At The Wickery, we specialize in outdoor and indoor wicker furniture and decor. We enjoy creating quality products to help better the aesthetic and functionality of all the spaces in your family’s home. This week we’re appreciating a young architect and weaver who enjoys creating oversized wicker structures, and they are truly something to marvel at.
Andrea Von Chrismar
Andrea Von Chrismar lives in Chile, and has dedicated her adult life to wicker woven surfaces for the sake of functionality but also for architectural wonder. According to Von Chrismar, “The wicker woven surfaces change their behavior in an opposite way from design to architecture.” Essentially, she means that she enjoys her large, architectural wicker structures because they are more flexible. This makes them more resistant to stretching than with smaller wicker pieces. Von Chrismar works with a team of four other weavers in Chile, but she is the sole architect.
The Structures
The technique used to create these oversized structures is similar to the technique used for smaller wicker objects. Von Chrismar utilizes an old technique that originated from Chile in colonial times. She uses this technique because of its complexity and resilience to outside factors such as sunlight, rain, and other uncontrollable influencers. She chooses to use natural raw material, rather than other material options that have a higher density. Most of her structures are approximately 118 inches tall, 354 inches long, and each takes up about 89 square feet. Despite the large size of these woven structures, they all weight approximately only 100 pounds due to the natural material and expert weaving.
The Architecture
The woven technique adds a new type of architectural style as it allows Von Chrismar to experiment with light and how it passes through the structures. She’s able to add in small designs within the woven patterns to help better cast shadows and utilize the light as part of the architectural wonder. When first deciding to create these structures, Von Chrismar knew that choosing concrete, bamboo, or other carbon-intense building materials would threaten the integrity of the architecture. By choosing all natural and traditional materials, the structures are able to maintain their light-weight design and conduct as much light as the architect wishes. Remarkably enough, despite the complexity and mass of each large structure, Von Chrismar and her small team of four weavers get each structure done in roughly five days from start to finish.
Want one for your home?
If you’re a wicker lover, these oversized structures might sound so intriguing you might just want one for your backyard. Unfortunately, Von Chrismar is not currently selling her structures in The United States, and there are no apparent ways to get in contact with her or her team at the moment. However, this shouldn’t stop you from equipping your property with all of your favorite wicker pieces. Consider opting for a wicker umbrella for your outdoor patio to cast a comfortable shadow on your living spaces and replicate the effect of these structures. Also, by opting for larger woven furniture pieces, your guests are sure to notice the pieces and the complexity behind the woven designs.
While you’re not able to supplement your current design with these large structures quite yet, that shouldn’t stop you from adding more wicker to your life! Visit our website today to browse through our many indoor and outdoor wicker options!
