Wicker names a way of weaving. Makers weave it from rattan cane, willow, paper cord or a plastic fiber made for the weather. Outdoors, that strand decides how long the chair lasts and where you can leave it. Kettal makes outdoor wicker furniture in both families, so the choice comes down to your climate and your roof.
Synthetic fiber for the open garden
Most outdoor wicker furniture today uses a synthetic strand. Kettal Maia, drawn by Patricia Urquiola, uses a UV resistant fiber that craftspeople braid by hand over frames of aluminum or teak. The braid reads almost like a textile, and the frame inside carries the load.
Synthetic fiber holds its color in strong sun and sheds rain. Water runs through the open weave and the strand dries in an afternoon. You can leave a Maia armchair by a pool through the season and rinse it with a hose. The range includes chairs, armchairs, a sled base stool and a single swing seat that hangs from a beam. See the Maia collection.
Kettal uses the same approach on the outdoor Basket armchair, a new edition of the 1950s chair by Nanna and Jorgen Ditzel. The indoor original keeps hand braided wicker on oak. The outdoor version switches to woven synthetic fiber on a hardwood frame, so the same silhouette can stand in a garden.
Natural rattan under a roof
Rattan is a climbing palm. Its cane gives wicker the warm, uneven look many people picture when they hear the word. Kettal Eolias by Antonio Citterio uses real rattan on its Salina chairs: a garden chair, an armchair and a lower easy chair, all on aluminum frames. Citterio drew the group for use inside and out, so a Salina chair can sit on a porch in July and at a dining table in January. See the Eolias collection.
Rattan asks for shelter. Long rain soaks the cane and dry heat pulls moisture out of it, and both shorten its life. A covered porch, a loggia or a sunroom gives it the conditions it likes. The other Eolias pieces cope with open weather: Panarea is a stackable aluminum chair, and Lipari is a folding teak table.
Pick by roof, then by look
Start with the roof over the spot. An open deck in Arizona sun or a pool edge in Florida rain calls for synthetic fiber. A porch in Charleston with a deep overhang can take rattan, and the cane ages well there.
Then choose the look. Synthetic fiber gives an even surface and one color through the strand, so a scratch stays invisible. Rattan shows its grain, and each chair differs a little from the next. Some owners mix the two: rattan chairs at the covered dining table, fiber loungers out in the sun.
synthetic fiber against natural rattan
| Question | Synthetic fiber | Natural rattan |
|---|---|---|
| Rain | Sheds water and dries fast | Swells and darkens if it stays wet |
| Strong sun | UV treated fiber keeps its color | Dries out and can crack in hot dry air |
| Best place | Open garden, pool edge, rooftop | Covered porch, loggia, sunroom |
| Feel | Smooth, even, same color throughout | Warm, irregular, each cane a little different |
| Kettal pieces | Maia, Basket outdoor version, Vimini | Eolias Salina chairs |
Care that keeps the weave tight
Wicker fails at the joints first, where the strand wraps the frame. Check those points in spring. Wash the weave with water and mild soap a few times a year, and let it dry in the sun before you add cushions. Cushion fabrics such as mass dyed acrylic and Porotex dry fast too, but they last longer if you bring them in before a storm.
a year of care for outdoor wicker
- 01Spring rinse off the winter dust, check the weave at the joints
- 02Summer wipe spills the same day, bring cushions in before storms
- 03Autumn wash with mild soap, let the weave dry in the sun
- 04Winter rattan indoors or under cover, fiber can stay out
Tell us where the chairs will stand and whether the spot has a roof. We reply with the Kettal wicker pieces that suit it, the frame and fabric options, and a price for each.
