Woven Wonders
Woven outdoor furniture is back – but don’t worry, it’s not anything like the matching sets that filled your grandparents' conservatory. Modern woven garden furniture is experimental, it’s attention grabbing, it’s rule-breaking and it’s giving our outdoor spaces a whole new look.
Bora Outdoor Sofa
Bora Outdoor Dining Chair
Welcome to the Future
Think woven outdoor furniture, think lines and lines of wicker? Allow us to broaden your horizon. That old one-size-fits-all tight weave that traditional brands historically bedeck their outdoor furniture in has been relaxed. What remains is the organic-y, craft-y feel, while gone are the aesthetic design conventions.
Ahnda Outdoor Wing Chair
Ahnda Outdoor Lounge Chair
Remember When?
A popular choice for patios, lawns and terraces in the 1960s and 70s, wicker furniture woven from rattan vines flourished during the era’s mid-century modern movement which saw a shift towards a more casual way of living. Incredibly strong, lightweight and sturdy but with a humble, natural aesthetic, wicker furniture was well-suited to life in (or near) the garden. Its flexibility and versatility allows for the creation of a wide variety of designs, from chairs and sofas to tables, loungers and beyond. However, with the rise of materials such as plastics, metals, and glass, along with industrial design trends in the 80s and 90s, wicker furniture began to be overlooked and perceived as dated, and the style slowly faded into the background.
Grace Lounge Chair
Natural Beauty
Typically associated with the natural, woven furniture pieces in any material now tend to evoke images of plants sourced from the jungle. It brings a continuous sense of the organic to outdoor spaces, harmonising with leafy backgrounds to create a calm, soothing ambiance – which is what we seek as we blur the boundaries between indoor and outdoor today
Sway Sofa
Softcage Armchair
Gentle Hands
The woven element of woven furniture hints that each product is unique, made by hand, authentic, and non-mass-produced. Weave itself speaks of the artisanal, craft communities and cultural heritage, imbuing the spaces they inhabit with charm, soul, history and a sense of connection to the traditions of the past.
MG501 Cuba Outdoor Lounge Chair
Crinoline Outdoor Armchair - Highback Pattern
A Modern Twist
The weave of 2024 is running free, and warps and wefts are going wild. The modern-day woven furniture design can be made from a tight weave, forming a classic solid block, it can be loosely entwined, letting light and air though, it can be multi-layered, playing with form and shadow, it can be oversized, using warp and weft as chunky pieces of decoration, it can be not really woven at all: relying on just a single tier of yarn to do all of the work. For today’s woven outdoor furniture resurgence, contemporary designers are embracing the versatility of weaving, exploring new techniques and pushing the boundaries of traditional craft heritage. Emphasising innovation and unexpected outcomes, designers are experimenting with unconventional materials such as high-tech, weather-proof plastics to create striking woven furniture pieces that break the mould.
Nest Sofa
Innovative Evolution
This blending of traditional techniques with modern materials and outlooks has resulted in a fresh and exciting approach to woven design. Explore our top 10 curation of woven outdoor furniture, that embodies the perfect fusion of timeless craft heritage and bold innovating – you’ll be surprised.
1. Solaria Outdoor Sofa
Bringing Avant Garde angles outdoors, Poltrona Frau’s Solaria Outdoor Sofa makes a gentle contemporary statement with its folded woven arm rests. The stainless steel frame is dressed in a weave of handmade rope, which thickens at the top and bottom of the piece allowing light to shine through the middle section.
2. MR01 Lounge Chair
Paring back its weave to only one layer, the MR01 Initial Lounge Chair Outdoor by Mathias Steen Rasmussen is all about shapely silhouettes and striking shadows. The nautical-style linear cords that make up the seat and backrest are calming in their simplicity, supported by a low-slung iroko angular frame. Made from custom-created high-performance polyester rope, the cords are waterproof, UV-resistant, and will not stretch over time.
3. Bay Outdoor Sofa
Creating air pockets with sections of braiding, Doshi Levien’s Bay Outdoor collection is shaped sensually and sculpturally. A single woven section wraps around the sitter, the traditional style of weave juxtaposing the chair’s experimental form. Crafted from a double layer of weather-resistant polyester fibre braid, air and light flows through the design, highlighting weaving’s charm and warmth.
4. Carousel Outdoor Collection
Bringing weave into the garden in a subtle manner, the Carousel Outdoor Coffee and Side Table by Sebastian Herkner uses tightly woven synthetic rope to form a solid base for its thin aluminium alloy top. The rope contrasts the sleek upper material quietly and blends in with the coordinating white tabletop, while the weave gives texture and the feel of craft to the design.
5. Breeze Highback Chair
Updating the classic high back woven outdoor armchair with sleek, progressive shapes and angles, the weave of the Breeze Outdoor High Back Lounge Chair by Strand+Hvass is tightly packed to create an almost solid surface in a fibre that is fade-proof as well as ultra-quick drying. Accented with a thick woven rim that travels in an alternate direction to the chair’s body, the edge adds a subtle decorative element.
6. Esosoft Sofa
An homage to the beauty of textural interplay, Antonio Citterio’s Esosoft Outdoor Sofa’s shell is comprised of a handwoven fibre which imitates wicker with its organic tone, intricate weave and smoothly upturned edges. The basket-like structure nestles the sofa’s pillows within, and is abrasion, heat, and UV damage-proof.
7. Club Sofa
An ode to abject minimalism, the Club Outdoor Sofa Prospero Rasulo is so fine it’s almost difficult to perceive as a 3D object, its dark black linear structure often seeming intangible, weightless, and flat. Held on a curved, slimline stainless-steel frame, the body of the piece is woven with reinforced PVC thread, its lines intersecting to form alluring, complicated patterns and making its darkness delightfully denser in certain areas.
8. Ville Dining Chair
Showing off the simple under-and-over structure of weave with thick polyester straps, the back and seat of Anderssen & Voll’s Ville AV34 Outdoor Armchair are webbed and shaped by hand. The seat is comfortable and flexible, adapting to the sitter’s body shape, while the geometric form of the legs and armrest keep the design ahead of the curve.
9. Zenith Outdoor Lounger
All about merging deluxe comfort with the new weaving trend, the Zenith Outdoor Lounger by Henrik Pedersen is sumptuous yet practical, traditional yet modern and hard yet soft. Its wheat-coloured all-weather wicker back and seat are modernised with a plush, dive-onto-me weather-proof cushion, seamlessly integrating comfort into the classic woven base.
10. Palinfrasca Collection
Turning decadent slices of teak into a dramatic oversized weave, the back of the Palinfrasca Outdoor Island by Vincent Van Duysen feels generous, sculptural and supportive. Showcasing exquisite carpentry skills, it features gentle, curved contours that evoke a sense of comfort and enclosure.