Its inspiring to see young designers making inventive, elegant furniture that is also sustainable. Abie Abdillah is an Indonesian furniture designer based out of Jakarta, who focuses on sustainable materials, especially rattan and other wood-like materials. The ‘doeloe lounge chair’ and ‘pretzel bench’ are two new pieces featured on Designboom, which utilized rattan in a way that reminds me of a modern take on wicker furniture.

The Doeloe Lounge Chair. Designed by Abie Abdillah.

Rattan is a vine-like palm native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Australia. Due to its economic value, rapid growth, ease of harvest, transportation and use, rattan can be a tool for sustainable forest management which helps reduce the use of other exotic materials. Indonesia sources around 70% of the world’s rattan supply. Rattan is a highly sustainable material that grows rapidly up to more than 100 meters in height. Similarly to bamboo, rattan is more a grass than a tree, but it is much more solid and flexible than bamboo.

The ‘doeloe lounge chair’ design is inspired by the design of ‘oplet,’ which was a form of public transportation used in the 1930’s to the 1970’s in Jakarta. Abie Abdillah talks about his desire to live in a different time, and the doeloe lounge is an exploration of that desire. The frame of the lounge is made from curved rattan in an almost comical proportion, which allows for large spaces and a sense of lightness in the piece. The upholstered seat floats on the frame and has a regal presence that is humbly structured in rattan.

http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/11435/abie-abdillah-rattan-chairs.html