Large Rattan Log Holder with Arched Carry Handle, French circa 1970

The rattan log holder represents the natural materials moment in French interior design of the 1970s — a period when wicker, rattan, and rush brought an organic warmth to interiors that had spent the previous decade dominated by metal, plastic, and laminate. This generous basket, with its tall arched carry handle and vertical-woven rattan walls, belongs to that tradition with quiet authority. It is a functional object of daily use — holding the firewood beside the hearth — but one whose material and form lift it above pure utility into the realm of decorative craft.

The weave is closely worked and even, the rattan chosen for regularity and strength. The tall arched handle rises above the basket’s open rim in a confident single arc, providing a firm grip for carrying logs and lending the piece its characteristic silhouette — the outline that makes a rattan log holder instantly recognizable and perennially satisfying as a form. At 57 cm wide and 46.5 cm deep, the interior volume is generous: capable of holding a substantial armful of logs for an evening’s fire.

Rattan was the preferred material of a number of notable French designers and decorators in the 1970s, from the rattan suites of the major furnishing houses to smaller ateliers responding to the growing demand for natural materials in the post-1968 interior. Log holders and baskets in rattan were widely produced, but the quality of construction varies considerably: this piece, with its tight weave and well-proportioned form, stands at the better end of the type.

A classic and enduring form, in excellent condition. Suitable for placement beside any fireplace — period or contemporary — where the warmth of natural materials complements the fire within.