RATTAN POTENTIAL AS ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY MATERIAL FOR SEATING FURNITURE

Abstract

Rattan is a very well-known environmentally friendly material in seating furniture, but the facts, not all of rattan material can be used for seating furniture. Rattan is also a sustainable product that can be used as a solid wood substitute. Additionally, with rattan’s high commercial value both on the national and international markets, Indonesia as the largest rattan producer worldwide gained a high export opportunity. Indonesia is ranked third in global rattan exports and has successfully penetrated export markets in various countries across continents, especially in Europe. Therefore, this research aims to determine the characteristics, benefits, and functions of rattan from various type of rattan that can be use as materials for seating furniture in Indonesia, especially Cirebon in Mantera Rattan Manufacture so that furniture designers can find out which type of rattan that can be used for seating furniture. The research method used was qualitative by literature studies from various source and observing Mantera Rattan. It can be concluded that rattan is a sustainable material that has great potential in designing furniture, especially seating furniture, but not all types of rattan can be used as material in seating furniture due to the dependence on the thickness and strength of each type of rattan.