“Rattan is a plant based material so it can be molded, dyed and formed to create different effects. Once woven it has its own strength and due to the hand processing nature it has slight imperfections which is part of what we are about at United Strangers. ”
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“We have been in Bali a lot over the passed couple of years with the United Strangers Villa being designed and made and it was there that the idea for using rattan material with our other materials came about. We don’t look to use any material but materials that we think we can add value and some flavor too. ”
“Rattan traditionally has been produced heavily in Indonesia and is always paired with the tropical hardwoods available there, such as teak, I feel this is due to the materials, machinery and the local markets needs but I felt we needed to do add something extra.
We decided to export the material back to our workshops. It was here that we decided to mix the material with polished metals, European and North American hardwoods and our leather and fabric combinations.”
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“Like all great materials that have a sense of natural elements and depth to it, they tend to go on cycles of popularity and Rattan is definitely in one of the cycles currently. Does this mean it’s a trend? or just that new ideas are being added to an existing material to be shown in a new light. At United Strangers we aim to always put our twist on to materials and by doing so things are always refreshing.”
“As rattan comes from a plant, there are different strands and types that can be used, so before weaving the strands together its important you choose which material and product you want to use it on. This is why we choose to have our sheets made at source and then bring it to our workshops.
The weavers have been doing this for generations and leave there little imperfections in the material. This is sometimes why there a fine little hair’s in the product that’s because the whole process has been hand made.
The sheet has a front and back side and this is from the plant so this also provides a different feel and touch also. The weave can be super tight and then slightly looser pending again on the need and use.”
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-Environmental protection and practicality, the rattan furniture is handmade by hand, no industrial pollution.
-Warm in winter and cool in summer, more seasonal than leather and fabric furniture, fully meet all your needs for furniture in all seasons.
-Because of the natural characteristics of rattan weaving, it can always give people a sense of returning to nature, and can pull into the relationship between man and nature.
-With artistic sense, smooth lines, unique craftsmanship, integrating practicality and ornamentalism, it can be used as artwork decoration.
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“We have always adhered to the environmental protection, and we are also very rigorous in the selection of raw materials. Rattan furniture also plays an important role in ecology. It can not only adapt to degraded forests and poor soils, but also grow well in natural forests without disturbing the original ecological structure and balance. There is no pollution and it can be recycled.”
“The craft form of rattan weaving is very unique, showing the unique charm of traditional handicraft. Vine has a rough surface and is a prickly plant. Therefore, in the production process, the raw materials need to be "polished" by hand, without mechanised treatment, so that the rattan elements into our furniture, to achieve the most natural harmony.”
“ As with any natural material and especially Rattan as it is a plant based material we do all we can by adding a thin protecting layer to the top, it's important to to wipe away and spills with a damp cloth and let air dry. We test all materials in house with household products such as ketchup, red wine, soy sauce etc and we find that any of these materials that sit on the surface for more than a 15 minute period will start to penetrate the rattan material.”