Traditional furniture repair & restoration
Willowcraft Renovations
Cane Seating
Caning is a beautifully decorative, yet practical method of applying a functional seat or back to a chair. Many designs are employed to produce the finished article; four or six way for seats and backs, and medallion or sunburst which is predominantly applied to chair backs, offering an artistic finish to quality furniture.
We offer all the above methods, the cost being reflected by the size and complexity of the canework.
Contact us for more information about cane seating.
Brief historical notes on cane seating
Cane seating was first introduced to this country in the latter stages of the 17th century and
apart from a short period during the second world war, has remained with us in one form or another.
The tensile strength of the cane, harvested from the jungles of the Far East, has proven useful in
its success.
Originally the cane was ‘laid on’ chairs in its various designs, purely by hand, each individual
piece added in sequence until the desired pattern was produced. Since the early 1900’s however,
loom or sheet cane was developed and no doubt had some influence on the contemporary
furniture design.
This influence was again echoed in furniture design of such companies as Habitat in the
1960’s and 70’s as the loom cane lent itself to the mass production of furniture.