How to decorate with caneAttracting, and maintaining, visual interest without crossing into bad taste is a challenge when decorating. This is especially true when trying to incorporate a bold pattern — and cane is anything but demure. If you'd like to add a little cane into your life, the key is to strike a balance.
Set limits
It's easy to go overboard with patterns and materials that you love, especially cane. "It can be really busy if it's used in large doses," Raney says. Give careful consideration to proportion and balance by limiting it to only a few areas in the home: like an area rug or some pillows. "Let it be the accent piece," Raney says. A houseguest fainting from visual overload isn't the goal here.
Start small and work your way up
A simple cane chair or lamp can sometimes be enough. If it's pattern you crave, a few throw pillows on your sofa can make all the difference. If you'd like this motif to serve as a focal point, diamond-patterned cane drapes look especially sharp when combined with matching throw pillows, and a sisal rug with a cotton border in the same pattern.
Go bold
If you're going for bold, sophisticated Hollywood Regency or elegant Asian-themed decor, consider textured solids (yellow, black, white, red) along with geometric prints that complement your cane pieces. A single piece of cane furniture — a red-lacquered cane bench for instance — can make a beautiful statement in your entryway. You can add wallpaper in an oversized cane pattern to a single wall for an instant transformation; try it behind a dining room table and watch the room come to life. All are excellent additions for creating a home bursting with class and high style.
Or go bright
If you like your decor to be a bit more whimsical, go for the preppy Palm Beach style, first coined by designer Jonathan Adler as essentially Country Club Chic. Cane has its origins in British Colonial and Caribbean design, says Richardson, because the material grows in warmer climates and takes humidity well. Hunt for sunny yellow or white cane furniture and layer in punchy colors, florals and other bold geometrics, such as chevrons, to complement the cane pattern. Whether you see this trend in a perky space loaded with personality and fun, or in a more grown-up decorum, a la interior designer Kelly Wearstler, you can't go wrong with crisp cane.
With so much cane on the brain, here are our favorites — from lighting to daybeds — that may become your favorites, too!
