Chelsea Wicker Footstool from Rattan Direct

Chelsea Wicker Footstool from Rattan Direct

When I first moved in with Daddy P it was obvious that he hadn’t changed any of the decor or furnishing since he’d got divorced some years before.  The house was full of large floral prints and dusky pink.  Not me at all.  Over time I’ve de-chintzed the whole house, and we replaced the three-piece pink suite with the Abbey range from Marks and Spencer a few years ago. At the time money was tight so we decided against spending an additional £399 for a matching footstool and have been making do with the one from the original pink suite, which is fine, but much larger than we need.  Following our recent living room renovations, I knew it was time to resolve the footstool issue and the Chelsea Wicker Footstool from Rattan Direct offered a different take on the problem.

Chelsea Wicker Footstool from Rattan Direct

I was a little surprised that the wicker colour was so light when my package arrived.  The illustration on the Rattan Direct website is much darker, but it does state that colour can vary depending on the fibre.  It seems to make it a bit of pot luck when ordering online which I hadn’t really considered.  But I can see that if you are ordering a number of items that need to be matched, you can discuss this when placing your order.

There are three colour options for the cushion to go with the Chelsea Wicker Footstool from Rattan Direct – Oatmeal, Biscuit and Chocolate, but I couldn’t see a way of actually seeing the colours on the website.  Perhaps that’s me? We received the Oatmeal option.

When the footstool arrived it was well packaged and the cushion was attached to the box with layers of clingfilm.

Chelsea Wicker Footstool from Rattan Direct

I was concerned that the cushion might be a bit squashed, but as soon as I released it from the packaging it quickly returned to its correct shape.  The stool itself comes with 4 wooden feet that need fixing to the unit with an allen key (provided) and 4 plastic shoes which cover the bolt holes on the bottom of the feet.

The feet were easy to screw on, but I struggled to fit them with the plastic shoes. A job for Daddy P to tackle when he’s home next.

The cushion has a machine washable removable cover, which is really handy.  I also like the idea of the storage drawer, which comes already assembled within the stool, which will certainly come in handy. The overall look of the Chelsea Wicker Footstool from Rattan Direct is good but I do have a few niggling issues with it.

Firstly, there is no way to fix the cushion to the footstool, which to my mind is just a little silly.  The cushion comes with 4 velcro style pads and the stool has 4 suction pads so it can be used with a glass top.  I know that a moving cushion is going to be annoying, so I’ll have to think of a fixing solution myself.  I do think this part of the design needs looking at personally, and would certainly have put me off if I was buying this item.

The Chelsea Wicker Footstool from Rattan Direct is priced at £135 which I think is a good price, but there are a few finishing issues with the drawer unit that let the overall unit down slightly in my opinion.

I have to be honest, I was expecting the finish quality to be better, and I’d be worried about my 7 year old son getting splinters if he opened the drawer on this unit.

The unit itself is sturdy and the hand-woven wicker looks good.  If these niggles could be ironed out I think the Chelsea Wicker Footstool from Rattan Direct would make a really good bargain.  The overall size with the cushion on top is 60cm wide x 40cm high x 42cm deep.  The unit can also be matched with the full Chelsea wicker range, so great if you’re fitting out your conservatory with new furniture.

Chelsea Wicker Footstool from Rattan Direct

Now to figure out how to fix the cushion to the stool, ideas welcome.

disclosure:  we were sent the item mentioned in exchange for an honest review

2 thoughts on “Chelsea Wicker Footstool from Rattan Direct

  1. This looks lovely and light and seems like it would fit well with a modern living area, shame that the finish is not up to scratch.

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