Rattan garden furniture is usually made in a wicker style. Tightly woven strips of flat, half-round and/or full weave rattan come together over a frame to form fabulous, lightweight furniture. At Primrose, the best rattan furniture comes from Primrose Living, and in this post we’ll dive into the sets our customers love the most.

But first, let’s do a little explanation of what rattan is, and the difference between rattan weaves.

What is rattan?

This is an example of rattan garden furniture

Real rattan is a spiky plant that grows in Southeast Asia, but most ‘rattan’ garden furniture isn’t actually made from this. While real rattan is hardy, it doesn’t do well in a fluctuating climate. A British combination of cold and wet with occasional sun causes rot, mildew and failing furniture when it’s made of real rattan.

For a much more in-depth answer, check out our full post on what is rattan garden furniture.

The vast majority of rattan furniture and rattan planters in the UK is polyethylene (PE) rattan, a much more hard-wearing and weather-resistant material. It comes in all sorts of colours, from a natural-looking sandy brown through grey, blue, black and likely any colour you can think of.

The variety after that comes from the different rattan weaves.

What are the different types of rattan weave?

flat weave looks flat, half round has a bit of depth and full round resembles thick straw

There are three main types of rattan weave – flat, half and full – and each of those can be single, double, or even triple woven. Flat weave is the cheapest and most widely available, being very flat in appearance due to the thinness of the material. The Primrose Living Classic range is an example of this.

Half-rounded weave is a middle ground between the expensive fully-rounded weave and the cheap flat weave, having some of the texture of fully-rounded without being as heavy and bulky, while more comfortable to sit on than flat weave. The Primrose Living Luxury range is all half-rounded.

And fully-rounded weave is what you get if the rattan used is completely cylindrical, as though it’s made of thick string – often used for decorative edges rather than the whole furniture piece due to the cost and weight. You’ll see this on the arms and edges of every Primrose Living set.

Whether it’s single, double or triple refers to the number of strips used for the weaves – in the example image above they’re all single woven, while if they were double you’d see twice the number of strips in one direction (like the set below).

The UK’s Best Rattan Garden Furniture

Luxury Rattan Bistro Set in Pebble by Primrose Living

two chairs and a table with grey material and blue/black cushions

A rattan set built in Parisian style, this bistro set was made for coffee and croissants. Available in stone, natural and recliner varieties, as well as flat weave, these bistro sets are super popular with couples and solitary seaters too.

  • Price: £999.99
  • Material: Aluminium frames, half-round rattan, tempered glass
  • Features: Included coffee table
  • Seats: Two

Shop this Luxury Rattan Bistro Set in Pebble

Luxury Rattan Hanging Egg Chair by Primrose Living

A grey hanging egg chair in front of some artificual screening, a hurdle panel and on an artificial deck

UV- and weather-resistant and as trendy as it gets, this is an egg chair you’ll be proud to have in your garden, conservatory or indoor nook. The base is included so you can put it wherever you like, made from the same quality rattan as the rest of our Luxury Primrose Living range.

  • Price: £599.99
  • Material: Rattan
  • Features: Thick comfy cushions
  • Seats: One

Shop this Luxury Rattan Egg Chair

Luxury Rattan Double Hanging Egg Chair by Primrose Living

a hanging egg chair made from grey rattan, placed in front of a fence on a patio

An egg chair made for two from Primrose Living, with a guaranteed level of quality that goes with it. Cushions you can sink right into complement the grey half-round rattan, along with the rust-resistant powder-coated steel frame

  • Price: £799.99
  • Material: Rattan
  • Features: Thick comfy cushions
  • Seats: Two

Shop this Luxury Rattan Double Egg Chair

Luxury Rattan 8 Seater Rectangular Garden Dining Set with Parasol by Primrose Living

Eight seats (with two at each end) around a rectangular table. Seats and table edges are rattan, top is glass, cushions are white and polyester. The parasol's cream, and it all looks very comfy

The height of garden luxury, this Primrose Living set has space for eight guests to sit in and enjoy your garden from. Thick cushions give these seats armchair-level comfort, and the half-round double-woven rattan looks and feels phenomenal.

  • Price: £3,199.99
  • Material: Aluminium frames, half-round rattan, tempered glass
  • Features: Full-round rattan detailing, tilt parasol
  • Seats: Eight

Shop this Luxury Rattan Eight Seater Garden Dining Set

Luxury Rattan 4 Seater Circular Garden Dining Set by Primrose Living

Fewer seats, a smaller table, but the same level of luxury with closed-arm armchairs and the same thick cushions. The set above is natural coloured rattan, but this set also comes in stone and pebble for a world of luxury options.

  • Price: £2,499.99
  • Material: Aluminium frames, half-round rattan, tempered glass
  • Features: Full-round rattan detailing, tilt parasol
  • Seats: Four

Shop this Luxury Rattan Four Seater Garden Dining Set

Luxury Rattan 8 Seater Oval Garden Dining Set by Primrose Living

8 rattan seats around an oval rattan glass-topped table., with a parasol towering over it all. The chairs look like armchairs with closed arms

An oval wonder, this is an eight-seater set with a friendly air, bringing all the guests a little closer together for passing the wine, breaking bread and dining in style. Look out for the cushion button details, quality rattan and ever-present tempered glass.

Also available in stone and pebble.

  • Price: £3,199.99
  • Material: Aluminium frames, half-round rattan, tempered glass
  • Features: Full-round rattan detailing, tilt parasol
  • Seats:Eight

Shop this Luxury Rattan Eight Seater Garden Dining Set

Classic Rattan 8 Seater Oval Garden Dining Set with Parasol in Stone by Primrose Living

8 stone-coloured rattan seats around an oval table, dressed with throws, crockery and glassware

Part of our ‘Classic’ rattan range, this flat-weave rattan is a little easier to manufacture so it can be sold for less. Entry-level Primrose Living with the same comfort and attention to detail as all our Luxury Primrose Living Sets with thick cushions and detailed edges..

  • Price: £2,999.99
  • Material: Aluminium frames, flat-weave rattan, tempered glass
  • Features: Full-round rattan detailing, tilt parasol
  • Seats: Eight

Shop this Classic Rattan Eight Seater Garden Dining Set

Luxury 6 Seater Circular Garden Dining Set in Stone Rattan by Primrose Living

six seats, in stone, around a circular table, parasol above. There's a white planter set off to the left

Like the knights of the round table but fewer guests, this circular table is great for bringing people together. The cushion colour complements the stone-coloured rattan, and the seats are comfy enough to spend all day in.

You can also get this set in Natural or Pebble if you’ve got a different garden style.

  • Price: £2,999.99
  • Material: Aluminium frames, half-round rattan, tempered glass
  • Features: Full-round rattan detailing, tilt parasol
  • Seats: Six

Shop this Luxury Rattan Six Seater Garden Dining Set

Luxury Rattan 8 Seater Rectangular Fire Pit Table Garden Dining set in Stone by Primrose Living

A garden dining set with a fire pit nestled into the table - glass surround it

A garden furniture set that brings the heat, this fire pit table is smoothly integrated to give you the best of both worlds when it comes to outdoor living. You’ll need to supply your own gas canister, but this is a set that’s built for evening dining and socialising.

  • Price: £4,299.99
  • Material: Aluminium frames, half-round rattan, tempered glass
  • Features: Fire pit table, glass surround
  • Seats: Eight

Shop this Luxury Rattan Eight Seater Fire Pit Garden Dining Set

Want to see the whole range of rattan garden furniture? Check out Rattan Garden Furniture at Primrose