Knowing your Banana from your Lauhala: Not all tropical matting is created equal-

 

When it comes to Hawaiiana or tropical decor, natural matting (matting created from the weaving of palm or plant leaves) is a warm, eco friendly, and sustainable product found in many homes here in Hawaii.

From the multimillion dollar estates in Diamond Head and Kahala to the country cottages of Makaha this all natural matting can be utilized in many ways from flooring to veneers to wall coverings, to ceiling treatments.

 

 

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Before Western contact, Hawaiian homes typically would have several layers of matting on the walls and floors. The higher your status in society inevitably the more matting you would have. Westerners observed that in some chiefly households as many 36 layers of various kinds of matting were counted on the floors.

Today tropical matting is both a cultural cliche and highly prized design element. Cliche in the sense that no Tiki Bar can go without having itself veneered from head to toe in it and highly prized in that it is a defining element of Hawaiiana and island design.  

What most people here in Hawaii refer to as Lauhala matting is actually several different varieties of plant matting lumped together. However, when it comes to using tropical matting in design it's important to know the characteristics of the various varieties as some are better for certain projects than others.  

 

Lauhala- Soft pliable with a thick profile and even coloration. Absorbs sound and is easy to work with. Makes a great floor, wall or ceiling covering.

 

 

 

 

Palm- Coconut, Royal, and others range from flexible to firm but with a glossy texture. typically firmer than lauhala but still flexible and generally less expensive. Color is most often lighter than Lauhala and is heavier in weight.

 

 

 

 

Banana-rich color variations, mat finish with fibrous texture and weave. Flexible but can fray easily, makes poor wainscoting.

 

 

 

 

Bamboo- Very firm, fairly even color, tight clean well defined weave with a thin profile. Great for ceilings, wainscoting, wall treatments, and as a veneer, can be stained. Has little flexibility.

 

 

 

 

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