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If you want furniture that is light on your wallet, light in your hands AND light on your carbon footprint, wicker is exactly what you're looking for. Wicker is a woven fabric made out of hard natural fibers that do not get deformed easily. Most natural fiber baskets seen today are made out of wicker, which in its natural state has a sandy brown color. With the appropriate varnish and some regular maintenance, wicker can be a cost-effective way to have eco-friendly furniture for your home and garden. To top it off, wicker items are so light that even your seven-year old would have no trouble dragging a wicker chair around the house. If you think that lightweight furniture will have to be replaced annually, you are very wrong indeed. The cheapest wicker furniture will usually last for at least four years, after which the legs begin to wear out thanks to repeated movement and dragging. To increase the lifespan of wicker furniture, you can add protective coatings and padding to the bottom of the leg. Alternatively, wood and metal can be used as the frames for wicker chairs, tables, bar stools and sofa sets, so that the lightweight cane does not get exposed to repeated friction from being dragged around. I should add here, though, that no other material is as light as wicker, so if lightweight and portable is what you are looking for, invest in wicker-only items. The strength of wicker items varies according to the material, the finishing touches, as well as the weave. Light and thin baskets typically have a checkered appearance, as they are woven out of broad strips of fiber. The tougher wicker fabrics - which chairs and household furniture are made out of - look like several lines of short, thin stripes positioned next to each other. Some varnishes available in the market can help maintain wicker furniture much more easily, making it several times as durable as it would be without it. Typically, the materials used for wicker are rattan, reed, willow and bamboo. These can also be used together or fused with metal, wood, cloth and glass, creating unique hybrid combinations - each with its own specific merits and attractions. As a quick guideline - wood gives an impression of solid, earth-bound practicality, while metal conveys sleekness and elegance. Glass is a great space-enhancer, excellent for an otherwise cramped house, while cloth is versatile, colorful and a soft material excellently suited for upholstery and cushion covers. So while choosing furniture that has wicker and one other material in it, keep these things in mind. If you feel that brown will become monotonous, you can find wicker in any color you want; the most popular are white, black, dark brown and grey. All your household furniture - from a child's crib to a writing desk to garden chairs to a dining table - can be made out of wicker. As far as natural furniture goes, wicker is a material that definitely cannot be dismissed.
Browse natural furniture such as wicker furniture.
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