That Campy Lloyd Loom

Wicker isn’t just for the porch, never has been.  Remember those iconic slasher movies that were set in the summer camps somewhere in the northeast woods by a lake?  What was the sofa made of, the one where the pretty young counselor dies in a puddle of blood?  Wicker, usually of the Lloyd Loom type.  True to the times, the set designers were correct to furnish the scene with Lloyd Loom suites as that was often the furniture of choice for summer vacation homes by the lake.

Lloyd Loom wicker is the only style of wicker still being manufactured in the U.S. most likely because it is the only machine made.  First woven of paper over wire, the modern day version is

Antique Bar Harbor chair
with drop in cushion seat

woven from thinly extruded vinyl, but still using many of the same flowing, graceful designs.  Like the newer versions, the antiques were woven in sheets and wrapped around a frame to form the sides and back.  Then it was wood, now it is metal.  Sometimes the seat was made of flat spings on which a cushion packed with horsehair was placed, but more often the original antiques had cushions with springs inside and a wood rim that dropped into an open seat frame.  If you can still find them, they are by far more comfortable than today’s solid woven seat and foam cushion version.  No matter what condition the original drop in cushions are in, I assure you they can be repaired by any good upholsterer. 

The one drawback to owning the original Lloyd Loom furniture is that once broken, that is, the weave, not the frame, it is difficult to repair.  Not only will the material be different (fiber over wire is no longer available), but trying to find someone who will weave using the tiny diameter reed may be a problem.  So, if you find an antique Lloyd Loom piece that you love, assume that if there is any damage to the weave, it may just stay like that.  I, for one, can live with a few distressed pieces here and there.   It just makes for a more authentic look and validates that it is a true antique.  But then, I am a purist when it comes to antique wicker furniture.