Fashion for natural furniture is reborn. Today, people are increasingly becoming interested in such interior items as wicker furniture. And not only for decorating summer cottages or verandas, but also for decorating rooms in the house. Eco-friendly furniture is not only beautiful, but also practical. You can make a comfortable armchair from wicker yourself according to your taste and discretion.

To make wicker furniture with your own hands, you can use the following materials: Banana leaves. This raw material for furniture is also called abaca. Banana leaves range in length from 75 to 350 centimeters. They are used to weave not only furniture, but also ropes and various ropes. Very durable and light weight material. Furniture made from banana leaves turns out to be dark brown in color. Bamboo furniture. Less common due to the difficulties encountered when weaving rigid bamboo. Bamboo shavings are used for weaving and various decorative items are created from it. Hyacinth. Special water hyacinth is also used in furniture weaving. Such material requires lengthy preparation. First, the collected hyacinth is dried, then pressed and rolled into rolls. This takes six months. Such furniture does not fade in the sun and is resistant to moisture. Rattan is the most commonly used material for making furniture. It is very durable and resistant to wear and moisture. In the sauna you can often find wicker rattan furniture. Seaweed. Furniture from seaweed less durable than rattan, but very beautiful. Seaweed is taken from the bottom of the ocean, dried and cut into ribbons. These ribbons are woven around the frame of the furniture. Willow. Wicker furniture made from willow is prone to cracking. This material is not as durable as rattan and is not very flexible. The length of the rods is 50 centimeters. Because of its toughness willow twigs more difficult to bend. In addition to the above materials, you can also use bird cherry vine, alder, raspberry, hazel and even nettle for weaving. If you are going to make wicker furniture for the first time, then it is better to use bird cherry, since the vine of this tree is more flexible and plastic. Types of wicker furniture Wicker furniture can be: Frameless. The essence of creating such furniture is to ensure that only strong sticks act as a frame, which will act as rigid ribs for the structure of the piece of furniture. Frame. The frame in such furniture is made of steel rods or other durable metal. Weaving in this type of furniture is done on top of the metal parts of the frame. Wooden. The supporting frame here is made in the form of wooden sticks, which give rigidity and stability to the furniture. Varieties of wicker furniture can be seen in the photo: Advantages and disadvantages of wicker furniture The demand for wicker furniture has been growing in recent years, which means that such a piece of furniture has positive recommendations and undeniable advantages. Among them: Such furniture is always light in weight. It's easy to move and lift. Easy to operate, wicker furniture does not require special care. It is enough just to periodically wipe the surface with a damp sponge to prevent it from cracking. Wicker furniture made from wicker is a wonderful decoration for any room. In addition, this is environmentally friendly furniture. Properly executed weaving guarantees the strength and durability of the furniture. The disadvantages of wicker furniture include: Such furniture is afraid high humidity. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that wicker tables and chairs are not left outside if it rains. It is also necessary to avoid drying out. Wicker furniture is also afraid of prolonged exposure to sunlight. Trimming rods To properly trim the rods you need: collect the rods for weaving before the buds begin to appear on the branches; The branch is cut at a 40-degree angle. Don’t be afraid to do this, because in a couple of years new branches will grow again in place of the cut branches; Willow branches should be pruned in the fall. If at another time of the year, then perhaps it will begin to sprout already, being furniture; The cut vine must be bent and the degree of its flexibility determined. Those rods that do not break are suitable. A high-quality rod should have a thin core. These rods are useful for small binding of furniture. Branches with a dense core are useful for creating a frame. Rods for wicker furniture should be prepared in the fall, before the onset of frost. During this period, the branches are easy to clean and can then be stored dry. The rods can also be prepared for work in the spring before buds form. Weaving furniture Before starting work, the rods must be boiled in boiling water under closed lid. The rods should boil for about 60 minutes, and over medium heat for about another hour. Dark rods need to be cooked longer - more than 3 hours. When the branches are boiled, the bark must be removed immediately. To make wicker furniture with your own hands, you don’t need many tools. The main thing is yours skillful hands and some practice in wicker weaving. To work you will need: pruner; ruler or other measuring accessory; pliers; wood saws; templates; of course - wicker or rattan twigs. Willow wicker furniture Willow is the main material for making wicker furniture. And if you are not going to buy this material, then you can get it yourself. Willow, as a rule, grows near bodies of water - go there. Leave the collected material to dry and then peel it as much as possible. Determine the parameters of future wicker furniture for your dacha or your country house. IN in this case describes the technique of making a sofa. Manufacturing technology: Make a rectangle out of 4 strong sticks. To do this, cut 2 sticks 65 cm each, and two more – 45 cm each. Fasten the frame parts with self-tapping screws. In this case, the sofa will have 3 front legs. Make the height of the sticks 40 cm. Attach the legs to the seat with self-tapping screws at a distance of 20 cm. Cut the back legs for the sofa according to the same principle as the front ones. Only they should be longer, since the main emphasis will be on them. The side legs are 60 cm, the central one is 45 cm. Also attach them to the seat. In order to make the back, you need to screw a long stick to the ends of the high back legs. When the frame is ready, start making ribbons. Divide each willow twig into 4 parts. Using a knife, carefully plan each piece into ribbons. Press the tip of the knife on the upper end of the twig and draw it to the lower end. To stabilize the entire structure, attach 1 more horizontal stick between the legs of the sofa. It is also necessary to secure 2 sticks along the entire length of the seat. Wrap the frame with willow ribbons. To keep them in place, secure them with glue. Prepare a sheet of plywood as a seat. Attach it with nails. When the frame is braided, coat the entire structure with stain. Then place a mattress or padded foam on the plywood. A comfortable wicker sofa with your own hands is ready. Garden furniture woven from rattan today occupies a leading position among consumer choice. Raw materials for making rattan furniture are purchased in stores. Sold as natural rattan, and artificial. Stages of making rattan furniture: First, prepare the frame. You can use a ready-made wooden, metal or plastic frame. Using a construction stapler, attach the main rattan guide rods to the frame. Cut off the excess protruding ends of the rods with a knife. Braid the frame with ribbons in any order. It can be braided in a checkerboard pattern, or in the form of an openwork. When you have finished braiding the frame, trim off any excess tape that extends. Such furniture is extremely easy to make when you have a ready-made frame. It is enough just to wrap it correctly with tapes and secure them with glue or self-tapping screws. Finished furniture can be varnished. Advantages of rattan furniture: resistance to moisture and sunlight; does not change its shape when temperature changes; environmentally friendly material; has no smell; It does not require special care; durability and low cost. However, rattan is distinguished by its excessive rigidity. If rattan weaving is damaged, the entire structure will unravel over time. If you decide to make wicker furniture yourself, then do not start an unfamiliar craft without preparation. First, practice weaving baskets and feel the vine by touch; In order for the vine to be elastic and have a certain shade, you can use a special impregnation. DIY wicker furniture. Video

