Ah, wicker. The love-it or hate-it material can elicit some strong reactions from just about anyone.
As a child of the ’90s and an elder millennial, I hate the look of wicker. It reminds me of uncomfortable chairs, and I can still feel the small stabs from where it wasn’t finished properly. I do not like how wicker looks.
However, I love wicker itself, and I love the trend. Why? Because it’s damn good for the planet.
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I recently wrote an article about trends that will be going out soon.
One of the things a lot of designers are agreeing is on the way out? You guessed it: wicker and rattan.
In the article , I mentioned that trends are cyclical, and I stand by that. However, I was surprised to see just how many people are already over the whole wicker thing.
I mean, hello? Have y’all seen the state of the world recently?
Trends are just unsustainable.
We cannot keep cycling through trend after trend at the pace we have in the past. It’s so wasteful. To me, the fast furniture industry is quickly becoming as big an issue as the fast fashion industry.
Remember the whole mirrored furniture trend? I have yet to see someone upcycle one of those, and I spent a LOT of time looking at DIYs and upcycles. I suspect most of that furniture went right into a landfill.
I believe wicker came back out of a need to use what we already have.
Wicker was deeply in style in the ’70s, and came back a year or two ago. Why? Because of the sheer amount of it that you can find it thrift stores, I think. Clever thrifters brought the trend back by sustainably sourcing thrifted pieces and upcycling them, rather than buying fast furniture that will fall apart in a few years.
That cycle of sustainability is the key to how this and the next generation decorates. We’re done buying new, y’all.
So, love it or hate it, wicker being here to stay might just be a good thing.
Not only is it great for our planet to use what we already have, but flipping furniture is fun! And wicker looks great with a boho aesthetic, no matter the year. Is it my cup of tea? No. Do I love it for what it represents? Hell yes!
Let’s be a little more thoughtful about our shopping choices, and let’s hype up sustainable trends. After all, DIYing is the spice of life!
