# Indochine Decor > Indochine Decor is a specialty buying guide for Southeast Asian furniture, textiles, lighting, and objects — rattan, teak, Thai silk, batik, lacquerware, and more. We explain how each craft is made, what quality looks like, and how to buy the real thing at a fair price. Indochine Decor publishes original, long-form guides about Southeast Asian home decor and interior style — buying, styling, and understanding the craft. Every article opens with a concise direct answer, is structured with clear headings and FAQs, and reflects mainstream expert consensus. ## Furniture - [Bamboo vs Rattan Furniture: Strength, Cost & Care Compared](https://indochine-decor.com/bamboo-vs-rattan-furniture/): Bamboo and rattan are different plants that suit different furniture. - [How to Clean Rattan Furniture (Without Damaging It)](https://indochine-decor.com/how-to-clean-rattan-furniture/): Dust rattan furniture weekly with a soft brush attachment, then wipe it monthly with a cloth wrung out in mild soapy water — never soak it. - [How to Clean Teak Furniture (Without Ruining the Patina)](https://indochine-decor.com/how-to-clean-teak-furniture/): Clean teak furniture with warm water, a small amount of mild dish soap, and a soft-bristle brush, scrubbing gently along the grain, then rinse and let it… - [Is Teak Furniture Worth It? Lifespan, Cost & Value](https://indochine-decor.com/is-teak-furniture-worth-it/): Yes, if you buy genuine, well-graded solid teak and plan to keep it for years: it can last decades outdoors with minimal upkeep, which often makes its… - [Rattan Furniture Guide: Types, Quality & What to Pay](https://indochine-decor.com/rattan-furniture-guide/): Rattan furniture is worth buying when it uses real woven rattan over a hardwood or bent-cane frame with woven (not stapled) joints. - [Rattan vs Wicker: The Real Difference & Which to Buy](https://indochine-decor.com/rattan-vs-wicker/): Rattan is a material — a solid tropical palm stalk. Wicker is a weaving technique, not a material, and can be made from rattan, reed, or synthetic resin. - [Teak vs Acacia Outdoor Furniture: Which Lasts Longer?](https://indochine-decor.com/teak-vs-acacia-outdoor-furniture/): Teak lasts longer: its high natural oil content resists rot and water with little to no maintenance, often for decades outdoors. ## Textiles - [Batik Buying Guide: Hand-Drawn vs Stamped vs Printed](https://indochine-decor.com/batik-buying-guide/): Real batik falls into two hand-made categories: batik tulis (wax hand-drawn with a canting tool, most expensive and one-of-a-kind) and batik cap (wax… - [How to Wash Batik Fabric Without Fading It](https://indochine-decor.com/how-to-wash-batik-fabric/): To wash washable cotton batik, test a hidden area for color transfer, turn the item inside out, and hand-wash it briefly in cool water with a small amount… - [Ikat vs Batik: How to Tell These Textiles Apart](https://indochine-decor.com/ikat-vs-batik/): Ikat and batik are both resist-dye textiles, but made in opposite ways. Ikat ties and dyes the yarn before weaving, giving patterns soft, blurred edges. - [How to Tell Real Thai Silk From Fake: 5 Simple Tests](https://indochine-decor.com/real-vs-fake-thai-silk/): Stack several checks rather than relying on one: burn a spare thread safely (real silk self-extinguishes, smells like burnt hair, leaves soft ash, while… - [Thai Silk Guide: How It's Made, Graded & Priced](https://indochine-decor.com/thai-silk-guide/): Thai silk is fabric woven from Bombyx mori (mulberry) silkworm thread that is dyed before weaving, giving it a two-tone iridescent shimmer. - [Thai Silk Pillow Covers: What Real Quality Costs](https://indochine-decor.com/thai-silk-pillow-covers/): A genuine handwoven Thai silk pillow cover in a standard 18 x 18 inch size typically costs about $30–$90, with premium brands and complex weaves running… ## Lighting - [Best Bamboo Pendant Lights: 7 Styles That Actually Last](https://indochine-decor.com/best-bamboo-pendant-lights/): The best bamboo pendant lights depend on the job: a woven bell or dome pendant gives the most even, practical light for dining tables and entryways, an… - [Capiz Shell Lighting: What It Is & Is It Worth Buying?](https://indochine-decor.com/capiz-shell-lighting/): Capiz shell lighting is