The Furniture Material that Continues to Dominate Year After Year

In the past few years, we’ve seen geometric accent walls, '80s-inspired colors, and all things squiggly soar with viral popularity, but peter out almost as quickly as they arrived. While those trends faded, others were establishing themselves as interior mainstays, like layered neutrals, zellige tile, and of course, cane furniture.

Woven textures are as classic as it gets so it should come as no surprise that cane furniture has remained so popular. Cane, in particular, has reigned supreme, possibly for its ability to blend in with so many different decor styles and design eras. Read on for more about the material and why we simply can’t get enough.

“Cane” refers to a specific part of rattan (an umbrella term for a large group of natural fibers) that’s removed from the thorny outer layer of the plant. It’s light in color (unlike the darker, warmer tones of the full piece of rattan), and in most applications, woven into a pattern to create a strong sheet of material. It’s also used to wrap around portions of furniture to secure pieces together, like on a traditional French bistro chair.

The two most popular types of cane webbing are hexagonal and radio weave. The hexagonal cane is easily recognizable for its geometric pattern, and radio weave cane is a simple one over, one under pattern, like with most fabrics. Both weaves are exceedingly strong and water resistant, making it a sought-after material for a number of furniture pieces, including chairs, cabinets, tables, headboards, room dividers, and more.

Well, first of all, I tend to think that cane is a neutral. Much like light wood tones or sage green, anything can be a neutral if it coordinates with the vast majority of your home. Alexandra Graham, general manager of curated home brand Bass & Bennett, agrees, “I think its popularity lends itself to the fact that it’s a neutral-colored natural material [and that it's] approachable and budget-friendly. I personally love it because it’s eclectic. It has the ability to look either bohemian or turn of the century depending on how it’s used. I see the bohemian look fading out eventually, but the material maintains its popularity through the California-casual style.”

Not only is it a neutral, it brings a certain warmth to any space it finds itself. “I think the main reason why furniture trends keep veering back to cane,” says Home52 editorial lead Arati Menon, “is because, simply put: there is a certain quality of ‘naturalness’ to it, which feels important in our increasingly digitized, man-made worlds. Being from the tropics, I grew up seeing a lot of cane furniture in home, and always felt drawn to its tactility (try running your hands across webbing—doesn’t it feel lovely?), how it softens up spaces, and the way light passes through it. At home in Brooklyn, I love spending weekends reading in my great-grandfather’s armchair that I brought back. The way it yields to me—it’s so pliable yet feels so secure. And it has held up for several decades!”

Speaking of decades, much like many other cyclical trends, cane has maintained its appeal by adapting with the times. It can be stained to fit with an ornate piece, or left natural to fit a mid-century one. “I think like most bygone era trends, cane has been renewed by younger generations, but in more current ways,” Graham points out.

Itching to bring a piece of cane furniture into your home? Find some of our favorites, below:

1. Bendt Dining Chair, $159

2. Delphine Linen & Cane Accent Arm Chair, $279.38

3. Serena Wood and Cane Panel Headboard, $379.99

Do you have any cherished pieces of cane furniture in your home? Tell us why you love them below!

This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. Food52 earns an affiliate commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to.