Seagrass baskets – historical development

Posted on June 4, 2011 by Admin


Seagrass baskets and seagrass weaving draw their roots from medieval weaving skills and art forms of seagrass and rattan weaving.

In 17th century, African slaves in South Carolina took up their traditional weaving skills they used in Africa to weave so called seagrass into various types of baskets and boxes. Seagrass proved to be better weaving material than those available in Africa and soon circular baskets for rice winnowing were invented. These circular baskets, so called fanners, are being hand woven even today. The same principles of weaving grass are being applied today in production of seagrass baskets. However, seagrass baskets and seagrass weaving during the slavery period was much simpler than today. Today’s seagrass baskets look nicer as art forms and decorations are added to them.

Todays commercialized production of seagrass furniture and seagrass baskets implemented Indonesian rattan weaving expertise into seagrass weaving. Rattan is similar to seagrass as it is durable, lightweight, doesn’t change coloring easily and is flexible to a certain extent.

Depending on the country and cultural influence, today we can find all kinds of seagrass baskets from pure African or Indonesian weaving traditions to various hybrids of these two. Indonesian rattan weaving can be recognized by intricately woven criss-cross pattern. Seagrass is very reliable and resilient material but it appears that traditional method of rattan weaving increases those features even more.

Modern seagrass baskets come in all kinds of shapes and forms. This makes them convenient for all kinds of storage and decorative purposes. Low maintenance requirements make them a perfect choice if you have a busy schedule as you don’t have to spend too much time cleaning them.

Modern seagrass baskets with all their artistic decorations both serve the purpose and add up to the overall interior design. Seagrass baskets definitely look nicer than some ordinary plastic or carton boxes.

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Seagrass baskets – convenient storage method

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Admin


Being able to effectively and economically store things that are used less frequently is certainly something that most households need to care about. Aside from the obvious need to devote a part of the house or apartment for storage purposes, people usually need boxes and baskets to store similar stuff together and keep things organized.

Seagrass baskets are definitely an option to consider seriously. The only usage requirement is to have a dry place to keep them. Stylish looks is what makes seagrass baskets attractive even in places where ordinary plastic and carton boxes and baskets would not fit. Since there are all kinds of styles, seagrass baskets can conveniently indicate their purpose and still look nice and pretty in your home.

Seagrass baskets require low to no maintenance. Those that are placed in open areas need to be protected from water and excessive moisture. Those that are inside only require occasional dust cleaning with simple nylon brush. Seagrass baskets do not get stained nor do they change their color significantly with years, so you can definitely count on them as a constant when planning and designing your interiors.

Since dried seagrass as material is durable itself and the way it is woven into baskets, seagrass baskets will last for years if not for decades and will keep their structure almost unchanged. Of course, any excessive physical force may damage them, but in normal circumstances seagrass baskets will resist challenges of frequent usage.

Seagrass baskets are created in similar fashion weavers from Indonesia craft rattan. Dried seagrass fibres are intricately woven in a criss-cross pattern improving their durability. It’s important to understand that there are more than 60 different species of seagrass and their features greatly depend on the ecosystem they were in. Seagrass is entirely submerged during its lifespan and during that time it lives in an ecosystem with other sea plants and animals and it greatly influences the entire ecosystem by slowing down water currents, preventing water erosion, providing shelter for various species.

During World War I. French troops used seagrass for bed mattresses and in that time seagrass was a high-demand resource. They also used it for bandages and quite a few tools. They were also, and still are, collected to fertilize agricultural soils. In the last 20-30 years seagrass has been recognized as convenient resource for furniture production. Weaving seagrass into furniture such as seagrass baskets requires special weaving skill developed In Indonesia. Indonesian weavers are well known for their rattan weaving skills. This same expertise is being used to craft seagrass baskets and that’s why they and all seagrass furniture resemble those made of rattan.

Seagrass baskets are available through various markets and retailers online such as Amazon, Walmart and BestBuy. They are very affordable and they are definitely a convenient method to store your stuff.

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Seagrass baskets – permanent storage solution

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Admin

In the last few decades seagrass furniture is becoming increasingly popular and the trend doesn’t seem to be stopping. In this article you will find out why seagrass baskets might be your perfect choice for storing and organizing stuff.

Seagrass baskets are, as their name says it, made from seagrass. Seagrass is a name for about sixty different aquatic plants that spend their entire lifespan submerged in the shallow sea waters. Dried, these plants turn into lightweight, durable material that can be woven into various types of furniture and withstand the challenges of everyday use.

Seagrass baskets are often sold in sets of 4 or 5 units that differ by size and/or shape. Compared to plastic and carton baskets and boxes, seagrass baskets have several major benefits.

First of all, seagrass baskets are a natural product. They are made from a material taken directly from nature, while plastic and carton are materials that are produced in factories and as we know, they often contain poisonous and toxic compounds, especially in plastics. These compounds can pose a threat to our health, especially those of young children.

Seagrass baskets don’t require much attention. While carton and plastic materials get easily stained or broken, seagrass baskets keep their coloring, don’t get easily stained and require just an occassional dusting.

Plastic and especiall carton boxes can look very ugly. Imagine a carton box with that ill-looking color standing in your lobby where everyone entering your house can see it. Seagrass baskets definitelly add up to the interior design and can surve their purpose much better than plastic and carton boxes.

What’s even better is that seagrass baskets are extremelly affordable. They are definitelly a budget solution for someone looking for something decent looking and cheap at the same time. You don’t want to spend a fortune on wooden baskets, do you?

Why are seagrass baskets so popular? Well, maybe the part of the answer is their history. First seagrass baskets were made by African slaves in South Carolina. They used their traditional skills of basket weaving to turn seagrass into circular baskets called fanners. These fanners were used for rice production.

Modern seagrass baskets are made in a similar fashion Indonesian rattan weavers produce rattan furniture and baskets. Since both rattan and seagrass are durable, lightweight and partially flexible materials, they can be intricately woven in a criss-cross pattern which increases their beneficial features even more. And, as we already said, seagrass is a natural material, not some fabricated resource with dozens of compunds that may easily be toxic or poisonous.

Seagrass has been used by French troops in World War I for bed mattresses, bandages and various simple tools.  Going deeper in history, seagrass finds its first uses for soil fertilization. Since seagrass lives in rich ecosystems, it is full of minerals and all kinds of natural elements. Who knows, maybe in future seagrass will have much more uses than it has today. It definitelly holds a lot of potential.

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