Furniture made from natural environmentally friendly pure materials always uses in great demand, despite the relatively high price. It is strong and durable, does not require special care and can withstand significant loads.

The volume of the market for the production of goods from willow vines is estimated by experts at 10 million rubles per year. Its potential capacity is 2-3 times greater.

This is facilitated by the spread of fashion for natural and environmentally friendly products, the development of retail chains and hotels, which are increasingly giving preference to wicker interior items.

The main competitor to wicker furniture is considered to be rattan products (liana-shaped shoots of the rattan palm), which are presented in large retail networks“Ikea”, “Leroy Merlin”, “Castorama”, etc. However, their range is quite limited, and prices are higher: rattan is much more expensive than willow vine, despite almost the same quality.

Main advantages Russian manufacturers wicker furniture before imported ones - the possibility of fulfilling individual orders and the absence of unnecessary costs for the delivery of large goods from abroad.

Despite the good prospects for the development of this segment of the furniture market, competition among domestic producers practically absent.

Opening own business The production of such interior items does not require large start-up capital. Knowledge of rod preparation technology, weaving skills and a minimum set of tools is enough.

Many buyers are sure that wicker furniture is only suitable for country house or verandas. In fact, the design of such interior items can be in any style - from classic to high-tech, and is suitable for ordinary apartment or at home.

The high retail price of wicker furniture is due to the fact that it is made entirely by hand. Accordingly, each piece of such furniture is unique in color.

Procurement of materials is also quite labor-intensive and long process. However, the necessary raw materials (willow rods, plates, sectors and tapes made from them, sticks for the frame and lumber of various types of wood) do not need to be prepared independently, but rather buy ready-made material.

A furniture rod costs 150-190 rubles/100 pieces, depending on the category. It takes 3-6 days to produce one chair. The timing depends on the model and complexity of weaving.

The cost of a finished chair is, on average, 1.5-2 thousand rubles. including materials and labor costs. Retail price starts from 4-5 tr. and higher.

To organize furniture production, you will need a workshop-warehouse for storing materials and work.

Renting a room of sufficient area (minimum 30 sq. m) will cost from 10 thousand rubles/month.

For the purchase of the first batch of raw materials, varnishes, paints and necessary tools budget an amount of 20 thousand rubles.

Registration will also require additional expenses. necessary documents(20-50 tr., depending on the types of goods). Children's furniture is subject to mandatory certification, wooden beds, special furniture (for example, office), furniture for educational institutions. Household furniture is subject to mandatory declaration.

Many manufacturers of wicker furniture are members of the Association of Folk Art Crafts of Russia. For a knowledgeable consumer, such participation can serve as a guarantee of compliance with the production technology and aesthetic value of furniture from a particular manufacturer. However, for a young company, joining the Association is not always justified, since it is associated with material and time costs for processing all the necessary documents.

After registering an individual entrepreneur or legal entity and completing all the necessary documents, it’s time to start looking for distribution channels. You can search for customers and buyers through advertisements in newspapers, interior design studios, and specialized exhibitions.

If you make furniture yourself, it makes no sense to open a separate store. It’s better to post examples of your work on the website (developed by yourself simple option a showcase site will cost from 1.5-3 thousand rubles) and distribute leaflets or business cards with your contacts (1000 rubles/100 pcs.).

It is possible to recoup expenses in the first year of operation. However, as the volume of orders for furniture increases, you will have to think about expanding production and staff. You will need at least three braiders, a specialist in making frames and a seamstress for sewing soft seats, backs and covers for wicker furniture.

In addition to producing and marketing your products, you can conduct training courses in wicker weaving. The average cost of a 48-hour course is about 10 thousand rubles. Furniture design training is usually carried out individually and for a fee.

The number of furniture manufacturing companies now amounts to dozens, even in small towns. Everyone wants their home to be beautiful and practical interior Therefore, the furniture manufacturing business is a profitable and in-demand business. Today IQ Review will look at what the work of a furniture shop looks like from the inside, how to start such a business, how to establish sales, and what mistakes should be avoided.

