The history of wicker sunroom furniture

Wicker furniture is not all that new, actually wicker sunroom furniture has been around since 3000B.C. created by the ancient Egyptians. As the Nile River was filled with the thick bladed grass, called wicker it was not long before the Egyptians found out about its strength once it was dried out. Not only did the Egyptians make sitting furniture from this Nile grass they also made baskets, trunks, tables and beds!

It was not long before wicker sunroom furniture made its way to Rome. Romans who were resourceful in their own way had not yet discovered wicker until either Marco Polo or Marc Anthony (It is not definitely known which one) introduced wicker to the Romans, who in turn welcomed this beautiful form of fine furniture. The Romans took wicker one-step further though and made swings and privacy screens with it. They also invented a more elegant way of weaving the wicker to create much more graceful designs.

By the time wicker sunroom furniture had reached China around the 15th Century, the weave had become much smaller. The Chinese did not use it much in the way of furniture but constructed bowls and boxes with lids that made it useful to store their sacred writings. Then we move on to Africa where wicker arrived around the same time as the colonization of the Americas. Although the African weaves are not as tight as the earlier Roman and Chinese wicker, they also chose not to use wicker as furniture but for war. The Africans used wicker to make such things as shields for protection during battle.

Finally, during the mid 1400′s wicker made its way across the ocean with the early American settlers. It is believed things such as the settlers’ storage trunks and suitcases were made of wicker. Later on once the Victorian age set in is when wicker had taken on its new shapes and colors (white mostly) and nowadays can be found in sunrooms around the world!

During the great American depression, wicker furniture was popular, not only for its strength, but it was widely available and cheap. Jobs were scarce as was money and people did not have a lot of money to spend on niceties like the much greater costing solid wood furniture. Wicker was cheap so during the depression one would have found many a home furnished with this type of furniture.

Today wicker furniture can be found just about everywhere, as yard furniture to sunroom furniture to regular household furniture. It is available in many, many different colors. Although weaves have changed and are still changing, wicker furniture is timeless and beautiful.

If you are creating a sunroom in your home, wicker sunroom furniture would add a classical yet timeless look to the room. Wicker can be purchased in virtually any type of furniture from sofa’s to chairs, tables, end tables, trunks boxes and so much more! With all the colors that are available, you will be sure to find a set to match any style or decor you are looking to do!