Antique Wicker and Rattan at Round Top: What to Look For

Victorian wicker is one of the few categories at Round Top where you can still find beautifully made antique furniture for under $300. A late-1800s Heywood Brothers porch chair, sound and tight, sold at Warrenton last spring for $185. The same chair refinished and reupholstered would retail at a Houston interior shop for $1,400.

The reason: most shoppers walk right past wicker. They see "fragile" and "outdated" and keep moving. They're wrong on both counts.

What "Wicker" Actually Means

Wicker isn't a material — it's a weaving technique. The actual materials used in antique wicker include:

• Rattan — a climbing palm, the most common wicker material, very strong
• Cane — split rattan skin, used for chair seats and finer weaves
• Reed — split rattan core, more brittle than full rattan
• Willow — true willow basketry, less common in furniture
• Sea grass — the cushiony twisted material in many pieces
• Paper rush and fiber rush — paper twisted to look like rush, used in 20th century pieces

Most antique "wicker" furniture is a combination — a rattan frame with reed weaving, often with cane seats. Knowing the difference helps you spot quality and identify reproductions.

The Major Periods

Victorian (1880-1910): Heavy, ornate, lots of curlicues and rosettes. Heywood Brothers and Wakefield (later merged into Heywood-Wakefield) dominated this era. These pieces are stunning but bulky.

Edwardian (1900-1920): Cleaner lines, less ornamentation. More functional, designed for actual use rather than display.

Bar Harbor / Rustic (1900-1930): Less ornate, more open weaves. Designed for summer porches.

Art Deco (1920-1940): Geometric patterns, painted finishes (often green or white), simpler shapes. Very collectible right now.

Lloyd Loom (1917-present): Marshall Lloyd's woven paper-on-wire mesh technique. Looks like wicker but isn't. Very durable and increasingly valuable.

Mid-Century Rattan (1945-1975): Tropical and Hollywood Regency styles. Pencil reed, peacock chairs, bamboo-rattan combos.

What to Pay at Round Top

These are 2026 Round Top prices, in actually-buyable condition:

Victorian porch chairs: $150-$450 each. Pairs run $300-$800.

Victorian sofas and settees: $400-$1,200. Excellent examples with original paint $1,500-$2,500.

Victorian tables (parlor tables, plant stands): $125-$400.

Edwardian rocking chairs: $200-$500.

Bar Harbor style sets: $600-$1,500 for chair + table combos.

Lloyd Loom (1920s-30s) chairs: $150-$350 each.

Painted Art Deco wicker: $200-$600 per chair.

Mid-century peacock chairs: $250-$800 (these have spiked sharply in the last 3 years).

Mid-century rattan sets (sofa + chairs): $800-$2,400.

Bamboo-rattan side tables: $80-$250.

Where to Find It

Wicker shows up across Round Top, but the best concentrations are:

• Warrenton field shows — the bulk of attic-find Victorian wicker
• Big Red Barn — generalists with mixed wicker inventory
• Marburger Farm — restored and refinished higher-end pieces
• Blue Hills — usually a couple of dealers with European wicker
• Excess — known for mid-century rattan
• The Compound — designer-curated wicker, fully priced

The best deals are at Warrenton from dealers who've inherited furniture and don't specialize. You'll see Victorian wicker chairs at $85-$150 when they should be $300+.

How to Inspect Wicker

Wicker fails in predictable ways. Knowing where to look saves you from a $300 chair that falls apart in your living room.

The frame. This is the most important. Underneath the weaving is a wood (or sometimes steel) frame. If the frame is broken, cracked, or has rot, walk away. Push down firmly on the seat and back. A solid frame shouldn't creak, shift, or wobble noticeably.

The legs. Check for splits, especially at the joints where legs meet the seat frame. Tap the legs — they should sound solid, not hollow or rattly.

The weaving. Look for:

• Loose strands — fixable, but each one costs $5-$15 to repair professionally
• Missing strands — leaves gaps that grow over time
• Broken sections — major repairs, $100-$400+ depending on extent
• Cracking — caused by dryness, often unfixable

The seat. If the original cane or rush seat is gone or sagging, replacement is $80-$300 by a professional caner.

The finish. Original painted finishes (chalky white, green, black) are highly desirable. Stripped wicker has lost some value. Modern paint over an antique piece reduces value.

The Moisture Problem

Wicker hates two things: extreme dryness and extreme moisture.

In dry climates (Texas hill country in summer, the desert southwest), wicker dries out and cracks. Without periodic humidity, a 120-year-old piece can become brittle in months.