Practical, environmentally friendly, beautiful, and always individual – wicker furniture made from willow vines is confidently changing its once narrow purpose “for the dacha” to furniture “for dining rooms and living rooms” country houses. Many city apartments are also acquiring original functional wicker interior objects.

Previously, trips to the Black Sea or the Caucasus were always marked by the purchase of a beautiful wicker basket for fruit, which was then used for mushroom picking and storage of onions and garlic. Later, a laundry basket appeared in the house from a vine, replacing the faceless and boring plastic one. I accidentally found out that in our area there are excellent craftsmen who work with vines. The Germans who visited us at our dacha in the summer were generally wildly delighted with my unpretentious wicker utensils, all this gave me the idea to take a fresh look at the ancient craft and start producing wicker things. Well, I haven’t made much progress in my skill - my hands are weak, pampered, and I don’t have the perseverance, it didn’t go beyond the basics and a couple of stands (although the work of my hands is displayed in the most prominent place in the house), but the idea was to start popularizing this worthy cause I didn’t leave it for a long time. What to do? Of course, look for craftsmen and open a store! I immediately gave up on creating a workshop - there was no point in collecting all the craftsmen I knew, everyone had their own equipment: some in the garage, some in the barn, some equipped themselves at home workplace, my task is to provide orders and organize sales and try to start my own business on wicker furniture without starting capital.

Procurement of material and tools

All work is almost entirely done by hand using the most simple tools: knives, secateurs, meters. You will need pliers and round-nose pliers, wood hacksaws and a set of various templates. The main material is the same willow vine, harvested all year round, but has different quality, price, purpose.

