The British retailer that brought considered design to the high street.

Habitat was founded by Terence Conran in 1964. Its premise was simple and radical in equal measure: that good design should not be the preserve of the wealthy. Conran believed that well-made, thoughtfully designed objects — furniture, textiles, lighting, kitchenware — belonged in ordinary homes.

Rattan and cane appeared throughout Habitat’s catalogue. The folding beech chair with woven cane seat was characteristic of the Habitat approach — functional, honest, and quietly elegant. No excess. No pretension. Just a well-resolved object at a fair price.

Conran’s influence on British domestic taste was profound. He did not invent good design, but he democratised it. For a generation of buyers — including those who would later spend their weekends hunting pieces at car boots and auction houses — Habitat was the first education.

The eye, once trained, does not forget.

Rattanology is a UK design studio based in Oxford, partnering with master craftspeople around the world to create premium rattan lighting and furniture with intention and integrity.