How to add some deep-sea inspiration to your interiors

Interior designers are trawling the oceans to bring a touch of the marine to living spaces. Anya Cooklin-Lofting picks the best of the bunch

De Gournay's fish wallpaper is pearlescent and bespoke (De Gournay)

Unless you’ve been living under a rock under the sea for the last year or so, you’ll be hyper aware of the damage we’re doing to our oceans. These watery plains have been the focus of many a news story in recent months, with shocking images of plastic-pocked waters and the animals impacted by our wasteful ways.

With the increase in awareness of the inherent issues of single-use plastic and the rise in popularity of eco-friendly product alternatives (not to mention the habit-changing effects of David Attenborough’s Blue Planet series…) brands are looking to the oceans for design inspiration.

Dive deeper than coastal-inspired interiors and experiment with the natural beauty of the deep…

Sheridan Australia took inspiration from South Australian waterscapes for its SS18 collection (Sheridan Australia)

Anthropologie’s Lagoon Collection is sure to bring out your inner merperson. Perhaps the most realistic shell-style crockery available to buy today, wow your dinner guests with a feast fit for Poseidon (and/or Neptune, depending on your water deity predilections.) The glistening, lifelike pieces (or should I say, Pisces?) are crafted from ceramic and moulded by hand to give an organic, unprocessed look.

VITA copenhagen’s Carmina lamp was designed with the undulations of waves and the serenity of rippling water in mind. The lampshade can be used as a pendant light, a table lamp or a floor lamp depending on your design scheme. The calming glow that the Carmina emits finds itself somewhere between moonlight and sun rays that pierce the surface of the sea.

For its SS18 collection, Sheridan Australia has turned its attention to the awe-inspiring natural beauty of the South Australian coastline. For each seasonal collection, Sheridan commissions a group of artists to travel to sites of outstanding natural beauty in Australia to take inspiration from the flora, fauna and landscape. The artwork created is then turned into painterly linens at the Sydney studio. The Jarrett set was inspired by the coastline of Kangaroo Island – its textures, rock formations and endless ocean blues. You can almost smell the salty sea air…

Soane Britain’s Shell Wall Light is elegant and dramatic (Soane Britain)

Scatter cushions are essential styling props for the bedroom, and Tamar Mogendorff’s shell pillows provide the perfect hint of whimsy in sophisticated, on trend colours. Mogendorff describes her plush home accessories as “soft sculptures”, and I couldn’t put it better myself. The pleats in the cushions inspired by the natural ridges in scallop shells are defined by hand, and the pearlescent fabrics used in the shell cushion collection are too beautiful to use, but that won’t stop me. One of each colour, please!

If you want to echo the classic shape of the scallop shell throughout your home, look no further than Art Deco wall lights. The design of Soane Britain’s Shell Wall Light is based on an early 20th century sconce, epitomising symmetrical scalloping, an ultimate in Art Deco design silhouettes. Manufactured by expert craftspeople on the Sussex coast, the lights start their lives as sheet brass, which is then transformed into the highly decorative pieces using traditional metal pressing methods. According to Soane Britain’s founder, Lulu Lytle, the wall lights’ “irregular facets create a soft and atmospheric glow, whether used with a real candle or a bulb.”

NY-based artist and designer Tamar Mogendorff creates 'soft sculptures' which reinterpret natural subjects (Tamar Mogendorff)

De Gournay’s striking collection of fish wallpapers creates an atmosphere serene and surreal in equal measures. Many of the designs are inspired by Japanese, Chinese and Korean art, in which koi fish feature heavily as symbols of propitiousness. The intricate, captivating designs are all based on hand-painted panels from the early 16th century, when Europe’s trade deals with China were still nascent. The incredible detail of de Gournay’s nautical offering is all down to the artisans and artists who adapt these designs by hand. Unsurprisingly, the wallpapers work just as well in bedrooms, dining rooms and home offices as they do in bathrooms.

And I think we can all take that as a general rule. From stylised, Art Deco accents to uncannily realistic pieces to decorate your table, embrace the beauty of the deep in every room of the house.