Shagreen : Friend & Faux

Shown Above: James Mirror by Made Goods , Lawton Grey Sha­green Embossed Leather Table Lamp by Arte­riors Home , Coral Sha­green Dresser , Audrey Desk — Ivoy by Made Goods , Annika Stool by Made Goods

Sha­green was used for cen­turies in Asian cul­tures to sus­tain a better grip on swords and dag­gers with leather han­dles (hilts).  The tech­nique of pounding little plant seeds under drying horse skin (later shark and sting ray skin) to create a coarse tex­ture when dyed took on dif­ferent depths.

While later used for prac­tical rea­sons such as keeping the nose and ears of your spec­ta­cles in place, the trend soon caught on with designers for French aris­to­crats.  This became a sought after status symbol of high fashion and was very pricey as a result of the rare mate­rials.  Later, resin molds were used to create a ‘Faux Sha­green.’  This new finish is no less expen­sive as the skill to dupli­cate this look is still only achiev­able by the best.  It is a time­less look with dura­bility to last for years to come.  No matter if the base of a lamp, the frame of a mirror, or piece of fur­ni­ture; all are an invest­ment piece to say the least.

Def­i­nitely a trend worth trying and easy upgrade to any style of room!  Goes great with modern lac­quer, metals, vin­tage and indus­trial pieces.