Furniture production workshop: how the history of my business began

Greetings to everyone who cares about the topic of entrepreneurship. My business is the production of wicker furniture. An unusual project that has turned into a stable source of income. My name is Andrey, I have been doing business since 2009 in the city of Tambov. When the startup was launched, I was 27 years old. The company has been successfully developing for 6 years.

Actually, the occupation is very peculiar, and the idea of ​​​​the emergence is very prosaic. In 2009, my family and I had to return from Moscow to our native Tambov. Life forced me to abandon all prospects of the metropolis and look for work in small town. Wages, offered here, was 3-4 times lower than. There was an urgent need to simply feed the family.

Wicker rocking chair

By chance, following an advertisement, I came to work in a workshop where they made wicker rocking chairs. It was a tiny garage production. I saw these things, the entire production cycle, and realized that this is mine, and this is what I am ready to do. I worked and studied, and all the time a plan of action was being formed in my head to organize my own business. It took me about six months to study.

How much money do you need to open a furniture shop, and where and how to get it?

It is worth noting that I did not have any savings for start-up capital. A this type activity involves conditionally free material for making furniture (if we talk only about rocking chairs). The vine grows completely freely in almost any swamp - just collect and process it. This, by the way, makes furniture weaving an advantage in comparison with: the material has to be purchased from such enterprises. In general, the idea is ripe, all that remains is to start.

No major investments were required. There was some money, there was additional decided to use the subsidy offered by the Employment Center– 58,800 rubles (this is the maximum annual unemployment benefit). It is desirable that, in addition to this amount given by the state, you also have your own, albeit small, capital: at least 25-30 thousand rubles.

I prepared a simple business plan, which outlined what I wanted to do, how I would spend public funds and how much I planned to have net profit monthly. There was not a word about the payback period. Of course, my future income, reflected in this document, should not have been intimidating in size; at the same time, I could actually live on it in our region.

It was not difficult to enter the necessary numbers; in about three hours a document was created proudly called “Business Plan”. It was at the end of the year, apparently, the employees of the Employment Center really needed to fulfill a certain state plan, no one made any complaints about my calculation, and after two weeks the money was transferred to me and at the same time an individual entrepreneur and a current account were opened. I chose a simple taxation system: simplified with payment of 6% of income. Documents - minimum, only a tax return is submitted once a year, information about average number- again, once a year, a report to the pension fund - that’s all the accounting.

What equipment is needed for a furniture workshop?

So, I had a tool (I already had some, bought some), and I had the material for production (I cut and transported the vine myself). It was necessary to resolve the issue with equipment.

The process of making wicker furniture involves the use of specialized machines. There was nowhere to buy them, at least, cheap. I found local Kulibin craftsmen, developed drawings with them, and pretty soon I became the happy owner of all the necessary mechanisms, reliable and easy to use.

Since I didn't have production premises, and all the funds were spent, I had to use the most ordinary barn, a utility room on personal plot. If you live in an apartment, you can try to start making furniture right in it. As a last resort, you can rent a garage: ten square meters for a start it will be quite enough.

Finding sales for furniture production: to whom and how to sell?

When I started the business, I was most worried about organizing sales. Wicker rocking chairs are not hot cakes, not an essential item. They are most often bought not by the poorest people who have big houses with fireplaces. Thus, I decided on the target audience almost immediately: . It was decided to work on selling wicker furniture in bulk. At that time, I simply wasn’t into retail: it was unprofitable, and there was no way to open my own store in order to arrange everything beautifully for the retail buyer.

It didn’t work out from the very beginning to agree with friends to offer wicker items to their friends (i.e., word of mouth method). All as one friends and relatives took my business as a hobby and an empty whim, although the finished chairs were praised. At first he tried to convince someone, talked about the prospects, then he gave up and went his own way without anyone’s support. And actually, it turned out to be better and easier. After all, at the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey, I did not yet know how dangerous it is to mix friendly relationships with financial ones. But this is a topic, perhaps, for a separate article entitled “Familiar people and their toad.”

