A classic rattan chair, with its dotted holed seat, wooden back and feet, takes us back to our childhood, inside the TV room and often the attic of our grandmas’ homes. With Rattan Hun, Dima Stephan decided to give this natural, sustainable, flexible material, a modern stylish twist…
Petals shaped into a bed framework, a retro-futuristic night stand, delicate flora in relief on a bedroom dresser, with Rattan Hun, the traditional material is sublimated into beautiful pieces for the home. ‘Rattan is lightweight,’ Dima tells us ‘and interestingly detailed with its intriguing knots and joints that have character.’ We went inside her atelier in Beirut, airy, filled with leafy plants, with a traditional patterned tile floor in shades of brown and beige, a wooden table where Dima is at work on her new collection released soon, ‘stay tuned,’ she tells us. There is a fluo yellow green water bowl on the floor, she dips in it the rattan strips so they can bend and then starts weaving them. In a corner of the room are thicker poles, Dima explains to us, ‘the artisan I work with bends these ones, after heating them, it requires a lot of arm strength, I can’t quite do it yet!’ What attracts her most in her work is working with one’s own hands to structure the design. ‘It involves bending the poles, using the most traditional method of fire and water for higher flexibility and robustness. This is where the magic happens.’ She tells us that she works with poles ranging from 2 to 10 mm and all kinds of cane. ‘It feels guiltless to work with a strong, fibrous, and self-sustaining material that the earth gives generously.’ Lounger, Round Ottomans, Bar Cart, she likes to make sure no two items are identical; infusing both savvy technique and her personal artsy touch to each piece. Rattan Hun recently launched the Earthen collection, a collaboration with a local pottery artisan, featuring planters, vases or bowls. Ethically sourced cane and clay are handcrafted into works of art. Her latest designs will be on show at the We Design Beirut exhibit this May 24 to 26 at PSLab.
The story of Rattan Hun began in 2018. Dima was working on a project as a freelance interior architect. The project required her to create some pieces of furniture that would fit a particular space and desired ambiance. In her search for the perfect piece, she came across a local artisan in Lebanon who introduced her to his specialty, Rattan. He was a weathered craftsman, but the pieces he made where quite traditional and she thought why not bring a fresh take to this classic material. So, they worked hand in hand to reach a perfect balance and create the right pieces in harmony with the interior design project. And while they were working, Dima fell in love with rattan. Since then, the artisan’s knowledge and experience, and the young interior architect’s innovative vision were combined into what is now Rattan Hun, which offers custom pieces, old furniture repair, consultation, and project implementation. Today, after five years, Dima is Lebanon’s youngest lady artisan of rattan, passing on her knowledge to young apprentices to keep the craft alive in Lebanon. She works with international and local designers, art collectors, and architects. A buzzing and growing team comes together on the projects; local rattan artisans, carpenters, painters, blacksmiths and upholsters, from all corners of Lebanon. Dima enjoys exploring the endless possibilities of the material ‘what I admire most about rattan is how it keeps challenging me to learn more. I will always be an apprentice in awe of this material.’ The team constantly experiments with new designs, to create their home furniture and home collectibles, and often collaborates with other artists to design special editions. On a mission to revive the rattan craft and empower artisans in Lebanon, especially women in the field, Rattan Hun brings a contemporary take on a traditional craft, to create modern heirlooms destined to last, rattan pieces that we’ll definitely want to keep out of the attic!
