We’re having a conservatory built and I’m starting to think about furniture. Not much, maybe just a couple of chairs and a little table since the room will be pretty small. The problem is that I can’t stand cane/rattan furniture. I don’t know where this abiding hatred came from but there it is and I don’t want it in my house.
So why is all conservatory furniture made from this loathsome material? I suspect it’s to do with withstanding heat/sun, but this is northeast Scotland we’re talking about, so we don’t actually get much of that. This room would be used when there’s some sun out, but still too cold for this native Texan to be comfortable sitting outside.
So what are my alternatives? Should I just go with furniture I like and feel fairly secure that it won’t melt/rot/whatever considering we’re hardly in the tropics here? Or do I just accept that I’ll have to have furniture I hate?
I’m guessing by conservatory that you mean sunroom? it doesn’t have to be rattan, just something more casual than a formal/inside living room. And more open/airy/natural/light.
How do you feel about metal furniture with stuffed sections to sit on?
I hate rattan/cane/wicker stuff too, to the point where it makes me feel ill if I have to touch the stuff (and no, I have no idea where or how this aversion/distaste came about).
I’d look at high-end patio furniture; stuff like this La-z-boy collection at Canadian Tire (though I don’t know what stores would carry stuff like this in Scotland!)
Damp is a bigger factor where I am than sun. Our sun room was an addition, and structurally it’s an inside room like any other room in our house – we just call it the sun room. We have regular furniture in it.
On the other hand, my grandmother’s sun room was once a porch, and was enclosed to make it a sun room. It’s too damp for real furniture, so she had the metal framed indoor/outdoor furniture with upholstered cushions that could be brought indoors if necessary.
The problem isn’t heat/sun, more like the heat/humidity. But as has been said, nowadays there’s many other materials that are prepared for that kind of conditions.
If you get wood, make sure it’s treated for “outdoor” conditions (ie prepared to withstand humidity and heat).
I’m guessing that the temp fluctuations and damp might make solid pieces warp. Rattan, being woven, can accomdate expansion and contraction easily. However, if your conservatory is heated and cooled like the rest of your house, I don’t see to go with something you abhor. And if the room isn’t climate-controlled, I’d just go with other furniture suitable for the outdoors.