Ready kit wicker furniture

At first I worked alone and all my things were sold at the local market. There was an agreement with one of the market traders. Under terrible (for me) conditions, he received much more from resale than I did from production (after deducting the costs of tools, delivery of materials, electricity, time spent). But there was no choice, and my earnings were slightly higher than the average salary in the city, and, on the plus side, I worked for myself, and not for my uncle.

Here I will allow myself a lyrical digression: in the existing realities of market conditions, everyone wants to put the manufacturer in a completely unacceptable position for him. Various kinds distributors and resellers dictate their requirements very strictly. In constant competition with Chinese cheap junk, you often have to give in something at the very beginning, especially if you are on a limited budget.

The ability to negotiate came only with experience, snatched from the distributor suitable conditions cooperation is Herculean task! But healthy ambitions not only did not leave me, but on the contrary. The first year I invested the lion's share of my income back into production process. And all this time I was looking for an opportunity to get constant wholesale sales. I understood perfectly well that such a distributor lives only in Moscow. I sent out the first, very clumsy, commercial proposals, and learned how to conduct business correspondence on the fly.

Do you need a website for a company producing wicker furniture?

There were no serious results, but the first cars filled with my rocking chairs went to Moscow for sale. At this moment, I came close to the need to competently position myself on the Internet, that is, there was a need to have my own website.

Of course, I didn’t want to type it up on a free platform, having a second-level domain and, as a result, pop-up advertising. And although my barn had already grown into a more or less full-fledged production workshop with several workers, there was still nothing to turn to professional webmasters and web designers: everything was going into circulation.

Then my wife, who studied the basics of html at night after work, got involved and wrote a static website in a notepad. Small, essentially a home page. It still exists to this day, this self-written resource, it is dear to us as a memory. The information on it was only the most necessary: ​​contacts, and a catalog with photographs and prices. All kinds of optimization and promotion began later, when money became easier. And this site of ours was noticed by the largest distributor of wicker furniture.

In short, I want to say: I definitely need a website now, and it doesn’t matter what you produce: wicker furniture or food, or anything else. Over the past 2 years, more than 70% of clients (and this figure is growing) come to us via the Internet (both through advertising and by finding our website on their own in search engines). It was from the moment we opened our website, filled it with detailed information about the products - and the main success began.

How to develop furniture production?

By this time, my company was already 2 years old. The time came when demand began to greatly exceed supply. A constant search for material began, rush jobs and a search for people - normal workers, motivated to earn money, aimed at earning money and learning something new.

And it was precisely the human factor that almost crippled my enterprise, which was already on stable footing. The payment system chosen was a piece-rate form of remuneration: when there is no need to stand over an employee with a club, everyone understands that the more and better work they do, the higher their earnings will be. But what kind of paradox is this? In our region, where there is so little work, complete unemployment, able-bodied guys are forced to work shifts in the capital - no one wanted to work and earn money!

I was ready to pay much higher than the average salary in the city, but I could not find the workers I needed. I selected people carefully, because the production of wicker furniture involves manual labor. And the quality and beauty of the product always comes first for me, otherwise there is no point in working. Of course, all the applicants who came could not be bad, and the team was slowly formed. If a person stayed and studied, then he became a real master with us with a decent income. I have never regretted for a day that I searched so carefully and meticulously for furniture assemblers.

Business plan for the production of wicker furniture

Now, 4 years later, some of my former employees went to free bread. But they sell the vast majority of their products to me, and I sell them on mutually beneficial terms through long-established channels, and we all work and earn money, also having excellent human relations.

Business in numbers: how much profit does furniture production bring?

If we express our activities in numbers, then for the current 2015 it turns out to be approximately 150-200 thousand rubles. net profit monthly, minus all possible costs and expenses. The numbers depend on seasonality: closer to summer, wicker furniture is bought more often and more willingly, but in winter, we work mainly on individual orders, improve our skills and accumulate a stock of products.

