Trendy Ways To Add Raffia Furniture Into Your Home For A Natural Look

Raffia and other similar woven materials are a great way to bring natural elements into any space. Spotted in a variety of interior styles, including rustic, boho, coastal, and Balinese-inspired doses, it can be found in large and small doses. While popular in design trends over the last few decades, a more subdued and subtle version of the material that looks contemporary and crisp is emerging as a new favorite among designers, particularly within the organic modern aesthetic. 

Made from plant material that is woven and dried, raffia is often found today wrapping streamlined wood pieces and stylishly covering items like lampshades and mirrors, where it grants a far more contemporary look than raffia furniture and rugs popularized in the '80s and '90s. Today's raffia pieces are firmly designed for a chic indoor look and can bring sophisticated interest into a space. With the wide variety of options on the market, you can integrate the material into your space no matter your style. 

This contemporary raffia furniture embraces simple lines and modern silhouettes while still adding texture, dimension, and a natural touch to spaces. Since it is softer and more malleable than wicker and other woven cane textiles like sisal and jute, raffia is perfect for using along with other materials like wood, metal, or pottery, where it curves to fit existing lines. While it can cover soft objects like pillows and ottomans, it's amenable to all underlying shapes, including streamlined tables, desks, or headboards without much adornment. The smaller the weave, the effect is less basket-like and more like a supple tweed.

This texture lends itself well in any space, particularly those driven by neutrals that revel in bringing in natural materials as a key part of their design. Traditional wicker patio furniture and sturdier cane pieces, can sometimes make the room lean more heavily into tropical, coastal, or boho aesthetics. However, the simplicity of newer raffia covered tables, nightstands, and desks feels wholly modern and contemporary in style. 

You can being this new take on an old classic into your home in subtle ways that feel organic and natural while still keeping a simpler, more minimal design scheme. Stylishly minimal raffia pieces like this nightstand from Wayfair and this coffee table from East at Main can elevate your space. There are also more budget-friendly options are available like this accent table from Amazon and these nesting tables from Target. You can test the waters with small pops like mirrors, cushions, rugs, lamps of vases wrapped in raffia, or go big with a woven headboard or desk. The woven material looks especially stunning as a way to add layers of texture in otherwise neutral rooms or minimalist spaces, fitting in nicely whether left natural or dyed in colors like moss green or teal.

There are also ways to work in the materials using a DIY approach. You can add raffia and other cane materials to the front of thrifted dressers or wrap a table in a wallpaper that has a raffia look and texture. Or, glue some raffia to the front of inexpensive IKEA cabinets for a chic DIY upgrade. For fun accent pieces, add some rolled caning to an inexpensive vase or to the top of table surface.