Replacing cane with ?  

Now these just freak me out
:shudder:

OK, don't laugh too hard, but
I'm seriously wondering if these might be Ruhlmann chairs.
I mean, aside from the fact that he didn't seem to use cane (smart guy). But his chairs consistently had that little swag thing going on.
OK, maybe not Ruhlmann, but whoever made this chair was certainly inspired by him.
http://www.pollaro.com/rh_chairs.php

Wow. I'm startled by the cane-wicker-rattan prejudice!
Granted, hexagon-patterned caning is somewhat redolent of fussy Victorian parlors, and 1970's fern bars... guilt by association.
I offer these examples in defense of this holey trinity:

Well those are a few notches above the holey stuff
but it's not just the holes that bother me, it's the tendency of the material to split and produce annoying wayward pieces that poke or snag clothing.
And it's too busy, I just don't like the woven look, no matter the pattern.
But that's just my personal taste, I have no problem with the fact that other people seem to love it.

Hollywood glam
Dashes, I think your chair resembles the spirit of the Dorothy Draper look of the 30's and I don't think you should radically change it's original finish. Here's an example of her look. I'd keep the cane if it's in good shape unless you can see a way to replace it with wood that doesn't look cheesy.

Hmmm, I'm not seeing it
It looks more to me like what would happen if Wormsley were doing homage to Ruhlmann. But until I have them in my hands, it's hard to say for sure (hopefully tomorrow).

It seems strange that one...
It seems strange that one should hate cane on furniture and then go and buy furniture with cane on it! In defence of cane I'd say its light, cheap, strong, ventilated, and easily replaced if it should fail - usually only after years of use. Would Dots still replace the cane if it were by an 'important' maker?

I actually don't love it --...
I actually don't love it -- used to adamantly avoid it and associate it with all things banal and MOR -- and you're right, it tatters up and looks shabby. However, I think the PK22, for example, looks much more interesting and even more masculine in wicker than the leather. Seeing progressive designs done with an earthy, old world textile like wicker or cane is what made me come around to it and start to see its beauty. Particularly some of the Kjaerholm stuff, and also contemporary pieces, like some of the ones in the website below. I used to think that wicker had had it's day.
Join us, Dashes...the likers-of-wicker.
http://www.drot.sk/

paulanna
I don't think it's strange at all, considering how much I do like the rest of the design of the chair, a design which I have not yet seen anywhere else - which almost surely means that it's not done by an "important" designer, but yet is clearly influenced by those designers.
And, the cane is a relatively minor contribution to the overall design, both in size and influence, in my opinion, so replacing it could only enhance the aesthetic appeal to me.
Now, if this were by an important designer, then I might have an issue with replacing it, but only because I respect the preservation of objects with historical significance. But then I also would not want to keep them for use if that were the case.

Marcel Breuer
I have a question that seems to be part of this topic.
I picked up a Marcel Breuer B64 chair off the sidewalk. The caning on the seat is destroyed and the back rest has paint on it. I like caning but I also wanted to try something new. If I did wish to replace the caning is there a way to fasten the new material to the routered groove where the caning was adhered and also cover it with the reed?
Thank you!