Of expenses:

1. It costs about 200,000-250,000 rubles a month to pay for labor, although I only have 6 full-time employees. And this is the biggest expense item.
2. Naturally, the cost of renting production premises: 25,000 per month.
3. Purchase of consumables, paint and varnish materials. As mentioned above, it depends on seasonality, on average it comes out to about 50-60% of income.
4. Payment utilities. On average, it comes out to about 8-12 thousand per month.
5. Depreciation of equipment: 2 times a year I pay 15 thousand to a specialist I know who comes and checks all the tools and machines. If something needs to be repaired or replaced, this is an additional expense.
6. Taxes: 6% of income.
7. Marketing. Advertising on the Internet, content and promotion of the site, periodically - posting advertisements, advertising in furniture stores(leave business cards). We spend at least 3,000 per month, in the period from April to August we increase it to 5-10 thousand, depending on the profit (we get more - we allocate more).

What is my furniture production shop like now?

Of course, I would like to have a higher income, which is something I constantly and tirelessly continue to work on. I still consider my type of business to be very promising. Against the backdrop of the changing economic situation, the notorious sanctions, and the equally notorious increase in the exchange rate of the dollar and euro, the demand for our products is still high.

It has become incomparably easier to compete on price with imported braid. In addition, there really were a lot of consumers who wanted to buy a rocking chair Russian production. If a year and a half ago there was a very sluggish reaction to my commercial offers, sometimes they directly answered us that they only sell furniture made from rattan (mostly imported from Asia). Now demand has exceeded supply.

So I declare with full responsibility that this has set everyone’s teeth on edge import substitution is still going on, at least in the furniture industry. There are a huge number of problems, but work can and should be done. For those who want to try themselves in the industry of wicker weaving and the production of wicker furniture, we can say straight out that it makes sense, but you need to understand that it is hard work.

I am confident that when you work and create material values, you receive satisfaction both psychological and expressed in monetary form.

Actually, at the current level of development of my small production I, as a leader and ideological inspirer, can only administer a well-functioning business. But I will probably never be able to do this again. I am constantly looking for opportunities to technically improve the manufacturing process of our furniture, selecting new coatings and testing various materials. New furniture models are being developed all the time.

In my catalog now: rocking chairs, sofas, chaise lounges, tables, chairs, shelves, baskets, souvenirs, interior items and trade equipment. After all, no one has repealed economic laws, for example, that a wide range makes the company more sustainable. On my own behalf, I would like to say that my project is quite suitable as a business idea with minimal start-up capital, however, to start such an activity, you need to be very passionate about your business (or very hungry). Otherwise, you will inevitably take the easier path.

In this case, tools and equipment are not as important as people. It is quite possible to start such production alone. The issue of your own niche and sales turned out to be not as difficult as it seemed at the beginning. Faith in success and perseverance - necessary qualities for an entrepreneur. This path won't be filled with roses, but the journey (and the end result) will be worth it.

The furniture manufacturing business has its own specifics of activity, as it is associated with handmade, and for this you will need masters of their craft. But even if a person wants to master wicker weaving, he can simply take a course and start working. And an entrepreneur, when opening a business, can hire craftsmen and provide them with work, which will subsequently lead to profit.

Relevance

Wicker furniture is considered:

• one of the extravagant decorative elements;
• excellent material for design experiments.

Many owners of private houses prefer to buy such furniture not only for ease of use, for example, in the courtyard of their garden, but also as an addition to the exterior of its entire territory.

The production of wicker furniture in Russia is a popular business. It does not require many investments, and its payback can occur within six months. At the same time, customers will be present in both retail and wholesale purchases. If you hire several workers, they can easily cover the monthly rent of the premises and advertising investments.

Registration and organization of business

In order to organize a business, it is necessary to collect and analyze the following factors:

• premises;
• raw materials and suppliers;
• equipment;
• process;
• staff;
• advertising and sales.

