Obsessed with...Cane
Hello! It’s my first blog of 2019 and in my customary fashion I have agonised and chopped and changed about what it should be about. After taking a break I always feel like I have to come back with something mindblowingly clever and original. But after much internal debate, somewhere amidst my fog of ideas , some clarity emerged and I have decided instead to keep it simple. Because sometimes simple is best.
So I’m bringing you a round-up of one of my current interior obsessions, the idea being that I show you some of my favourite inspiration shots, followed by the best pieces available to buy right now. This week I’m sharing my love of cane, wicker and rattan furniture. However, I’ve got more than one obsession on the go (I’m a floozy) and so, as of about five minutes ago, I’ve decided to turn this into a regular feature, offering you an insight into my interior style journey and development, which makes it sound pretty lofty but it’s basically just ‘Stuff I like and hope you like too’.
Let’s talk about cane then. I was obsessed with it for most of 2018, but the only pieces around were either mega expensive vintage, or mega expensive designer. It’s only now that the trend has filtered down to the high street and there are loads of brilliant options up for grabs. There’s always a bit of confusion and crossover when it comes to cane , wicker and rattan. Try as I might, I wasn’t able to find a clear explanation of what the difference is, but I’ve gone with cane because it seems to fall most in line with what I’m talking about. To be clear, the kind of thing I’m currently lusting after has nothing to do with boho-style peacock chairs. There’s nothing wrong with those of course. It’s just not what I’m talking about. The cane I’m talking about is less hippie chic, and more sleek and almost minimalist in design. It’s probably best if I just show you…
(Main image credit is Night Palm)
Image Credit - Sacrocinqt
The Marcel Breuer designed Cesca chair is having a major moment. Not that it’s ever gone away really. Named after his daughter, Breuer designed it in 1928 and the design was bought by Knoll in 1968 and it has been reproduced ever since. It has been named as one of the 10 most important chairs of the 20th Century. So yeah, it’s kind of a big deal. In my dream kitchen moodboard, the bar stool version of these sit neatly under the waterfall marble island. Bella Freud and Retrovious’ Maria Speake also recently used the chair in the seriously 70’s inspired apartment they designed at the new BBC Television Centre development (below). There are plenty of places selling replica versions of the Cesca chairs if you’ve fallen for it’s timeless style.
Bella Freud and Maria Speake apartment designed at BBC Television Centre, Image Credit -Dezeen.
I love the texture and weight these cane backed chairs bring to this sleek, modern dining area.
Image credit - Pablo Veiga
One of my favourite sources of inspo for all things cane, rattan, wicker is Atelier Vime. Based in Provence, they have an incredible collection of vintage furniture which is showcased in the beautiful house. Their feed is dreamy (below) go and follow if that’s your thing.
One of my greatest interior regrets is not purchasing this Ikea cabinet from their Stockholm PS 2017 collection. It was on a limited run and they sold out fast. So if you have one then you are a jammy devil because you have a design classic on your hands. I meanwhile continue to live in hope that my saved Ebay searches will bear fruit.
The Ikea Stockholm cabinet of dreams. Image credit - Ikea
And look at this bespoke wardrobe fitted in interior designer Georgia Ezra’s home. Isn’t it a beauty? I can only imagine what my carpenter friend Lee will say if I tell him I want our fitted wardrobes to look like this….
If bespoke cane cabinetry is not quite on your agenda, luckily there are loads of more portable options around at the mo. Like this Reena wardrobe from Made.com which is currently in the sale! Here it is styled to perfection in the bedroom of interior designer Emma Gurner’s daughter’s room (left). I’ve also recently discovered Boheme Home and this stunner of a wardrobe (right) which ticks two trends in one with its soft curvy arched shape. They are based in New Zealand but ship worldwide.
It’s also worth trawling Ebay and Etsy etc for vintage finds…because they really don’t make ‘em like they used to. You might be able to pick up a bargain, particularly if the caning needs fixing, although make sure to factor that in to the final cost.
Lots of inspiration for you there, now do you want to see my edit of the best cane pieces available to buy right now…sure you do!
More of my current obsessions to follow, including all things Sage Green.
Some, not all, of these links are affiliate links which means a very small percentage of every purchase will be paid to me.
