The question of timelessness is one that we return to in the world of interiors – most specifically in terms of furnishings. For inspiration that is (arguably) ageless, we should look to Reese Witherspoon, the actress who has adorned her with rattan – a material that has already impressed for a century. And, as antique collectors explain, it will likely impress for another 100 years from now.
'Rattan first came into vogue in the 20s and 30s when it was first used in Hollywood movies. Everybody fell in love with it. The material makes furniture that feels nice and cool inside of warm homes.
After it first caught on, people started to make their own tiki rooms, finished in rattan and similar materials,' comments Los Angeles-based collector . Schwartz opened his first Los Angeles antiques shop in 1969. By the mid-70s, he had established a regular Hollywood clientele of collectors, including Barbara Streisand, who filled her beach house with his rattan furniture – and Streisand is in good company.
A photo posted by on Fans of Witherspoon will know that her dining room is not the only space where she experiments with rattan. Last year, she shared her , made from the material (via Instagram), but as Schwartz explains, our chosen setting doesn't matter: this furniture will look good anywhere. Like all design aesthetics, rattan has ebbed and flowed in popularity, but it's never looked quite as chic as it does in the contemporary day.
And with support from Witherspoon, both insi.