It is important to note those indicators for which costs will always be present. But there are also expense items that will only have to be spent on once. You should not be afraid to open such a business, since it has practically no materials that require write-off, and personnel management does not take much time.

In order to understand what is worth paying attention to special attention, let us consider in more detail the main components of such a business.

Room

Important aspects for arranging the premises:

Key points related to renting premises:

• its cost will depend on the region where it is planned to organize furniture production;
• if you already have premises, this will be a huge plus, since the rent is about 30% total income per month;
• if the workshop plans to organize the work of several craftsmen, then in this case it will be easier to pay.

Raw materials and suppliers

First of all, you need to pay attention to:

• procurement of materials, as this is a rather labor-intensive and time-consuming process;
• quantity necessary materials(willow rods, plates, sectors and strips made from them, sticks for the frame and lumber of various types of wood);
• the possibility of purchasing ready-made material, then you will not need to waste time on procuring raw materials, but will immediately start making ready-made furniture;
• supplier, as they may be different. It is recommended to work together with one person in order to have a stable supply and, if necessary, purchase additional material, which may suddenly be required.

Equipment

When purchasing equipment, you need to consider the following:

Process

The entire technology of wicker furniture production is well explained and practiced in wicker weaving courses. It is worth noting that it is necessary to train each employee and conduct training from time to time in order to improve the quality of manufactured products. The cost of the courses for each master is about 10 thousand rubles and lasts about 48 hours.

The technological process includes the following nuances:

• If we talk about the process of weaving vines, then the average time to complete one chair is up to 6 days;
• As a rule, in order to complete an order for one chair, only one master is enough;
• experienced craftsmen can complete an order in half a week, beginners can complete it in a week;
• training plays a special role, which is reflected in the quality of products;
• It is important to remember that the more products customers like, the more orders the company will have.

One of the laws of sales is the rule: it is more profitable to retain one client than to attract new ones.

Staff

Aspects of recruitment are as follows:

In order to achieve the fastest payback, you need to focus on the work of the craftsmen, especially on their quality. If all employees work in good conditions for a decent pay, then their level of efficiency will be significantly higher than that of those who are not happy with their place of work and are only thinking about how to leave it.

Advertising and sales

Business promotion can be carried out in the following directions:

After registering an individual entrepreneur or legal entity and completing all the necessary documents, it’s time to start looking for distribution channels. You can search for customers and buyers through:

• advertisements in newspapers;
• interior design studios;
• specialized exhibitions.

As practice shows, finding customers is not so difficult. The main thing is that the work is completed efficiently and on time. If you show yourself on the market with the best side and ensure price-quality matching, then there will always be orders.

Financial component of business

Of course, the financial part of such a business will play a special role. It is important to calculate all income and expenses in order to plan profit. Furniture prices must be calculated based on manufacturing costs. However, if an entrepreneur wants to have 15% of the profit, this amount is calculated based on the monthly cost of all manufactured furniture.

When calculating expenses and income, first of all, you need to pay attention to factors such as:

1. Cost of opening and maintaining.
2. The amount of future income.
3. Payback period.

Cost of opening and maintaining

The cost of opening and maintaining will include the following components:

• the cost of one chair is 2,000 rubles;
• monthly rent of premises - 30,000 rubles;
• purchase of the first batch of raw materials - 20,000 rubles;
• registration of all documents - 50,000 rubles;
• maintenance of a business card website - 3,000 rubles;
• courses and trainings for staff - 10,000 rubles.

These indicators are considered average for Russia. Of course, all the parameters that were described earlier are taken into account. Costs are calculated based on a workshop of three people.

Amount of future income

Income from the sale of one chair may vary. The retail price throughout Russia is on average 5,000 rubles for one wicker chair, and its cost is 2,000 rubles. Therefore, calculating the indicators for just one chair, we can conclude that expenses are only 40%, and income - 60%.

You can also take into account monthly indicators. As previously mentioned, the time it takes to make one chair by a craftsman is 6 days, so the monthly profit from one employee will be equal to 15,000 rubles.

