Woven furniture can add warmth, texture, and natural flair to any space when incorporated thoughtfully. The key is finding pieces that mesh well with your existing decor and lifestyle. With so many beautiful woven designs available, from bohemian to modern, there are endless possibilities to intertwine this timeless look into your home. Follow these tips to seamlessly blend woven furniture with your unique style.
Choose Complementary Colors and Textures
One of the best ways to integrate woven pieces is to select ones featuring colors and textures already present in your space. For example, if you have a neutral color palette of creams, tans, and soft blues, look for rattan furniture with similar natural hues. Or if your decor leans colorful and eclectic, vibrantly patterned cotton or jute works well.
Match the texture of the weave with your room too. Fine rattan weaves pair nicely with smooth linens and sleek woods, while chunky knits work with coarse or nubby textiles. Use this visual cohesion to allow the woven items to feel cohesive rather than out of place.
Scale Down in Size
As woven furniture tends to have an airier, less substantial presence, stick with smaller-scale pieces to mix them in seamlessly. Larger rattan sofas or bulky wicker dressers can easily overwhelm a space. Opt instead for woven accents like side tables, chairs, ottomans, or headboards to punctuate your decor with their natural vibe.
If your room can accommodate larger woven staples, balance them out with sturdier woods, metals, or upholstered pieces so they don’t dominate. The blend of lightweight woven and more grounded textures creates a pleasant contrast.
Use Neutral Woven Pieces as a Base
For a foolproof way to incorporate woven furniture in any style, stick with neutral, natural rattan or wicker pieces as a subdued base. Then layer on personality with colorful pillows, throws, and accessories. This allows you to switch up the look seasonally or when your tastes change without having to replace major furniture.
Classic cream or brown wicker chairs and settees provide the perfect neutral backdrop to build upon in a coastal, farmhouse, traditional, or even modern room. Keep the lines simple and let the weave texture shine.
Compliment Your Existing Aesthetic
Think about the overall look you want to achieve and choose woven pieces that complement it.
- For modern spaces, sleek silhouettes in rattan, seagrass, or wood look stellar against crisp white walls and modern metals or woods.
- In traditional rooms, painted wicker furniture in shapes like curvy klismos chairs fit right in alongside antiques.
- For cottage charm, whitewashed pieces feel fresh and airy.
- In boho abodes, colorful globally-inspired patterns and textures are key.
- Rustic rooms love the casual warmth of natural wood or rattan.
When in doubt, lean into your decorating vibe and find woven furniture to enhance (rather than work against) it. The options are diverse enough to suit any style.
Incorporate Organic Shapes and Lines
Woven textures inherently have a fluid, organic feel courtesy of their handmade craftsmanship. Introduce similarly natural shapes and lines throughout your space to complement the vibe. Round or oval woven coffee tables, curved headboards, sloping arms on chairs, and rattan pendant lights all have beautiful organic forms.
Repeating these in other furniture, rugs, lighting and decor creates a relaxed harmony. Avoid starkly angular furniture lines and accessories to prevent clashing.
Use Lots of Natural Textiles and Materials
Surrounding woven pieces with other natural materials and textiles helps them feel purposefully integrated rather than randomly placed. Layer your woven furniture with cotton throws, linen pillows, silk rugs, wool knits, wood tables, clay vases, leather ottomans, and more.
Share colors, textures, and shapes between your woven items and natural accents to cultivate an earthy, elemental vibe. Wood, clay, stone, shells, and greenery also marry beautifully with woven textures.
Highlight Natural Lighting
The airy, breathable qualities of woven furniture shine brightest in abundant natural lighting. Position rattan chairs near sunlit windows, use woven lampshades to cast a warm glow at night, and opt for wicker and cane pieces in bright rooms.
If your space lacks light, incorporate reflective surfaces like marble console tables or mirrored accents to bounce illumination around and show off the gorgeous higlights in woven textures. Add glass elements like vases, chandeliers, and tabletops to amplify the light as well.
Think About Your Lifestyle
Make sure to select woven pieces that work with your lifestyle, not against it. While beautiful, more delicate open weaves may not be durable enough for pets and kids. And lighter hues like cream can show dirt quickly.
Instead, look for densely woven, durable or stain-resistant options in darker shades if you have little ones or pets. Washable outdoor fabrics like solution-dyed acrylic work great. And search for woven furniture with easy-clean finishes. This ensures your coveted woven pieces retain their beauty.
