--- title: "Rattan: an open weave that lets light out sideways" description: "Our rattan shades are woven on wooden moulds and sealed against damp. Good for living rooms and hallways, not bathrooms. Care and 24-month warranty." canonical: https://denhachi.thenexova.cloud/en/materials/rattan lang: en last-updated: 2026-10-04 --- ![Close-up of curved woven strips on a lamp shade, warm light raking across the fibres](/_astro/material-rattan.BrpJdrut_Z2wqjDH.jpg) # Rattan: an open weave that lets light out sideways > Our rattan shades are woven on wooden moulds and sealed against damp. Good for living rooms and hallways, not bathrooms. Care and 24-month warranty. Nguồn / Source: https://denhachi.thenexova.cloud/en/materials/rattan Rattan is pliable enough to weave open, so light escapes sideways through the shade and patterns the walls. Three of our lamps use rattan; two use seagrass, a fibre we weave much tighter. Woven by Huỳnh Thị Mến, on wooden moulds Time Two days for one 45 cm Hạ Chí shade Damp-proofing Water-based matte coat, applied after weaving Weaves Open (Hạ Chí), closed with an open band (Đông Chí), square (Xuân Phân) Never hang in Bathrooms, rain-exposed porches, next to a humidifier Warranty Frame and shade, 24 months Rattan comes from the stem of the rattan plant. It bends when damp and stiffens as it dries, which is what lets us weave a round shade with even gaps, open or closed as the design needs. In a lamp, the gaps decide where the light goes. ## How we weave it Huỳnh Thị Mến learned to weave from her mother. At the workshop she never weaves freehand: every design and every size has its own wooden mould. She dampens the strands so they bend, weaves them around the mould and leaves the shade to dry on it until it holds its shape. A 45 cm Hạ Chí shade takes her two days. The moulds are why the twelve Hạ Chí pendants at [Thềm Chiều café](/en/projects/them-chieu-cafe-nhieu-loc) read as one set, and why two Đông Chí lamps either side of a bed match. Once woven, each shade gets a water-based matte coat. It adds no shine, barely changes the colour, and slows down how fast the fibre takes up moisture. It does not make rattan waterproof. The shade is then fixed to a brass frame bent by Lâm Văn Lộc. You can read more about Mến on her [maker page](/en/workshop/makers/huynh-thi-men). ## How light passes through The same fibre, woven three ways, gives three kinds of light: - **Open weave ([Hạ Chí](/en/collection/ha-chi)):** light slips out sideways and patterns the ceiling and any wall within about a metre. The table below gets direct light from the open base. - **Closed with one open band ([Đông Chí](/en/collection/dong-chi)):** the closed part hides the bulb, and light leaves as a strip at eye level. No glare from the pillow. - **Square weave ([Xuân Phân](/en/collection/xuan-phan)):** the squares throw a grid of light onto the ceiling. Pale walls make the pattern crisp; dark timber swallows it. The light mock-up draws this onto a photo of your own room. ## Seagrass, the tight weave [Lập Thu](/en/collection/lap-thu) and [Tiểu Mãn](/en/collection/tieu-man) use seagrass (cói) instead. It is softer and flatter, and Mến packs it tight, so nearly all the light falls as one round pool under the lamp. Seagrass gets the same matte coat and the same care as rattan. Our guide to [rattan pendant lights](/en/journal/rattan-pendant-lights-guide) explains how rattan, seagrass and bamboo differ. ## Rattan and Saigon’s humidity Natural fibre takes moisture from the air. Saigon is humid all year and more so in the rainy season, so where you hang a rattan lamp matters more than how you clean it. - **Hang it in a room with air moving through it.** Living and dining rooms and bedrooms with a window or air-conditioning are fine. - **Never** in a bathroom, on a porch that catches rain, next to a humidifier or over a steaming pot. - **Once a month**, dust it with a dry cloth or soft brush. No sprays, no damp cloths. - **If you see spots on the shade**, send us a photo before you try anything. Tô Minh Khang will look and tell you what to do. Frame and shade carry a 24-month warranty; see [care and warranty](/en/care-and-warranty). Our note on [rattan in the rainy season](/en/journal/rattan-lamps-humidity-care) goes further into mould. For a damper place than Saigon, see [Nhà Chín Phòng](/en/projects/nha-chin-phong-homestay-da-lat) in Đà Lạt: nine sealed rattan Đông Chí pendants, and no paper anywhere. ## Bulbs Rattan and seagrass shades only ever take LED bulbs. All our lamps use an E27 LED at 2700K, the yellow-white of an old incandescent, 6 W, with a spare in the box. When you replace one, buy the same type at any electrical shop and never fit an incandescent bulb. To see which rattan shade suits your room, send a photo through the [light mock-up page](/en/light-mock-up), or [book a visit](/en/visit-the-workshop) and hold one yourself. ## Hold it before you choose The workshop has every shade and all three frame finishes, lit. [Book a visit](/en/visit-the-workshop) ## Lamps in this material [![A round, slightly flattened open-weave bamboo pendant with a diamond pattern, low sun glowing warm through the strips beneath a reed ceiling](/_astro/lamp-ha-chi.BOagvipy_25FkIz.jpg)Hạ Chí2,900,000 VNDRattan pendant · Living room, dining table for four](/en/collection/ha-chi)[![A closed-weave domed pendant glowing warm amber, its light pouring down through an open metal frame below, a second lit shade blurred behind](/_astro/lamp-lap-thu.BFxKdxO-_UMlJI.jpg)Lập Thu1,900,000 VNDSeagrass pendant · Reading corner, small bar](/en/collection/lap-thu)[![A tall bell-shaped pendant in dense woven rattan, its inside glowing warm yellow under a dark ceiling with steel beams](/_astro/lamp-dong-chi.nPpUbf6k_1ilc0j.jpg)Đông Chí2,400,000 VNDRattan bell pendant · Corridor, bedside](/en/collection/dong-chi)[![Three woven natural-fibre pendants in different shapes (cylinder, flattened globe, cone) hung at staggered heights over a long, laid wooden dining table with wicker chairs, in the evening](/_astro/lamp-xuan-phan.DICNy81K_ZCFM1Y.jpg)Xuân Phân9,800,000 VNDSet of four staggered pendants · Dining table for six, café entrance](/en/collection/xuan-phan)[![Three identical bell-shaped woven pendants on black cables, hung in a stepped diagonal row against a grey wall, their insides glowing warm orange](/_astro/lamp-tieu-man.DC18aYHY_Z1fVH5Q.jpg)Tiểu Mãn3,600,000 VNDSet of three seagrass pendants · Bar counter, long desk](/en/collection/tieu-man)