STEP into Rotan Lot’s studio space in Subang Jaya to challenge your idea of how rattan furniture could be so much more than just the traditional rattan chairs and stools we grew up with. Although its enduring nostalgic appeal is indelible in our minds, the appreciation for the material and craft has dwindled over the years. But not for Nana Khan.
The brainchild of Rotan Lot explained: “I realised how fragile our rattan furnishing industry was when I first started. I couldn’t understand why countries where rattan was not originally from, have the market and a lot more options for beautifully-made rattan wares. But not here at home, where the material originates.
“I felt the need to create a brand and collections of rattan furniture that are always evolving to introduce something fresh and new. The potential of rattan furnishings is endless. Its light, durable and versatile nature presents unlimited design possibilities.”
Rotan Lot is a new wave rattan furniture brand that keeps the timeless and handcrafted furniture trend alive by reintroducing product lines in various styles, from bohemian and continental to modern minimalist and urban luxe to spruce up our living spaces.
As the brand says: “Anything goes with Rotan!”
Where did your love for rattan furniture come from?
Growing up in a multicultural family, where both sides of my family have lots of rattan furniture in their homes, naturally, rattan furnishings felt very close to home for me. As I grew up, my attraction to it became more obvious because I was seeing so much less of it and I felt that we should reintroduce it into our homes.
It hit me when I was given a set of rattan furniture by my grandmother. The condition of it wasn’t at its best, and because I wasn’t working at the time, I couldn’t afford to refurbish it. In the end, I had to let it go for charity as we didn’t have the space to keep it either. It was heartbreaking.
Just like hunting for vintage collectibles, I would search for traditional rattan shops whenever I travel to find any pieces I can bring home. Then I realised it was not easy to find them and there were not many designs available in the market at the time. I then started collecting designs I found online as inspiration.
How did Rotan Lot come about and mature into a company with the aim to ‘reclaim and refresh an old tradition’?
When we started in 2018, the rattan furnishing industry was deemed as a ‘dying’ industry. I strongly disagreed because in regions where rattan doesn’t grow naturally, they were in high demand. I recognised the endless potential of rattan, if we were able to introduce modern designs while balancing it with traditional designs.
With that in mind, Rotan Lot started by introducing modern and new rattan designs. We took it online as we believed that our collection may appeal to the online buyer market.
We use a modern, clean approach and integrate with new design concepts. We infuse rattan that matches eclectic styles and try our best to move away from the overtly traditional designs to differentiate ourselves in the market and work hand-in-hand with local traditional rattan shops so we don’t go head-on and compete with them.
After all, we need their support as well. Even today, I still love going rattan shopping and visiting traditional rattan shops here in Malaysia.
How has your background in digital design helped in your journey?
I suppose being able to expose myself to the creative industry does help me push myself to create beautiful new things and explore something already existing and turn it into something new. Digital design also pushes me into digital marketing and the social media platform. I believe Rotan Lot broke typical furniture selling tradition by pushing sales online when we first started from nothing.
What are the pros and cons of rattan furniture?
There are many good qualities to it but I guess the downside is that people are worried about how much weight it can hold due to its light material. This very much depends on the quality of the rattan and the construction of the furniture.
I receive many enquiries where customers would forward pictures of their living space and ask which furniture design may be suitable. In fact, the great thing about rattan is that it can immediately make your space cosy, especially for homes. It’s incredibly versatile because you can also customise them in colours to match your living space and mix in styles and other materials to suit your interior concept.
With sustainability in mind, how and where do you source your materials?
Rattan is a naturally renewable plant and is more sustainable than timber as it grows much faster. Our workshop is based in Jarkata so anything that has to do with production is done there.
However, we are in talks with a local university to carry out research on where we could do everything, from farming to processing and producing, here in Malaysia. But a project of this scale takes a lot of time and planning. We also have to consider factors like where to plant the rattan palms, who is farming them and where we would find craftsmen to produce our designs.
