With the popularity of bamboo products, bamboo furniture is no exception. Thanks to the sustainability movement, homeowners everywhere have been dying to get their hands on bamboo furniture as an eco-friendly alternative to traditional hardwood.
Sustainability is just one of the many excellent qualities of bamboo. It’s also beautiful, sturdy, and versatile. With bamboo, there is no limit to what kind of furniture you can build and create. The only limit is your imagination.
What Is Bamboo Furniture?
Bamboo furniture is, well, furniture made of bamboo.
Unlike traditional furniture, bamboo isn't wood. It’s actually a grass plant that grows insanely fast and needs less water to grow compared to trees. Not only that, but it also grows without the help of fertilizer or pesticides, which means it's 100% natural.
The sturdiness and flexibility of bamboo make it a naturally great material to build all types of furniture for your home from outdoor chairs to in-home decor.
Bamboo can do it all and it can be your next furniture piece.
Types of Bamboo Furniture
A versatile material like bamboo can be used to make furniture for every room in your home. From your bedroom to the great outdoors, bamboo has you covered.
Here are a few ways to incorporate bamboo furniture into your home:
Bamboo Furniture Pros
Let’s start with the good stuff and why you should consider adding bamboo furniture to your home.
Bamboo is Eco-Friendly
Bamboo is a fast-growing plant that uses less water and resources than traditional wood and it can be grown in a variety of places. With its quick growth, bamboo absorbs carbon dioxide and produces oxygen – fast. This is a huge win because it means slowing down climate change faster.
Because bamboo can be harvested without killing the plant, unlike trees, bamboo will continue to grow and we will continue to have bamboo to create long-lasting furniture.
If your bamboo furniture breaks, be rest assured the bamboo is biodegradable and will become one again with nature.
Easy to Move
Bulky furniture can be a pain to move around, especially if you love changing your room set up every once in a while.
Bamboo furniture is lightweight and easy to carry compared to traditional hardwood furniture.
If you move often and don’t want to keep asking your friends to help, bamboo furniture can save you the hassle and your back.
Strong and Durable
Just because bamboo is lightweight doesn’t mean it’s weak. The dense fibers of bamboo allow it to withstand intense impact, and it’s so strong it’s used as a construction material substitute in Nigeria.
In Hong Kong, bamboo is used for scaffolding in construction. It’s lightweight and strong making it easy to carry into the tight streets of Hong Kong. If it’s used to support structures, it can support you in your home.
Sidenote: If you’ve seen Rush Hour with Jackie Chan, you’ve seen the bamboo scaffolding.
Easy to Clean
No one loves spending extra time cleaning. When it comes to bamboo, you don’t have to. Bamboo is easy to clean and maintain. With a cloth and soapy water, you can keep your bamboo furniture clean and strong for a long time.
Comfortable and Cooling
With any furniture in your home, you want it to be comfortable, and lucky for us, bamboo is comfortable and cooling.
Its flexible and sturdy nature bends with a person’s weight making it comfortable to sit on. With its moisture-wicking properties, bamboo furniture stays cool to the touch.
In China, bamboo furniture is a staple because it gets really hot. When I went to China years ago, it was essential to sleep on a bamboo mat to survive the humid heat.
A Variety of Beautiful Patterns and Designs
Bamboo furniture comes in all different shapes, sizes, and designs.
With a flexible material like bamboo, it’s easy to create intricately designed patterns to give your home a unique look. It’s also used to create simple and clean furniture pieces like a bamboo bookshelf or a solid desk.
The options are endless.
Add Warmth to Your Home
One of the beautiful things about bamboo is its naturally warm, earthy color that can bring warmth to any room in your home.
Its calming light brown tones make a room instantly feel relaxed and extra cozy.
The natural texture of the bamboo brings nature into the home beautifully and seamlessly.
Timeless Classic
Bamboo is natural, and when you add it to a home, you can feel like you’re part of nature, and that never gets old. And that’s what I call a classic.
The design and color palette of bamboo is so versatile it easily evolves with your style, making a truly eco-friendly piece.
It’s easy to style and blends in with almost interior design styles. Whether you love a minimalist look or a modern classic or resort feel, there is a bamboo option to complete the look.
When it comes to furniture, all we want is something long-lasting, easy to clean, comfortable, and stylish. Bamboo furniture is a great option that checks off all the boxes.