made from the thin, translucent shell of the windowpane oyster, giving fixtures a soft, diffused glow. - [How High to Hang a Pendant Light? By Room (With Chart)](https://indochine-decor.com/how-high-to-hang-pendant-light/): Hang a pendant so its bottom sits 30–36 inches above a dining table or kitchen island (with a standard 8-foot ceiling), and at least 84 inches — 7 feet —… - [How High to Hang a Pendant Light Over a Table (With Chart)](https://indochine-decor.com/pendant-light-height-over-table/): Hang a pendant light so its lowest point sits 30 to 36 inches above the dining tabletop, assuming a standard 8-foot ceiling. - [What Size Pendant Light? Sizing by Room (With Chart)](https://indochine-decor.com/pendant-light-size-guide/): Size a single pendant to roughly one-third to one-half the width of the surface beneath it: about 12-16 inches over a standard-depth kitchen island, 14-24… - [Rattan Pendant Lights: How to Choose Size, Shape & Weave](https://indochine-decor.com/rattan-pendant-light-guide/): A rattan pendant light is a hanging fixture with a shade woven from rattan poles or peel around a frame, prized for the warm, dappled light it casts… ## Art & Objects - [Carved Wood Wall Art: A Buyer's Guide to Quality & Origin](https://indochine-decor.com/carved-wood-wall-art-buying-guide/): Carved wood wall art typically ranges from about $40 for small mango-wood panels to $600 or more for large teak pieces, with price driven mainly by… - [Celadon Pottery Buying Guide: Glaze, Craft & Care](https://indochine-decor.com/celadon-pottery-buying-guide/): When buying celadon pottery, judge the form, glaze, decoration, condition, and provenance before price. - [Mother-of-Pearl Inlay: Craft, Quality Signs & Care](https://indochine-decor.com/mother-of-pearl-inlay-guide/): Mother-of-pearl inlay furniture uses thin pieces of iridescent shell nacre, hand-cut and set flush into wood or lacquer, often against a black lacquer… - [Vietnamese Lacquerware: How to Spot Quality Before Buying](https://indochine-decor.com/vietnamese-lacquerware-guide/): Quality Vietnamese lacquerware (sơn mài) is built from many hand-applied, sanded lacquer layers over solid wood or bamboo, giving the surface visible… - [Seagrass vs Rattan vs Water Hyacinth Baskets Compared](https://indochine-decor.com/woven-basket-materials-compared/): Rattan is the sturdiest of the three, with a semi-rigid core that holds its shape under daily handling — best for laundry bins and toy storage. ## Styling Guides - [How to Style Rattan in a Modern Home (Without Clichés)](https://indochine-decor.com/how-to-style-rattan-modern-home/): Style rattan for a modern home by limiting it to one or two pieces per room, pairing it against plain, solid materials like matte black metal, poured… - [Southeast Asian Home Decor: The Complete Style Guide](https://indochine-decor.com/southeast-asian-home-decor-guide/): Southeast Asian home decor is built from a small set of regional materials — rattan and cane, teak, Thai silk, batik and ikat, and lacquerware — each with… ## Craft & Origins - [What Is Indochine Style? Origins, Elements & How It's Used](https://indochine-decor.com/indochine-style-explained/): Indochine style is a colonial-era hybrid aesthetic that emerged in French Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia): European colonial furniture forms and… - [Is Teak Sustainable? Plantation vs Old-Growth, Explained](https://indochine-decor.com/is-teak-sustainable/): Teak's sustainability depends on source, not species. Plantation teak grown on managed rotations in places like Indonesia and Costa Rica is renewable,… - [Where Does Rattan Come From? Harvesting & Sustainability](https://indochine-decor.com/where-does-rattan-come-from/): Rattan is a climbing palm harvested mainly across Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, both from wild forest stock and, increasingly, managed… ## Full text for LLMs - [llms-full.txt](https://indochine-decor.com/llms-full.txt): every article as plain markdown in one file - Each article is also available as markdown at https://indochine-decor.com/.md ## Site - [About](https://indochine-decor.com/about/): editorial approach and standards - [All articles](https://indochine-decor.com/all/) - [Contact](https://indochine-decor.com/contact/)