Wicker living room furniture and rattan living room furniture go well with almost all type of living room decorating ideas. They can look elegant and formal and at the same time lend an oriental touch to the living room. The wooden-like finish makes it suitable country style living room furniture and best suited as rustic living room furniture. Rattan and wicker furniture is not only beautiful and available in various handcrafted styles, but it is perhaps the most versatile, strongest and durable furniture available in the market that is very easy to take care of. It requires very little maintenance. Wicker living room furniture is lightweight and hence can easily be shifted from one place to another making cleaning and sweeping much easier.

Rattan and wicker living room furniture has great endurance quality and can withstand the rough and tough handling and common problems of everyday usage. Unlike other furniture and accessories made out of wood, rattan and wicker furniture is environmental friendly too. It is actually made out of living vines that replenish themselves and grow up and are ready to harvest all by themselves in about each seven to ten year period. Versatile wicker living room furniture can be adapted easily to casual and informal living room styles and also to classic formal styles by just opting for the right fabric for its upholstery. Most of the wicker sofas, chairs and seats come with unattached cushions so that you can easily change their covers to match the color scheme and decoration style of the room without spending a fortune on it like re-upholstering the traditional furniture.

Fine quality and premium line wicker and rattan living room furniture usually have stained or natural though Southwestern living rooms often use new wicker living room furniture that has been white washed to match the living room color theme. The popular painted finishes for wicker furniture are either pastel in color or have darkest pecan color with smooth and consistent finish. Sometimes there can be some color variations with minor mineral streaks that just enhance the natural beauty of rattan and wicker living room furniture and lend uniqueness to every single piece of its handcrafted furniture. It is not advisable to use silicone based furniture polish product on rattan and wicker furniture as it can seal it and will not allow the poles to absorb moisture and oils readily to keep it strong.

All you need to keep your wicker furniture in good shape is to dust it regularly with a damp cloth and occasionally apply a light coat of lemon oil to protect it and give it sheen. Wicker furniture is also good enough to be used in outdoor living spaces such as patio living rooms or living area made on a deck. Rattan is actually a member of the climbing palm family found deep in the tropical rainforests of the Far East. This tropical vine grows as tall as 600 feet. It is solid and strong like steel but is pliable and flexible too and thus, can easily be molded into furniture and furnishings after heating. Wicker actually means woven furnishings.

Besides rattan, it can also be made up of other natural and synthetic materials such as willow, reed, twigs of other plants, sea grass, banana peel, leather, paper, metal or plastic. Wicker living room furniture also includes bamboo and cane furniture. Bamboo is a tropical grass that is hollow and not very flexible. Unlike rattan, it has limited usage and can split over time and is best suited as an accent on furniture or for unusual accent pieces. Cane is thinly split strips of the outer skin of rattan and its peel that has been soaked in water is often wrapped around joints and framework of beautifully crafted rattan furniture to give them more support after it dries. Cane is also popular for weaving chair seats and backs.