Bamboo Furniture Cons
While bamboo has a long list of pros, there are a few things you need to know before going all in on bamboo furniture.
Requires Regular Inspection
Bamboo can be susceptible to mold and warping, especially in humid areas. It can happen when you least expect it. So, keep an eye out and avoid excess moisture when possible. Routine checks are essential to maintain the bamboo quality and ensure it stays in good shape for years.
Not Weatherproof
As sturdy and strong as bamboo is, it has a few weaknesses.
When left outside in the rain or snow, bamboo can absorb moisture and cause it to warp and mold. Exposure to excessive and direct sunlight can dry up the bamboo and cause the furniture to crack.
To prevent both, keep your furniture in a dry and shaded area at all times to preserve durability and shape.
If you’re indoors, you don’t have to worry too much about it. But if you have a heater or fireplace, you’d want to avoid putting it next to the heat source.
Susceptible to Insect Attacks
Bamboo is a plant, and insects love it. When you buy bamboo furniture, it’s likely already been treated, which means the sugar and moisture were removed from the plant. By this point, insects don’t care for it.
But for some, it’s still a concern because it’s happened to them before.
To prevent your bamboo furniture from getting devoured, treat your furniture with a sealant. If your bamboo furniture lives outdoors, we highly recommend doing so.
What to Consider When Buying Bamboo Furniture
Bamboo furniture is an investment, and here are a few things we recommend you to consider when buying furniture:
Where You’re Buying Furniture From
High-quality, long-lasting bamboo products can be affordable, but when it sounds too good to be true, it might be.
When shopping around, keep an eye out for reputable, trustworthy bamboo furniture manufacturers. Check their sources and certifications to ensure they provide quality bamboo furniture.
At Bamboo Goods, we vet our partners and affiliate links to ensure they provide the best quality bamboo goods for you.
Check the Glue
Bamboo furniture isn’t just made out of bamboo.
There is often adhesive added to keep it all together.
One thing to look out for is what type of glue is used to hold the bamboo together and make sure it's not toxic because it’s not just bad for the environment, but for you too.
Go In-Person
Buying furniture online is so easy these days, but you never know if you like a piece until you see it in person.
The best way to understand what you like and don’t like about any furniture is to check it out in person first to see, feel, and interact with the piece of furniture.
Care and Maintenance of Bamboo Furniture
Bamboo furniture is an incredible and sustainable option. But like with all great things, we need to take care of it so it lasts long and we continue to reduce our impact on the environment.
The best way to keep bamboo furniture clean and strong for years is straightforward. It’s truly an easy four-step process.
- Get a soft brush to dislodge any dust and dirt.
- Go in with a moist washcloth with soapy water to clean the bamboo.
- Follow up with a damp cloth with just water to remove soap residue.
- Finish up with a dry, clean cloth to remove excess water.
Less is more when it comes to cleaning bamboo furniture. By cleaning every few weeks, you’ll prevent build-up and damage to your furniture so they can last for years.
Outdoor Bamboo Furniture Tips
As for outdoor furniture, the cleaning is the same, but there are a few things you need to keep in mind because bamboo is natural, and naturally, it can decompose and rot if not taken care of.
- Keep it away from excessive moisture because it can cause the bamboo to absorb moisture, warp, and even mold.
- Ice can damage the bamboo by getting into the bamboo and leaving moisture behind.
- Leave it in a shady area because too much exposure to the sun can cause it to crack.
- During colder months, protect the bamboo by using covers or storing it in a dry place like a shed or garage.
- Lots of humidity can damage the bamboo so it’s important to keep it polished and bamboo sealed.
Bamboo furniture is beautiful, long-lasting, and a great addition to any home. Bamboo is truly the way to go if you’re looking for a sustainable option for your furniture.
Author
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Stephanie Wong is an expert copywriter in the home improvement industry. She loves anything and everything to do with homes. From construction to decor, she can talk and write about it all day long.
She loves helping small businesses grow their traffic, leads, and impact through powerful copy that deeply connects with their audience.
When Stephanie’s not typing away on her laptop, you can find her experimenting in the kitchen with new food combinations or playing card games (not the gambling kind).
Want to work with Stephanie? Find her here: www.stephaniewongagency.com
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