Mix Woven Materials Like Rattan, Wicker, Cane, and More
Rather than selecting all furniture in the same woven material, mix it up for extra depth. Combine rattan dining chairs with a wicker console, a cane desk chair with a seagrass headboard, or a wood and leather sofa with rattan side tables.
Repeating some textures while introducing contrasting woven ones keeps the look intriguing. Just be mindful of scale and color so the mix feels purposeful. Play around and have fun with the many gorgeous materials available.
Incorporate Trending Colors
While neutral rattan furniture provides a flexible foundation, embracing bolder hues is a beautiful way to weave personality into your space. Take inspiration from the latest trending colors like deep blues, earthy terracottas, rich emerald greens, or vibrant yellows and make a statement.
Colored woven furniture adds a fun pop of flair in any room. For a more subtle approach, look for tonal variations like lighter and darker blues or layer color through smaller decor accents instead.
Create a Woven Focal Point
Strategically place one or two eye-catching woven furniture pieces to create a focal point around which the rest of the room flows. A striking rattan pendant light instantly draws the gaze overhead, while a vividly colorful woven chair or intricately detailed headboard makes a stellar style statement.
Keep the surrounding furniture, walls, and decor simpler to let your woven focal point shine. The textural allure and artisanal appeal of woven craftsmanship naturally captures attention.
Mix Old and New Woven Pieces
Blend old with new woven furniture and decor to add a charmingly collected look and tell a story. Pair a vintage sixties wicker chair inherited from a grandparent with a new custom rattan daybed.
Accent sleek modern woven pendant lights over a weathered antique console table. The blend of worn and pristine weaving expresses personal history and character. Let the generations and styles mingle beautifully.
Display Woven Baskets, Mats, and Textiles
Don’t limit yourself to just furniture. Incorporate a plethora of woven accents like wall hangings, rugs, baskets, shades, mats, and textiles. Macrame plant hangers, berber poufs, cloth napkins, and bamboo blinds infuse even more woven detail.
Play with combining textures, patterns, and global motifs for an eclectic feel. Woven textures feel right at home paired together, so craft a layered, collected vibe. Mix fine, chunky, solid, patterned, and brightly hued weaves for visual interest.
Embrace Imperfections
Rather than seeking flawless woven furniture, embrace the small imperfections that give it character. Natural variations in color, slight blemishes, and handmade irregularities convey authenticity and charm.
New tightly woven or synthetic rattan lacks the depth and appeal of vintage, weathered weavings with visible wear, repairs, or differences. Relish the humble humanity of lovingly used woven pieces.
FAQs About Mixing Woven Furniture With Your Decor
Q: How can I make rattan furniture work in a modern home?
A: Stick to clean, contemporary silhouettes without elaborate carvings or frilly details. Pair rattan with sleek modern woods and metals. Use solid neutral colors or bold modern hues like navy. Add in glass, concrete, or marble accents for an on-trend vibe.
Q: Should all my woven furniture match?
A: Not necessarily. Mixing in a few different woven materials like rattan along with seagrass, wicker, and cane adds visual depth. Just mind the scale and colors so the assortment feels cohesive.
Q: What colors work well with woven furniture?
A: Natural neutrals are a safe bet, but colorful woven furniture is also on trend. Deep blues, emerald greens, sunny yellows, or bold blacks work beautifully. Look at the color palette in your space and select hues that feel harmonious.
Q: How durable is rattan furniture?
A: It depends on the construction. Well-made, tightly woven synthetic rattan is quite durable for outdoor and indoor use. Natural rattan varies in longevity depending on the thickness of the reed poles used. Over time it can crack or split. But it lends unmatched character.
Q: How do I clean woven furniture?
A: First, check the manufacturer’s instructions. For basic cleaning, vacuum loose dirt then use a damp soft cloth with mild soap and water. Avoid harsh chemicals. For stubborn stains on natural fibers, a diluted white vinegar solution can help lift discoloration without bleaching.
Q: Can I use a steam cleaner on woven furniture?
A: We do not recommend using a steam cleaner as the prolonged high heat and moisture can damage and warp natural fibers over time. Instead use a vacuum with a brush attachment regularly to remove dust and a damp cloth for gentle cleaning.
Conclusion
With endless options from funky to minimalist, indoor and outdoor, woven furniture offers a wonderful way to infuse free-spirited texture into your home. Keep scale, colors, and shapes consistent with your existing decor for a cohesive feel. Mix in plenty of other natural materials and textiles to complement the woven items. Most importantly, embrace and celebrate the timeworn beauty and imperfections of woven textures. Let them lend their breezy warmth to your personal oasis.