By the way, the preparation quality vine, cultivating your own plantation can become a separate good business, even if you don’t know how or don’t want to do weaving. The best varieties for planting are purple willow, black willow, red willow, and almond willow. Very interesting variety hemp willow: more suitable than others for weaving furniture - it forms a bush with shoots more than 5 m high, which bend beautifully, but have a large core, therefore suitable as a frame base for the product. Willow vine is grown on clay and sandy soils; on fertile soils the rod is too thick, does not bend well, is not suitable for weaving, but is excellent for hedges. Wicker fences are widely used landscape designers for decorating flower beds and various compositions, also for creating interiors of cafes and restaurants in folk style.

You will get your first high-quality harvest of vines from your own plantation in the third year (there are technologies by which you can harvest the harvest a year in advance), and before that time you need to harvest it in nature, which in itself is not difficult, along the rivers and in the swamps there is plenty of this goodness , you need to select suitable bushes, clear a place around them and prune in late autumn or in early spring. The cost of packaging the finished vine, depending on the category, is from 120 to 300 rubles/100 pcs. specially prepared, treated and dyed wicker or willow tape costs even more. By the way, grapevines, corn leaves, and some types of cereal stems are used in weaving to make things more decorative and varied in texture.

Wicker furniture - a romantic accent in minimalism

In our city, as well as throughout the country, many studios have opened for the production of kitchens and cabinet furniture - and it was these workshops that I first offered cooperation - to use our retractable wicker boxes in the design. Design ideas with boxes made of wicker, found on the Internet, were met with a bang. There were many who wanted to diversify the look of their standard chipboard cabinets.

Any detail made entirely by hand carries a powerful positive energy, maybe that’s why people are so drawn to everything non-standard, made in one copy. On Russian market wicker furniture competes with rattan furniture (from the shoots of the rattan palm tree), but this is only because there are not enough local weaver manufacturers. Rattan is more expensive, the quality is no higher than that of wicker, and the range is narrower. Therefore, our market has room to move, especially through orders for individual sizes and sketches.

Courses on the basics of weaving cost an average of 10,000 rubles for two days, but this depends on the area of ​​residence and the artist. You can get a job as a “worker” for a couple of weeks and combine training with auxiliary work in the skill of preparing and processing material, so it turns out that you learned and didn’t pay any money. Each craftsman on average makes a shelf-stand, or a small cabinet or a rocking chair, from 3 to 7 days, depending on the complexity of the execution, such work costs about 7,000 rubles for the most unpretentious medium-sized cabinet with its cost of 1,400 rubles (subject to purchased materials ). In any case, this is not a continuous production process, and between finding a customer, agreeing on the details of the order and the price, manufacturing, and delivery, a lot of time passes, often if a master makes 2-3 items per month, that’s very good. I took on all the work of making ends meet.

The problem that I constantly deal with is the search for masters or those willing to professionally learn the skill of wicker weaving. Despite the fact that there is a need for beautiful and functional things, people in the city are mainly employed in the mining and metallurgy sectors. I’m thinking of opening training courses; I’m sure this is a very promising business.

Currently, I work on an ongoing basis with two masters from our city and one from the region. IN mall renting a small area 4 square meters(I pay 5,000 rubles a month rent), there are a couple of display cases, booklets, baskets woven from wicker and birch bark for the assortment, I immediately accept orders for the manufacture of furniture, enter the data into the computer, look for a design with the client, mainly dining rooms, cabinets - stands, boxes and various modifications of shelves. The city is actively developing private houses, we are keeping our finger on the pulse, we already have a preliminary agreement with an architectural and design bureau to order wicker fences and gazebos. The fashion for a clean environment and a healthy ecology will definitely not go away in the coming years, which means our business will always be in demand.

A variety of wicker furniture in this video

Wicker furniture business can be called today a relevant niche for manufacturers in the domestic market. Wicker furniture is bought not only for furnishing country houses. Openwork wickerwork looks beautiful in cafes, saunas, ethnic restaurants or summer areas. Custom-made wicker furniture also looks beautiful in apartments with a seating area. Furniture woven from rattan or willow wicker is handmade, which is always in demand due to its originality and environmental friendliness.

