At first glance, abaca and lampakanay look like nothing more than banana leaves and pond weeds respectively, but both plants have proven incredibly profitable for farmers and weavers in the Philippines who have turned them into versatile eco-friendly exports across the globe.
When harvested and treated, both plants can be transformed into beautifully-crafted baskets, bags, mats, ropes, and braided furniture – such as several choice items within the Eric Brand collection. Abaca and Lampakanay products ground a room and provide good contrast to many different interior designs with their natural colors and woven textures.
Also called “manila hemp,” abaca is extracted from the leaf sheath around the trunk of the abaca plant (a close relative of the banana). Harvesting abaca is labor-intensive as each stalk must be cut into strips which are scraped to remove the pulp, and the fibers are then washed and dried.
Abaca is prized for its great strength and long fibre length – up to 3 meters a piece. Abaca fiber is so strong, in fact, that it’s used to make ropes, twines, fishing lines and nets, as well as coarse cloth for sacking. Of special interest to us, there is also a flourishing market for abaca home furnishings, such as the Eric Brand Wisteria lighting series and the Juniper J64.
The best grades of abaca are fine-yet-strong, lustrous, and surprisingly comfortable – such as with the Eric Brand Boxy, and Talker X Light Abaca Coffee Tables.
Lampakanay’s utilitarian attributes are not so initially apparent. As a tall, grassy weed commonly found in shallow ponds and swamps, it was originally considered a “pest” for choking out fish and other plant life. Not until people harvested, braided and woven it, did it gain a new – lucrative – reputation.
The entire or split stem of lampakanay is used for making bags, baskets and rope for furniture trimmings. The round stems are immersed for several days in muddy water to darken them, forming black patterned materials for various items.
It turns out that Lampakanay is a powerhouse plant with uses ranging from food and medicine, to attractive home furnishings. The supple ribbons of the lampakanay leaves are separated from the tougher part and used as the weavings (flat or twisted) for a pleasing pattern material.
As these two highly versatile plants attest, Mother Nature is the gift that keeps on giving when it comes to providing excellent, durable – and visually appealing – materials we can use in artful home design.
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ERIC BRAND
Founded in 1996 and based in San Francisco, Eric Brand offers custom-styled furniture and worldwide sourcing along with exquisite materials and finishes, specifically for the high-end residential design market and hospitality industry.
JUNIPER
Named after the fog-licked Juniper trees on the hills of San Francisco, Juniper is an in-stock furniture collection by Eric Brand reminiscent of the Art Deco movement in Paris that pays homage to timeless materials, techniques and silhouettes – brought to life through expert craftsmanship.