This detailed rattan room divider fuses traditional crafts with modern furniture design
Posted in: UncategorizedThis double-sided rattan room divider is the designer’s interpretation of unity – between the harmonious lines and the color palette ranging from warm to cool tones.
Rattan is a locally sourced material – one in fact we have seen our grandparents use in their day-to-day life with ease, and we have disregarded it in our modern adaptation of plastics. Truly, I often feel, sustainable design has roots in our past; if only we can find the discipline to research, revise and adapt these practices on an everyday basis. Rattan is the material derived from dried vines that is weaved into a usable pattern we call wicker – next time you lounge on those IKEA outdoor wicker chairs, be the one to identify these differences!
The divider here, named Bilid, uses 2 contrasting lines designs – straight and wavy to depict 2 opposite reactions. The straight lines create a harmonious texture to evoke peace, whereas the wavy lines reflect the conflict one might see over the contrasting/undulating waveform. Each divider is held in place with an undyed beige rattan design, allowing the colors to do the talking.
Speaking of the lines, the designer explains, “the vertical line implies orderly and strong structure, strength, higher, rigid while conveying a lack of movement. I used it to refer to an ideal orderly place, peace, decency, and harmony.” On the other hand, the wavy lines depict,” the serpentine Line implies energy, sense of movement and dynamism from social conflict, conflict movement and inequality that inspired from domestic society.”
Using rattan, a locally sourced material, the designer emphasizes the story of different perspectives, portraying how the dissimilarities could co-exist through the materials, colors, and two opposite variances. Different rattan patterns express meaning through the material and colors to create a colorful emotion and represent a new mood of rattan furniture with tinted/pastel color combinations—the two blends to provide a contrast of “warm & cool” tones. 
The overall theme of Unity is inspired and represented with these 2 different patterns of rattan. The rattan pattern on one side is smooth conveys calm and peaceful in the same way to create a calming emotion for space. In contrast, the other side uses wavy weave rattan to reflect on the conflict to create a movement emotion to the home space.
Each line of this divider is designed with care, giving you a sense of focus and calm, the same way the designer must have invested himself while designing this metaphorical representation of life as we know it – full of ups and downs, warm and cools but presenting a harmonious front when we look back from the perspective provided by the passage of time.
Designer: Sarunphon Boonto
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