Wicker furniture

Despite the fact that wicker furniture is characterized by high profitability and low cost, the niche of wicker products is actually empty and is filled with expensive imported products. Therefore, it makes sense to occupy this niche and start own production wicker furniture. Equipment and raw materials can be obtained easily, and it is only a matter of talent and desire.

Types of handmade meli

In terms of the materials used for its production, wicker furniture is divided into several categories:

Furniture made entirely from plant materials;
Furniture made from wood with decorative braiding;
Wicker furniture in combination with other elements. For its production, metal, plastic, plywood, soft elements for sitting, etc. are used;

Furniture weaving technique allows you to produce products such as:

Chairs and stools. These products are rigid and non-separable;
Armchairs, sofas, etc.;
Sun loungers, tables;
Whatnots
Wardrobes and chests of drawers

Materials for furniture production

Production of wicker furniture carried out from climbing plants, which have a dense and flexible structure. Wicker furniture is made from the following types of raw materials:

Willow raw materials. This is the general name of the material that is prepared from plants such as vine, willow, willow, willow, etc. Three-year-old rods are used to make the frame. For the weaving itself, an annual vine is used.
Pine, spruce and cedar roots. This raw material is harvested at logging sites.
Birch bark. This material is a layer of birch bark. It is used for weaving decorative components. This raw material is harvested in spring and summer, from trees that are intended for felling. Birch bark itself has a beautiful pinkish or yellowish-white hue that can be dyed. Birch bark combines beautifully with materials such as wicker or rattan.
Rattan. This raw material is prepared from palm shoots.
Bamboo. It is prepared from bamboo grass itself.
Linden bark. This is a raw material, which is a bast, which consists of ribbons. Each tape has a different width and is used for decorative weaving, as well as for connecting individual elements.

Training video on making wicker furniture

The most popular raw materials for weaving furniture today are willow and rattan. The full cycle of furniture manufacturing consists of the preparation of rods and their processing, which includes sanding and drying. However, you can use ready-made raw materials, which have already been cleared of bark and processed, in order to give the rods right size and shape. Ready-made material for the production of chairs, sofas and armchairs is also available for sale. This material is made from reed fiber or rattan bark. The raw materials are split into fibers, from which fabrics are woven on special machines. Finished canvases are sold in rolls.

The wicker furniture business has its advantages, among which the main factor is accessibility. You will be able to produce furniture both on an industrial scale and organize the production of wicker furniture to order. This will depend on the volume of sales and the number of employees.

Is this business worth doing?

According to statistical data from 2012, the production of wicker furniture in the domestic market exceeded the mark of 50 million rubles. It is also necessary to take into account many artisanal workshops that do not officially register their business, so real indicators will differ greatly from statistical ones. However, the trend of active development of this market is obvious. In just one year, from 2011 to 2012, the production of wicker furniture increased by 35 percent in monetary terms. The reasons for this growth include active growth country house construction, despite the fact that the owners of new houses do not purchase individual pieces of furniture, but entire sets. There is also a tendency to abandon plastic furniture, which until recently was considered the most comfortable country furniture. It is being replaced with much more comfortable, wear-resistant and, most importantly, environmentally friendly furniture.

In the wicker furniture market, Asian countries are traditionally the leaders. Russia does not occupy any place in this list, since domestic production of wicker furniture is only 35 percent, the rest is imported.

Wicker furniture business has undeniable competitive advantages. It is low cost of raw materials and a large number of work force, who is trained in weaving techniques. This business can be supplemented with machines, which, of course, reduce the quality of weaving, but increase production volumes. In addition, in many Asian countries the export of raw materials is prohibited, and strict restrictions are placed on the export of furniture. Therefore, in the domestic market, local raw materials are most often used.

The structure of the domestic wicker furniture market is as follows:

58 percent – ​​rattan furniture
31 percent - furniture made of wicker;
7 percent – ​​bamboo furniture;
4 percent - furniture from other raw materials.

