The 1973 Superior Reed & Rattan Furniture catalog captures rattan at a very specific moment in American interiors. The material was still popular enough to fill a full furniture line, but it no longer feels quite as fresh or forward-looking as it had in earlier decades. By this point, rattan had moved from breezy sunrooms and resort-style living into the heavier visual world of the early 1970s: orange upholstery, red carpet, avocado walls, floral cushions, patterned drapes, and lots of indoor plants.

Superior Reed & Rattan Furniture Company, Inc. was based at 500 West 52nd Street in New York City. The company described its products as furniture for “casual living,” with an emphasis on comfort, durability, groupings, and accessories. Beyond what appears in the catalog itself, I have not found enough reliable information to make broader claims about the company’s founding, ownership, or full history, so this post stays close to what the catalog documents.

The catalog includes living room groups, dining sets, bar stools, service carts, occasional chairs, tables, lamps, and accessories. Some pieces are still very appealing: cane-back dining chairs, simple bar stools, rounded lounge chairs, and clean-lined service carts. Others feel strongly tied to their moment, especially when paired with bright floral fabrics or painted finishes. That is part of what makes the catalog interesting. It is not just showing rattan furniture; it is showing how rattan was being reworked to fit 1973 taste.

By 1973, rattan’s design moment had largely passed. It was still useful, still casual, and still attractive, but it was no longer the crisp modern accent it had once been. In this catalog, it feels like a material trying to stay current by adapting to the colors, patterns, and relaxed lifestyle imagery of the 1970s. The furniture still promises ease and informality, but the rooms around it are heavier, louder, and more decorated.