Wicker Chairs as Backyard Accessories

Wicker Chairs have been around for many years and come in all sorts of designs shapes and sizes.  Old chairs made back in the 1800’s are now sought after antiques by collectors around the world.  These chairs are truly hand made and also a piece of art.  Collectors of these items can pay large sums of money to buy and repair them.  Usually they will also get an appraisal of the item so it can be insured in the future.  Wicker repair is quite a specialty and should be done by a professional.  These professionals are dwindling in number but still can be found with an aggressive search using the internet.  Many of them can tell you if your piece is authentic by looking for the manufacturers label usually underneath the bottom of the chair or back.  There were many manufacturers from the mid 1800’s and well into the 19^th century as immigrants coming to North America had learned the weaving skill from their ancestors and applied their knowledge to gain employment in their new country.  Whole wicker furniture groups with complete parlour settings were made and sold as very high end furniture in their day.  Wicker rocking chairs were common as well, with manufacturers making just about any sort of wicker chairs as a stand alone item, or part of a dining or living room suite.  

Today wicker furniture is used as patio sets, for sun rooms, decks and other backyard accessories.  Wicker is still made today but mostly in third world countries and imported to North America.  You can quite often find them at the big box stores but these items are very common mass produced items.  It remains to be seen if they will have any collector value 100 years from now.  Hand made one offs are still made in North America by well known artisan craftsmen who register their finished works.  Certainly these pieces will become valuable over time and be sought after by future collectors.   Backyard adventures in decorating using wicker accent accessories should be considered by anyone wanting to create a stunning look around their home.