Industry prospects

The wicker furniture market has prospects. The development trend of this industry looks like this:

Replacement of imported raw materials with domestic ones.
Reducing imports. Since 2012, Indonesia has banned the export of rattan raw materials. This factor has reduced the production of wicker furniture by manufacturers in other countries that do not have their own raw material base. Therefore, many workshops, especially in China, began to produce furniture from bamboo or an artificial substitute. European manufacturers began to specialize in the production of furniture made of wood with decorative braiding.
Application of machines for serial production of wicker furniture.
Monitoring market trends. Domestic manufacturers can quickly respond to changes in consumer demand.
Development of a new design of wicker furniture. Domestic manufacturers have this opportunity, and it will allow consumers to understand that custom-made wicker furniture is only good for the street or for the garden. Abroad, wicker furniture has long been popular, as it is recognized as the most environmentally friendly and comfortable. Some sets of wicker furniture from well-known manufacturers cost as much as luxury furniture sets. This direction is just beginning to develop on the Russian market. According to experts, the wicker furniture market is growing by 30 percent every year.

Equipment for making wicker furniture

Production of wicker furniture used hand tool or machines. It depends on the complexity of the weaving. The weaver works at a stable table, which has drawers for tools. Tools for the production of furniture from curling raw materials include:

Hand saws
Tool for sharpening ribbons - shmol
Strugi;
Steel plates for straightening or bending rods - female chisels;
Steel plate in the form of a cone for leveling wicker rows - iser
Chisels, drills, drills and screwdrivers
Knives, etc.

If we talk about automated production, then at the moment it exists. You can work on prototype looms. For natural materials, such machines turned out to be unjustified in terms of quality. A simple fabric woven on a machine is subject to deformation after stitching. In order for the fabric to fit tightly around the frame, it must be woven by hand. So take advantage and get started your own furniture weaving business in order to occupy this empty niche in time.

Currently, an increasing number of buyers are willing to pay a lot of money for unusual interior items. There is also a tendency to purchase furniture from environmentally friendly products and natural raw materials. Therefore, the demand for wicker furniture is constantly growing.

Making wicker furniture is an ancient craft, but despite this, the range of wicker furniture is able to satisfy a wide variety of tastes and preferences of customers. Such furniture will harmoniously fit into the interior of not only a home, cottage, but also a restaurant or outdoor cafe.

Appeared relatively recently polymer wicker furniture, but it does not seriously compete with natural wicker furniture. A self-respecting person or a decent establishment will always give preference to the quality of material and execution.
You should start making wicker furniture by choosing the material. The most common raw material is rattan, which is produced only abroad. The most accessible material in our country is willow vine.

Mastering ancient craft of weaving, you should not immediately take on weaving complex patterns. Start with simple stools. Having acquired weaving skills, you can add a table to the stools. The investments that need to be made in this idea are weaving skills and knowledge of material preparation.

A wicker rocking chair is the first association with knitted and wicker furniture. To make it, you need to prepare not only the vine, but also branches for the frame. Today, chests of drawers, coffee tables, chests for bed linen, and wicker boxes are also in demand. There are even entire bedroom sets that include a bed.

Sales of wicker furniture if you have a small assortment of products, you can arrange it by agreeing with furniture stores, agreeing in advance on the percentage of the sale of goods that they will receive. In the future, it is possible to consider such implementation options as opening a specialized store and opening an online store. Use your imagination, put your hands to work and you are guaranteed the successful development of this idea.

Video - Do-it-yourself furniture weaving:

Wicker furniture is such a piece of furniture that arouses admiration among almost any person, thanks to its unusual looking, reliability and simplicity. Wicker furniture is popular for the reason that it is in great demand among homeowners, or owners of country houses or apartments with large loggias. If you are interested in wicker furniture, then you should definitely study this article in order to find out all the details of production.

Features of wicker furniture production

Making wicker furniture with your own hands can become a profitable business. And if you don’t know how to produce these products, then step-by-step instructions will help you.

So, first of all, it’s worth saying that self-woven furniture is made quite simply and quickly. And if you correctly follow the manufacturing technology, it is quite possible to end up with an ideal product. Features of manufacturing wicker furniture using natural materials, as a rule, depend on the type of design chosen. For example, there are some differences in the frame of the item, as well as in the methods of weaving it.

Wicker furniture can be openwork, combined or single. In the process of performing this work, you can make all kinds of patterns, combine weaving, or use standard weaving of one type. Self-woven furniture, first of all, should provide you with safety and last a long time. When weaving furniture items, it is necessary to ensure the high-quality connection of the knots in this design, and at the same time give it rigidity and reliability. When weaving furniture, the following connections are used: detachable and permanent.