Payback period

As for payback, such a business will require at least 1 year. If you increase your staff by two or more times, and at the same time train them and make them true masters of their craft, you can pay for such activities in six months.

In conclusion, it is important to say that such a business can be not only profitable, but also interesting. Craftsmen will love their work, which will affect their efficiency. It is worth noting that the entrepreneur himself must be loyal to his employees, since the entire business rests on their shoulders.

It is impossible to call an interior with wicker furniture ordinary. These items attract attention at first glance, creating originality and uniqueness of the room, while having high performance indicators. As a rule, do-it-yourself wicker furniture is popular among owners of private houses, cottages, dachas, and city loggias with a large area.

Technology and manufacturing nuances

Hand-made wicker furniture does not require a lot of time, but it turns out to be of quite high quality. However, for this it is necessary to follow technology. Nuances when self-production wicker furniture depends on the design and structure of the frame of each in particular. Also, the technology may differ in the method of weaving, which can be combined, openwork, single, etc. When weaving, you can make a beautiful pattern or combine several types of weaving in one product, or simply make continuous weaving using one technique.

Undoubtedly, the main quality that wicker furniture should have is own production– safety, reliability and durability. At the same time, the quality of fastening of parts must be at the highest level, while simultaneously ensuring the required level of rigidity and strength. Furniture can be fixed using detachable or permanent connections. With detachable connections, the process of assembling the structure is greatly facilitated. Permanent connections are attached with glue or nails. The second method is preferable due to its strength and reliability, however, its disadvantage is the difficulty of transporting the product.

Branches of several varieties of wood are used as material for weaving: willow, alder, bird cherry, hazel, nettle or raspberry. For those who are starting this activity for the first time, it is worth using bird cherry blanks, since they are more pliable, easier to cut and dissect, and retain their original color and shine for a long time.

You should start preparing rods in the autumn months, starting in October, or in spring period. It is at this time that the workpieces are easiest to clean and keep dry for a long time. If you plan to make openwork patterns from thin rods, the preparation should take place in the spring. When cutting workpieces, pay attention to the thin core. If the core is thick, such rods are perfect for weaving a flower bed, gazebo, or frame of large elements. Also, the selection criterion can be the width of the sheet; the wider the sheet, the less pliable the workpiece will be.

In order for the final workpiece to acquire white, it needs to be cooked. To do this, you need to lower the rods into a large container with boiling water. The blanks must be cooked for 60 minutes, and then another 120 minutes before purchasing light color. In order for the final material to have a dark color, it must be boiled for at least 4 hours. As soon as the cooking of the twigs is completed, they should be immediately rid of the bark using a rough glove or a splinter. This way you will maintain the attractive shade of the material.

Weaving products

Unusual appearance have pieces of furniture made with the simultaneous use of weaving rods and glossy ribbons. The production of such tapes is carried out by dividing the rod into several parts using a sharply sharpened knife. The resulting blanks are used to make thin ribbons.

Preparatory work

In order to make a chair, you will need to weave the following elements: seat, sides, back, legs, drawers and additional elements - armrests. As material for the chair, it is worth preparing willow twigs with a diameter of no more than 3 cm and thinner ones 0.5-1 cm. Not taking into account the design features, on average, about 25 long twigs will be required to weave a chair. To bend a rod, if necessary, you should stock up on a special tool - a jig, which will smooth out all the defects of the workpiece. First, you should cut the material into the required elements. To make a bent part, the soaked workpiece is bent according to a template.

If the chair is intended for relaxation, then its design includes: a lower bench, the seat itself, a backrest and armrests. The frame is made of thick rods. This piece of furniture is quite beautiful and functional, and the armrests give the bench comfort and added strength.

The role of the base of the structure frame is played by the lower bench, which is necessary for the stability and reliability of the chair. In turn, the lower bench includes a covered leg, a supporting crosspiece, a support frame and a frame for supporting the seat. The backrest is made from the upper part of the rear legs, horizontal elements and rods of the upper part of the backrest. To produce the seat, you should choose strong and large paired rods. They are fixed to the seat cross rod and frame rods.

