How To Install A Serena & Lily Hanging Rattan Chair

The Serena & Lily hanging rattan chair will have your kids – and you – fighting all over it! We tentatively ordered an outdoor hanging chair from Serena & Lily for our porch a few years ago, and today it’s everyone’s favorite seat. Forget the rocking chairs – those are so last year! 😉 I am sharing a tutorial how to hang a Serena & Lily Hanging Rattan Chair with you in 3 simple steps.

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The Serena & Lily Hanging Chair

This summer we added two of the Serena & Lily indoor hanging rattan chairs to our collection – this time in the kids’ playroom. These chairs are so fun and look great in a room, so since we had the space, why not double them up for duel impact!

Is the Serena and Lily hanging chair actually comfortable? Or is this a kid thing?

Yes, our hanging rattan chairs are comfortable and we do enjoy them as adults too. The curve of the rattan back on Serena and Lily chair makes them easy to cozy up in without killing your back! We did put down this sheepskin fur from Amazon on the bottom (you’ll want something similar – in our outside hanging chair we have a cushion).

But YES, yes, yes! These are fun and comfortable to sit in! They don’t hurt or make me ache. I wouldn’t sit in them long term, say for a movie, but my kids do!

How much weight does the hanging chair hold?

This chair holds up to 300lbs.

How much space do I need for a hanging chair?

Ideally, you need about 3 feet of space behind the hanging rattan chair so you can sway a bit, plus 2 feet on either side to prevent hitting a wall or railing. The chairs feel best at around 25-28″ off the ground.

And of course, I emphasized to my 4 little people (multiple times!) that Serena & Lily advertises their hanging rattan chairs as chairs, NOT swings. Swaying is great. Swinging into walls is a quick way for the chair to fall apart. The rattan will eventually break if it is banging into the wall repeatedly.

So make sure to place it at least 3 ft away from the walls.

If you like using natural elements in your home – consider using rattan hanging chair. Bringing a piece or two into your home will help you capture the casual style of a coastal home. Rattan is having a big moment right now, but it is considered a classic and a great material for furniture!

hanging rattan chair with 2 blue pillows

You can read about our rattan barstools and how they compare here!

How To Install The Serena & Lily Hanging Chair / How To Hang A Rattan Chair With a Rope

Does drilling holes into your ceiling sound scary??

Here is your quick tutorial on how to hang hammock chairs, securely and easily in a matter of minutes!

two hanging rattan chairs next to each other with a kids bookshelf

two hanging chairs from Serena and lily installed in a playroom

How To Hang The Serena & Lily Hanging Chair From The Ceiling In 3 Easy Steps

(Don’t install real rattan chairs outdoors. Serena and Lily make a different hanging chair specifically for outdoors. Scroll to the bottom to see it on our front porch – or see it here along with 10 other outdoor hanging chairs.)

I called my handyman who installed our outdoor Serena & Lily hanging chair on our front porch last year, and he reassured me this was straight forward; as simple as drilling screws into the right spot! That is, as long as I used the right little piece of hardware and had a helper.

My husband was working on this particular day, so I grabbed my 12 year old to help me and we did it together!

pinterest image that reads how to install Serena and lily hanging chair

The Serena and Lily hanging chair can hold up to 300lbs. Their website recommends to have these chairs professionally installed.

Supplies You Need:

Your Favorite Hanging Chair (these instructions however are specific for the Serena & Lily hanging chair – other hanging chairs may or may not work with this tutorial!)
Hammock hanging kit
magnet or a studfinder
Optional: My hanging chairs came with a rope, but some do not. In that case, a high quality manila rope

Using the magnet or stud finder, find your ceiling joists. Think of ceiling joists as just studs for the ceiling. This is what you will want to put your screw into – not drywall. Similar to studs, the joists run 16″ (sometimes 24″) across your ceiling. Wondering which direction? Usually, they run parallel to your rafters. (Rafters are the sloped frame of your roof.)
Simply screw the ring attachment into the joist, taking care that both screws are hitting the joist. Once it’s attached, just clip on the spring snap hook to the ring attachment.
Loop the ropes through the ring attachment, and knot it. My kid knows all kinds of fishing knots and did one that held tight. (“Trust me, Mom.” Ooookay, son!) You will have some extra rope leftover most likely – just loop it around in a large looser knot.

a close up of a knot in a rope for hanging chair

Obviously, these hanging rattan chairs are officially the favorite seat in the playroom!

Take a tour of our whole updated playroom here!

a blue striped pillow in a Serena and lily hanging chair

The chairs took the room from a regular playroom to downright chic! Adding charm to kids’ play spaces doesn’t have to be hard, and these rattan chairs do just that. The light, golden color adds so much life to the room. The mix of rattan with all the white and pops of color in here looks fun and inviting for kids!

Hanging Chair | Blue Pillow | Blanket

Piling on pillows and blankets into the chairs for extra coziness is my favorite part. I am having trouble deciding which pillows look the cutest on the chairs.

These are my favorite hanging chairs for indoors:

We have Serena & Lily’s white hanging chair out on our front porch (see this chair here), which is what originally caused our family to fall in love with these hanging chairs! This particular chair is made to be outside so it can withstand the elements.

White Chair | Blue Checkered Pillow | Blue Lumbar Pillow

Shop all their hanging chairs – indoor and outdoor – here!

So, where in your house do you have room for hanging rattan chairs?

If you liked this post you might also like some of my other popular reads like: my review of many of the Serena and Lily pieces we own, or you might like reading about our hardwood floors, or take a look at all my home posts!

Our Updated Playroom Tour