Green wattle, which was not processed in any way, is used to make simple baskets and covers for plant pots. Refined wattle which bark was removed (twigs after several days of soaking in special pools or ponds are prone to remove the bark), is so-called white wattle - sun, on which it is dried, gives characteristic golden colour to it. If the raw wattle is boiled, then its white wood changes colour to different shades of red, as the result of influence of pigments of bark.



Influenced by the fashion from the half of XX century started by Scandinavian designs, Italian designers became interested in cane, wattle and rattan.

It was just then when the oldest materials used by the human kind were discovered once again for the use of designing and hit the parlours. They have also become subjects of esthetical experiments. The most appealing seems to be connecting soft, flexible wattle with hard metal. Plastic wattle was also used to furniture production which were primarily made of rubber foam and other flexible materials. Gio Ponti, one of the most prominent Italia designers, copied the form of commonly used chair , used by the fishermen, added to it only weaved seat. In this way one of the most famous pieces of furniture of the 50s was created.

Rattan versus wattle

Unfortunately, although weaved products are very popular nowadays on the whole word ( we know about it because the fashion of rattan furniture reached also our country, ranking from simple cupboards and armchairs to sublimed bedroom and parlour suites) our designers still do not use wattle as it deserves to be used. Recently, foreign and expensive rattan Has been winning with wattle with its modern design of forms, variety of Hades, interesting connections with wood, metal and fabric. For wattle it is very hard to reach parlours because as far as now it even did not hit the furniture shops.

Among few pieces of furniture offered the most interesting are the models of half-round seat backs , open-work or densely weaved. They can be accompanied by a tiny table , round or square, and stacks of different sizes or a trunk with open-work seat back pretending a sofa. Wattle products the best fulfill expectations of animal lovers. They hale a great choice of baskets and beds for dogs, even the largest ones, as well as elaborate kennels for cats, cages and feeders for little birds.

Wattle, in the contrary to rattan, does not bring to the interior the taste of exotic, but only desired natural look. Therefore it can be introduced to the flats arranged in any style, it will not glare even when mixed with elegant furniture from XIX century. Contrast arrangement of New with old, industrial materials with natural ones , hard and cold materials with soft and warm is very much in fashion nowadays. It gives wattle a great chance to happen. Traditional forms of furniture can win again. If the wicker armchairs are placed next to the table with a glass or marble desktop on legs made of wrought iron, they will create a new context so they will not associate with garden chairs. The same interesting will be contrasting wicker fronts of cupboards with silvery steal of the sink , eaves and cooker. We will probably not find all the articles to furnish the flat in the wattle shop, but there are so many little products that we shall not have any problems with choosing something for each of the room. Using only accents of wattle presence in all the room we can create pleasant climate in the whole flat. In the bathroom it can be clothes basket or stack for cosmetics, in the kitchen ? fronts of cupboards, little baskets for fruit and bakery, the hanger in the corridor, comfortable armchairs in the living room, and for the bedroom I recommend wicker screen.

For the people of creative minds who like to refresh the arrangement of their flat , wattle gives a real chance to show up with little cost. Thanks to simple actions we can arrange interiors depending on the season or our mood. It is enough to change the fabric on the cushions on the wicker seats and the same fabric hang in the windows and put on the sofa. In autumn and winter we recommend to use thick, close-knit fabrics, for instance velvets in warm, rich colours. For the summer the best will be patterned muslins and calico.