For the upcycling project, I am taking inspiration from the Rattan Peacock Chair aesthetic. This iconic chair has a very interesting history, which is well explained in this video by Vox. The short history is that rattan chairs became popular as ‘photography chairs’ in the late 1800s because they were lightweight, beautiful, and stayed cool under the hot photography lighting.

The exact origins of the ‘Peacock Chair’ design are unknown, one possible origin is a prison in the Philippines where inmates made these chairs to sell to Western Tourists. This iconic photo is of one of the inmates, who was serving life imprisonment and is pictured with her child, who was born in the prison with her.

Photo by El Paso Herald (1914)

The aesthetic oversized back of the Peacock Chair makes anyone who sits in it look incredibly powerful; no matter whether you’re a prisoner serving a life sentence, starting a political organization, or the President of the United States of America.

Huey Newton, Photo by Black Panther Party
‘Pearls, The First Family Portrait’, Photo by Jacques Lowe

The large sweeping curves in the chair’s back and the intricate lines make out of the delicate rattan work help to create a beautiful halo-like effect for anybody who sits in it.

Photo of Marilyn Monroe, by Cecil Beaton

I am interested in this aesthetic because I find it to be an awesome intersection become form and function. The oversized back of the chair has no material purpose other than the beautify of it’s form, yet through it’s beauty alone it gives the chair another function – a beautiful setting for photography. I also appreciate that this oversized back doesn’t deteriorate the function of the chair, it is structurally stable and can be leaned on if you want to relax.

This aesthetic has withstood the test of time, as contemporary artists such Drake have featured this chair on their album art. The photo below is of Drake’s father sitting in a Peacock Chair.

Album Cover of ‘More Life’ by Drake

The final reason I was interested in this chair is that rattan is a sustainable building material that has significant tensile strength but little compressive strength, and so using it for weight bearing capabilities results in very interesting design, as seen in the far left and far right photos in the collection below. I will be using rubber bicycle, car, and motorcycle tires for my upcycle material. Similar to rattan, bicycle tires (especially when cut into strips) have good tensile strength and less compressive strength. This will allow me to try to replicate the rattan construction style using another sustainable material (although the sustainability of reusing tires is very different than the sustainability of an organic and readily biodegradable product).

https://www.vox.com/2019/10/4/20897269/peacock-chair-album-cover
Al Di Meola, Dorothy Moore, Larry Gatlin, and Funkadelic each sat on a peacock wicker chair for their 1970s album covers. Photo by Vox.

The immense popularity of this style of chair, which has been around for over 100 years now, demonstrates that The Peacock Chair has a wonderful aesthetic.

Works Cited:

https://www.vox.com/2019/10/4/20897269/peacock-chair-album-cover

https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/rattan-peacock-chair-bilibid-a00293-20200624-lfrm

https://x.com/meganeabbott/status/1796915862760309003?mx=2

https://www.1stdibs.com/art/photography/black-white-photography/jacques-lowe-pearls-first-family-portrait-hyannis-port/id-a_958643/

4 Comments. Leave new

  • Jules,
    I love this project idea! The Rattan chair is a design I’ve always admired, but I never actually realized how iconic they were – from album covers to portraits of celebrities and leaders, these chairs have definitely stood the test of time.

    One thing I was wondering was – how are you going to cut the strips (what tools or methods will you use). I think it will be tough to get consistent thicknesses, especially if they’re pretty thin, although, it might give it a unique look if the strips are not all perfect!

    • Jules Fischer-White
      February 5, 2025 4:20 am

      I used scissors to cut the strips, it’s true that it is difficult to make a consistent width, but luckily bicycle tires have lots of repeating markings which make for an excellent guide.

  • Chrisanna Bertuccio
    February 2, 2025 7:13 pm

    Hi Jules,
    I really enjoyed reading this post, I had no idea there was such an interesting history behind Rattan chairs. I guess I had never really thought about them much, but your post has made me recognize their significance in history and pop culture. I am excited to see how you will create one using tires. Will you use another material for the frame/structural support? I am also interested to see how you will navigate making the chair comfortable/sittable (if you choose to) considering the textures of the tires. Good luck!

    • Jules Fischer-White
      February 5, 2025 4:21 am

      Some bicycle tires and all car tires have metal linings, which I think will give adequate structural support so I won’t need any external frame. Thank you!

You must be logged in to post a comment.
Previous Post
Bauhaus & De Stijl: Upcycling with Recycled Skateboard Decks
Next Post
Upcycle project Tropical Aesthetic lamp.