If you are keen on high-end furniture, you perhaps have already noticed that certain materials or techniques used in their production may suddenly become extremely vogueish, then fall into oblivion, but later they reappear and their popularity soars again. Vienna straw is a good example of this. You probably saw the items with Vienna straw inserts among the Italian luxury furniture pieces on Bellavista Collection’s website – aren’t they pretty?
Actually, Vienna Straw isn’t a kind of straw, as you might think: it is a type of weave that makes a lovely octagonal pattern, looking a bit like a honeycomb. Viennese weaving is a classic technique that has long been used in furniture making.
But what Vienna, the capital of Austria, has to do with it? Well, long ago, around 1859, to be precise, one popular café in Vienna was furnished with chairs. Their seats were woven of straw in that particular technique. Those chairs were made by the Thonet company; the model was known under the name Thonet №14.
From that time on, this type of chair was called the Vienna café chair, and the weaving pattern of its seat got the name of Vienna straw. This particular furniture piece quickly became iconic and was popular for an incredibly long time: for more than a century!
Time passed, and new materials and styles were at the height of fashion. Vienna straw pieces became vintage rather than voguish. However, in the 2010s both the material and the technique came back, as it sometimes happens in the world of design.
Too Good to Go Out of Fashion
It turned out that Vienna straw fits into contemporary interior designs incredibly well. When combined with other materials – wood, leather, and metal – Vienna straw details give furniture pieces a very special look and feel.
In fact, it’s no news that wickerwork is far from becoming obsolete – they are just too good to go out of vogue. Woven details add zest to modern rooms, adding a bit of vintage prettiness to a contemporary style.
A woven piece – a chair or a lampshade, for example, adds a feeling of warmth and coziness to the room.
Vienna straw is an extremely versatile and grateful material. Besides, it is absolutely eco-friendly, so modern designers gladly make use of woven pieces in their projects.
CHAO LI and MAO
Let’s take a quick look at two magnificent items from Bellavista Collection, which are decorated with Vienna straw, namely, MAO console and CHAO-LI ceiling lamp.
MAO belongs to Dulcechina Collection, a very special group of 12 furniture pieces. Attilio Zanni, the brilliant all-around designer and the co-founder of Bellavista Collection brand, created them in 2018. Their Orient-inspired design instantly drew attention and Dulcechina pieces scored a great success at trade events that year.
Dulcechina is still so popular with Bellavista’s customers that it is placed in a separate section of the brand’s website.
The combination of solid wood of the structure and Vienna straw decoration of the top makes MAO console table look really gorgeous.
As for the wood, there are seven veneering options available: three kinds of walnut (natural American walnut, moka stained, and dark stained walnut) and four kinds of oak (natural, moka stained, and grey stained oak).
One more thing that makes MAO special is the design of its base, with two crisscrossed metal bars. These bars, as well as the ends of the MAO’s feet, are made of cast brass with an antique bronze finish – the favorite Bellavista’s material when it comes to metals.
MAO console table is middle-sized, so it will fit into almost any room. The table is 150 centimeters (59.1 inches) wide, 37 centimeters (14.6 inches) deep, and 90 centimeters (35.5 inches) high.
In spite of having something Oriental in its design, CHAO-LI chandelier was created a year after Dulcechina collection, in 2019. If you go to CHANDELIERS section of Bellavista’s website and sort the items thereby popularity, the first one you’ll see is CHAO-LI.
Its structure is made of brass with an antique bronze finish. The lampshade is cylindrical, 37.3 cm (14.8 in.) in diameter and 45 cm (17.7 inches) high.
As to the material of the shade, it is crafted of natural maple wood, available in two options. You can have it in either natural or moka stained maple. With the Vienna straw wickerwork inserts, this pendant lamp looks informal and creates a welcoming atmosphere in the room.
Please bear in mind that this lamp looks best in a room with a ceiling that is from 2.70 to 3.20 meters high. CHAO-LI will be a great choice for a smaller living room, a dining room or even a kitchen.
When you browse through the website section named LIGHTING, you can’t help noticing that Bellavista Collection offers two voltage options for all its lighting fixtures. For European countries, 220V – 50 HZ lamps are offered, and 110V – 60 HZ ones are supplied to the USA. In both variants of CHAO-LI, the cord is of cheerful red color.
How to Look After Pieces with Vienna Straw Inserts
In spite of looking delicate indeed, Vienna straw pieces are pretty resistant and will last longer, if you look after the wickerwork properly. It’s easy.
First, don’t keep them exposed to harsh sunlight and extreme humidity – both may spoil the material.
Second, straw likes regular brushing. A soft brush will reach all the interstices in the weaving. Gentle vacuuming using an upholstery brush attachment (please be careful!) will help you eliminate the rest of the dust.
Third, you can also wipe the surface with a damp cloth from time to time.
Also, if the back surface of the weaving is reachable (like in the CHAO-LI lampshade) it’s a good idea to occasionally slightly moist it, for this natural material to stay pliable. Needless to say, the light should be turned off when you are doing this.
Take a bit of your time, and Vienna straw details in both MAO and CHAO-LI will look great and serve you for decades.