During the manufacture of the frame, its legs are fixed to the crosspiece and the seat frame. Then the legs are tightened and the shoots are installed. Next, the upper part of the backrest and the transverse rods of the seat are installed. The armrests are made from pre-prepared elements that have been soaked and bent to the required shape.

The armrests are attached to the seat frame and to the arms using nails. The upper ends of the armrest rods are attached to the side supports. After the installation of all the main rods is completed, you can begin installation decorative branches armrests, surrounding the back from above and finishing all joints with a thin ribbon. The final stage will be the installation of inlaid rods on the back and seat.

Carrying out this step by step instructions you can create a beautiful piece of furniture that will amaze with its unusualness and create a feeling of unity with nature.

IN lately furniture made from natural materials. It is beautiful, environmentally friendly, has a special warmth, is durable, does not cause allergic reactions, creates special atmosphere coziness and comfort. On the furniture market special place occupied by wickerwork. But furniture made independently is considered a special chic and source of pride.

It is beautiful, environmentally friendly, has a special warmth, is durable, does not cause allergic reactions, and creates a special atmosphere of coziness and comfort.

Made with your own hands, such furniture has advantages and certain disadvantages. Among the undeniable advantages:

• light weight, allowing you to move it to any place in the room or area of ​​the site;
• does not require special care: it looks elegant and fresh, if you periodically wipe it with a damp cloth or sponge, this simple procedure protects the product from cracking;
• fits perfectly into any interior, adding lightness and sophistication;
• environmentally friendly, not emitting substances harmful to health into the surrounding atmosphere;
• when weaving is done correctly, it is durable and strong;
• complete freedom of imagination for home craftsmen;
• will significantly save the family budget;
• the opportunity to acquire skills that allow you to organize your own small profitable business.

Made with your own hands, such furniture has advantages and certain disadvantages.

Despite the undoubted advantages of wicker furniture, there are also disadvantages that must be taken into account:

• afraid high humidity: cannot be left under open air in bad weather;
• At the same time, the scorching sun will also not do any good: the furniture will dry out, warp, and lose its appearance, which will lead to a reduction in service life.

Light weight, allowing you to move it to any place in the room or area of ​​the site.

Deciding on design and construction

Structurally, wicker furniture can be:

• frameless,
• frame.

Fits perfectly into any interior, adding lightness and sophistication.

For a frameless structure, it is enough to use sticks. They perform the function of hard ribs. The difference between frame products is the presence of a metal base; steel rods are used for it. The weaving seems to be “attached” to them. Stability and rigidity wooden structure attached wooden poles.

Does not require special care: it looks elegant and fresh if you periodically wipe it with a damp cloth or sponge.

If home craftsmen are taking their first steps in weaving furniture, they should not take on complex products: it will be extremely difficult for an inexperienced craftsman to complete them, which will lead to numerous mistakes and disappointments; you need to start with the simplest ones, which give you the opportunity to master the necessary skills.

In order for the product to be of high quality and durable, you need to properly prepare the raw materials.

The furniture has several types of weaving:

Type of weaving	Distinctive Features
Single	Simple weaving is easy to master: each branch alternately braids all the frame posts. Usually used as the main method of making wicker items. Gives additional strength and keeps the shape of the product.
Openwork	Weaving is used in furniture decoration, giving special chic and originality. It can be used to create waves, corners, ovals, crosses, and diamonds. Requires perseverance, attention, accuracy. Before execution, you need to decide on the ornament, weave several single rows, then choose a decoration method. The most commonly used is straight openwork with stripes of light. Enough complex look work requiring significant skills.
Combined	This type is a combination of single and openwork weaving in their varieties. The design of wicker products using combined weaving is “aerobatics” and indicates high level skill.

Environmentally friendly, does not emit substances harmful to health into the surrounding atmosphere.

