You can tell a good rattan set from a bad one before you even sit down, just by how the weave catches the light from the doorway. The good stuff has a tight, even pattern that looks woven by someone paying attention. The bad stuff has gaps and frayed edges already, like it started falling apart on the truck over, and the resin feels tacky rather than smooth when you run a hand across the arm.
Keep it away from anything fussy or ornate near it, it does not want to sit next to wrought iron scrollwork or a glass top table with chrome legs, the mix reads as confused rather than relaxed. It also fights with very saturated cushion colors, a hot orange or royal blue on top of natural rattan starts to look like a cocktail bar display rather than a place you'd actually put your feet up. Grays, that dusty taupe sold as "driftwood" or "whitewash," and plain charcoal weaves are the ones that age well and go with whatever you change your mind about next summer. Pure white rattan looks sharp in a showroom and then shows every bit of pollen and dirt within a week outside, I learned that one the hard way after a single spring.
Before you buy, check what the frame actually is under the woven skin, because a lot of "rattan" furniture now is resin wicker wrapped around aluminum, which is fine and often better outdoors, but you want to know which you're getting and not pay solid teak prices for it. Press on the weave where it meets the frame, loose or glued-looking joints will start separating within a season of sun and rain. Flip a chair and check the feet, if they're bare metal touching concrete they'll rust and stain the patio, you want a plastic or rubber cap under there. And sit in it properly, not just a quick perch, some of these frames flex more than you'd expect under real weight.
This suits a patio, a covered porch, or a three season sunroom far better than an open lawn, since the weave sits happier out of direct downpours even when the materials are technically weatherproof. It's forgiving furniture for renters too, since none of it needs refinishing or a coat of anything if you move.
Put it where your deck or balcony currently just has a folding chair and a resigned attitude, and that spot turns into somewhere you actually want your coffee.
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