whole-chair material, and if a product is described only as bamboo, check whether the seat is actually rattan.

Where rattan works in a room

In a dining room it lightens a heavy table and is the easiest way to break up a matched set, so it pairs naturally with our dining chairs and wooden chairs. In a living room it is the textural piece against plain upholstery, which is where a lounge chair earns its place. On a covered terrace it belongs with garden chairs, and for fully exposed spaces our outdoor range carries the all-weather versions.

Buying for a business

Rattan is a common choice for cafes, terraces and hotel lounges because it reads warm and photographs well, but domestic and contract chairs are not interchangeable. Commercial seating is tested to a different standard and built for lateral load, daily chemical cleaning and being dragged across a hard floor. Our restaurant chairs and the wider hospitality range are filtered for non-domestic use, with trade terms and specification support.