Required materials

To make furniture from wicker you will need materials. It is worth noting that they can be different, and many are exotic and inaccessible to us: banana leaves, bamboo, water hyacinth, seaweed. But most of the furniture is made of rattan, willow twigs, bird cherry, alder, raspberry, hazel vines.

Experts say that it is possible to harvest raw materials in the spring.

IMPORTANT! If you decide to use a vine, willow and bird cherry, which are particularly flexible and plastic, are best suited. Bird cherry is especially good in this regard.

When weaving correctly, it is durable and strong.

Excellent decorative elements are colored pillows and blankets of various colors.

Preparation of raw materials for robots

In order for the product to be of high quality and durable, you need to properly prepare the raw materials. Most often these are willow twigs.

1. For weaving, you can harvest material that is collected from living trees in the absence of buds, most the right time harvesting - late autumn. You need to make it before the first frost - such raw materials are easy to clean and store dry.
2. Experts say that you can harvest raw materials in the spring, but you need to remember that you need to cut the rods before the buds begin to swell; if you are late, green leaves will appear on the new furniture.
3. You need to conduct a kind of flexibility test. The cut branch must be bent: if it does not break, then the raw material is suitable for the job. Thin vine used for fine binding of products is considered to be of high quality.

An opportunity to acquire skills that allow you to organize your own small profitable business.

Required Tools

To weave furniture from wicker, you don’t need many tools, but you should have:

• knives and pruners;
• tape measure and measuring tape;
• various templates.

Afraid of high humidity: cannot be left outdoors in bad weather.

This - minimum required, with the help of such a set of tools you can weave simple and small-sized products.

The difference between frame products is the presence of a metal base; steel rods are used for it.

Manufacturing process: technology and manufacturing nuances

In order not to lose interest in weaving furniture and not spoil large number material, you should not immediately “swing” at large and quite complex products - a sofa or a table. It is better to start with the simplest “braids”, for example, a chair. It consists of several elements: a lower bench, a seat, a backrest, and armrests. To work, you will need willow sticks with a diameter of up to 30 mm and thin willow twigs.

Wooden poles provide stability and rigidity to the wooden structure.

The beginning of the work is the manufacture of the frame.

ADVICE. When working on a chair, you will need curved parts. To bend the rods, you need to soak them, and when they become soft, remove any irregularities and bend them on a prepared template and let them dry.

You need to trim the branches at forty degrees - pruning will not harm the tree, and in a year or two new branches will appear.

The beginning of the work is the manufacture of the frame. If a craftsman is taking his first steps in weaving furniture, it is better to use the frame of an old chair made of metal or wood to make the work easier.

You need to conduct a kind of flexibility test.

When working on a chair, you will need curved parts.

ATTENTION! We must not forget about the armrests, which, however, are made at the request of the master, but serve additional element strengthening the entire structure.

But most of the furniture is made from rattan, willow twigs, bird cherry vines, alder, raspberry, and hazel.

The procedure for making a chair.

1. We make the frame. The frame itself is made of thick, durable sticks and a piece of plywood, which is used as a seat. One pair of sticks will act as the front legs; it should be 15-20 cm shorter than the second.
2. The legs are connected with self-tapping screws, the seat is nailed in place.
3. Curved elements of the chair back and armrests are also attached to the frame with self-tapping screws.
4. The frame is wrapped with willow ribbons and can be secured with glue for strength.
5. The frame is braided using single weaving.

Bird cherry is especially good in this regard.

It is better to start with the simplest “braids”, for example, a chair.

If desired, the resulting chair is treated with stain.

To make furniture from wicker you will need materials.

The final stage is decoration

High-quality wicker furniture practically does not need decoration: it is good in itself. If you want to introduce an element of creativity and “revive” it with bright colors, you can use willow ribbons in weaving, including dyed ones; they will organically combine into the ornament of the product. Excellent decorative elements are colored pillows and blankets of various colors.

If home craftsmen are taking their first steps in weaving furniture, they should not take on complex products.

Thicker branches are used to make the frame.

VIDEO: we make wicker furniture ourselves