The first element is quite simple when assembling and disassembling furniture, but the number of individual connections is limited. This usually depends on the features of the furniture itself. Products with one-piece elements are made using glue and nails. These products are more durable and last for decades. Although there are also disadvantages - there is no way to disassemble them in case of necessary transportation.

Preparation of material

It is impossible to imagine making wicker furniture without high-quality material. Therefore, for future wicker furniture it is necessary to prepare appropriate material. To be able to weave furniture yourself, you can use branches from variety of plants: hazel, bird cherry, raspberry, willow and even nettle. Need to pay Special attention However, to begin this work, it is better to use bird cherry, since this plant is quite pliable for weaving, and can also easily be cut into several ribbons. Bird cherry also perfectly retains its original shine and shade. In order to start harvesting rods, you should choose a time from mid-October until the onset of the first frost. You can also harvest branches of this plant in the spring.

In order to make openwork furniture, twigs should be collected in early spring. One of the main differences in the quality of the collected material is their thin core. Branches with a thicker core are, as a rule, suitable for assembling the frame of large products, as well as for making all kinds of gazebos or braided deck chairs. In addition, the choice of material can be made based on the width of the leaves: if the leaf is narrow, then the branch will be more flexible, and the product will be more delicate and beautiful.

There is a technique with which you can get a white rod - it should be boiled. To do this, you need to take a container with hot water and lower all the collected workpieces into it. Next, you should boil the rods for an hour. And to obtain lighter tones, they need to be cooked for at least 2-3 hours.

In order to obtain dark shades, you need to boil the pieces for 4-5 hours. After this procedure, all the rods must be removed and immediately cleared of bark. This is necessary so that they do not lose their beautiful appearance. The bark is removed using a splitting tool. The furniture turns out very beautiful thanks to the use of whole rods and glossy ribbons in weaving. To be able to make such rods, you need to divide them into 3-4 parts using a knife or a splitter. These parts make beautiful and thin ribbons.

Design features of a wicker chair include the following elements:

• Sidewalls;
• back;
• seat;
• Legs;
• Tsargi.

The armrests of the chair are additional element manufactured product. Willow sticks are used to make the chair. Their diameter should be approximately 29-30 mm. Thin twigs are also used of this plant(from 6 to 10 mm). In order to make one item you need to spend up to 30 long rods. The bends are made using a special tool - a jig. With its help, all existing unevenness of the rods is leveled. The process of making furniture begins, as a rule, with cutting out all the necessary parts - twigs and branches. To make furniture that has a curved appearance, the shelves should be bent according to a specific pattern. The lounge chair consists of the following components:

• Backrests;
• Convenient and comfortable seating;
• Armrests;
• Bottom bench.

The manufacturing technology of wicker furniture is divided into several stages. Therefore, making wicker furniture with your own hands can take you a lot of time.

So, first, a frame is made from thick rods, and the braiding is made in the areas where the elements of the object meet. This product has a very beautiful appearance, as well as high armrests. They, in turn, serve for comfort, as well as to increase the rigidity and durability of the chair.

The bottom bench is load-bearing frames furniture. It is necessary primarily for the strength and reliability of the item. The frame has:

• legs,
• covered leggings,
• bearing crosspiece,
• support frames,
• seats,
• Podluchek.

The back of the chair is made from the upper parts of the rear legs and rods located in the upper part of the back.

The seat for the chair is made from dense and durable branches. They are usually attached to a perpendicular rod of the seat and to the frame rods (rear and front).

During the production process of the frame, its legs are attached to the seat frame and to the crosspiece of the leg.

The next stage in the work is the process of tightening the leg and installing the striker.

The armrests are made using pre-processed elements - soaked and curved willow branches.

Then the armrests are installed to the front of the seat frame, and the butt ends are attached to the sides of the arms.

The next stage of work is to secure the upper ends of the armrest rods to the upper sections of the rear leg rods. After all the main rods are installed, the decorative branches of the armrests are installed. They go around the back of the chair along the entire top. Using willow tape, all connections of the product are braided. Next, the rods for the seat and back of the chair are installed.

conclusions

Making wicker furniture as an additional or main income can become promising business. However, before opening such a business, you need to know all the features of production and some details. In general, consider all these tips in order to launch a similar business in your city.