Vintage Find // Cane Bed Frame
THE FARMHOUSE We recently picked up a cane bed frame (yes, another antique bed frame ;) and here's the best part: it was FREE. Craigslist, I love you!
This was one of those serendipitous finds that I happened to catch within a few hours of listing. All the stars aligned, and the owner left it in her driveway so we could pick it up that afternoon. We ended up with a nice bed frame and it only cost us a couple gallons of diesel and two pints of beer at 7 Seas Brewery (sometimes Garrett needs bribery for these outings ;).
This cane bed frame doesn't appear to be particularly old but it is in decent shape - all in all a good deal for FREE! We'll be using it in Daphne's nursery, so stay tuned for more on that. Like most of these old bed frames, this one will need a little work. We'll be adding a platform for a foam mattress to sit on. Plus we're going to paint it...probably. I know, I know painting wood is not my thing either, but this wood has an odd finish on it. Plus Daphne's room already has a lot of wood and I'd rather paint a bed frame than the original trim. I wish the wood looked something like these beds below, but alas, it does not.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on painting. Would you paint a wood, cane bed frame? Do you think I'm crazy for considering it? If we do paint it, Garrett and I are both leaning towards a soothing sage green but now that I think about it, a neutral cream or gray would be pretty in Daphne's space too.
Before I wrap up today, I thought it would be fun to share what I've learned about cane. Because it turns out that it's different from rattan. And wicker. So all these years that I've been using those words interchangeably I've been totally wrong!
What is Cane...and Rattan...and Wicker?
Cane comes from the stalk of a rattan plant, a vine-like relative of the palm. After the rattan is harvested - a process which can be done sustainably without harming the plant - the bark is processed into thin strands, which is woven into cane and used in caned furniture. While cane is specific to rattan bark, wicker is made by weaving any number of natural materials (and now synthetic too), including bamboo, reed, willow, and the interior of a rattan stalk. Wicker is processed by cutting the material into strips, drying them out and then soaking them in water and weaving (source). Rattan is especially popular in warm climates since it won't warp or crack. Both cane and wicker date back to the BCs and have been used in both baskets and furniture through the ages (source).
Thankfully Daphne's bed frame is in good shape, and whether we paint it or not, I think it's going to be stunning in her room!
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