In humid climates (the Gulf Coast, the southeast), wicker grows mold in stored conditions and the frame can rot.

For preservation: keep wicker in normal indoor humidity (40-60%), out of direct sunlight, and occasionally mist with water if your home runs dry. Avoid storing in garages or attics.

Lloyd Loom: The Underrated Category

Lloyd Loom is technically not wicker — it's woven paper twisted around metal wire. Marshall Lloyd patented it in 1917, and it dominated the porch furniture market through the 1940s.

Why it matters:

• Extremely durable (much more than real wicker)
• Holds paint beautifully
• Comfortable shapes designed for actual sitting
• Often confused with regular wicker, priced below

At Round Top, Lloyd Loom chairs run $100-$300 for nice examples. Pairs run $200-$500. Full sets (sofa, two chairs, table) can be found for $600-$1,000.

If you see Lloyd Loom, check the underside of the seat — there's often a paper label or stamped maker's mark. Original Lloyd Loom is marked "Lloyd Loom" or "Heywood-Wakefield Lloyd Loom."

Peacock Chairs: The Hot Category

Peacock chairs (mid-century rattan chairs with the high fan-shaped backs) have surged in popularity. They're the Instagram-driven success story of the rattan world.

What you'll pay:

• Plain mid-century peacock chairs: $250-$500
• Large/oversized peacocks: $400-$800
• Pairs (matched): $600-$1,400
• Peacocks with original cushions: $400-$1,000

Quality markers:

• Tight, even weaving across the entire fan
• Solid base with no loose joints
• Original wrapping at the base (no rot or fraying)
• All original — no painted-over versions in raw materials

Rattan Sets and Tropical Style

Mid-century tropical rattan (think 1950s Florida room or 1970s sunporch) has its own dedicated following. These are highly identifiable: heavy rattan frames, often with bamboo accents, cushions in tropical prints.

At Round Top:

• Single tropical rattan chair: $150-$400
• Sofa and chair set: $600-$1,500
• Sofa, two chairs, coffee table: $900-$2,400
• Calif-Asia, Ficks Reed, or Bielecky Brothers makers: 50-100% premium

Reproductions to Avoid

The wicker reproduction market is small but exists.

Red flags:

• "Antique-style" wicker from Pier One, Pottery Barn, World Market — these are 1990s-2010s reproductions
• Wicker made in Indonesia, Vietnam, or China in the last 30 years — often lower-quality weaving
• Synthetic wicker (extruded plastic) — outdoor furniture, modern, has zero antique value

How to tell:

• Real antique wicker has slight irregularities in the weaving (handmade)
• The wood frame underneath is real wood, not particleboard
• The piece feels old — patina, slight smell of age, evidence of decades of use

Restoration vs. Original Condition

For wicker, original condition (even slightly distressed) generally beats restoration.

Why:

• Restoration paint covers the wood grain detail
• Reweaving destroys patina
• "Like new" wicker actually looks fake in a 100-year-old piece

Acceptable restoration:

• Tightening loose joints
• Replacing one or two broken weaving strands
• Cleaning with mild soap and water
• Replacing the cane or rush seat (this is expected)

Excessive restoration:

• Repainting the entire piece
• Replacing major sections of weaving
• Refinishing the wood frame

Negotiating on Wicker

Wicker dealers tend to be very flexible. The pieces are bulky, hard to haul, and not always immediately attractive to shoppers.

A typical successful negotiation:

• Asking price: $325
• Your offer: $225
• Settle: $260-$275

For wicker that needs restoration, factor that into your offer. "It needs $200 in cane work, so $200 instead of $400?" This is reasonable and dealers usually respect the logic.

Where to Have Wicker Restored

Texas has a few specialized wicker and caning shops, primarily in Houston, Dallas, and Austin. Expect $80-$300 per chair seat for caning replacement, $200-$600 for major weaving repair.

For valuable pieces (Victorian Heywood-Wakefield, signed Lloyd Loom), the investment is worth it. For $150 Warrenton chairs, sometimes you just live with the wear.

A Final Recommendation

If you've never bought wicker, start with a single Edwardian or Lloyd Loom chair under $250. Live with it for a season. You'll quickly understand what wicker brings to a room — that mix of texture, age, and casual comfort that's hard to replicate.

Then come back next show and buy three more.

Browse the vendors page on Round Top Finder for sellers who specialize in wicker and rattan, and use the favorites feature to save chairs and sets while you're still walking the show.