The Mushrooms Interior Trend of 2023 : Rattan Toadstool Fairy House from Ella James (affiliate) | Enchanted Forest Embroidered Tea Towel from Walton & Co | Magic Mushroom Side Plate from Rockett St George | Forest Spot Wallpaper in Marmalade from Oh Popsi | Mushroom Vase in Amber from Spicer & Wood | Mushroom Lamp in Pink from Five & Dime (affiliate) | Into The Woods Hairbow & Scrunchie from Fable England | Mushroom Desk Lamp from Wayfair
Back at the end of Summer, I had a realisation that the mushrooms interior trend was going to be HUGE in the coming months. I had been working on the episodes for my Pinterest TV series on Biophilic Design and in all the image research I had been doing, something really stood out to me about mushrooms and I just had a feeling that these fabulous fungi would be making a mark in our homes very soon.
I even wrote about this in my 2023 trend prediction for Ufurnish.com (affiliate) which was also published in Furniture News. So actually it was no big surprise to me when Pinterest announced Mush-Rooms as part of their Pinterest Predicts trend forecast for 2023.
So what exactly are we seeing from the mushrooms interior trend? Well, I am going to share three directions that I am witnessing at the moment and they are all completely different so this will be fun!
1. Fabulous Fungi: Mushroom Decor
We are seeing a lot of representations of mushrooms in interiors at the moment so think mushroom-shaped lamps, vases, storage baskets, decorative items and even stools and pouffes. There is a real variety of products on the market at the moment taking inspiration from the form and shape of mushrooms. We can link this back to the organic shapes and biomorphic forms and patterns of nature being incorporated into our interiors according to the principles of biophilic design.
1. Mushroom Pouffe in orange from Sazy (affiliate) | 2. Mushroom Storage Basket from Beaumonde | 3. Velvet Burgundy Decorative Toadstool from Ella James (affiliate) | 4. Misted Mushroom Vase from Sweetpea & Willow | 5. Gubi Obello lamp from Negdis | 6. Mushroom recycled Tealight Holder from LIGA | 7. Day Birger et Mikkelsen Home Drum Stool in Brown from Coggles | 8. Faro Outdoor lamp from Nedgis | 9. Snails & Mushrooms Lampshade from Mountain & Molehill | 10. Le Klint table lamp from Nedgis | 11. 70s Style Mushroom Table Lamp in Pink by Ajouter from Fy!
Mushroom Lights
Mushroom lights are a big factor in the mushrooms interior trend and it’s really no surprise as table lamps lend themselves quite nicely to the shape of a mushroom.
Palawan Bamboo Table Lamp from Lime Lace (affiliate)
Left: Baladeuse d’extérieur lamp from Nedgis | Right: Mushroom lamp by Seletti from Nedgis
Lesbo Lamp by Artemide from Nedgis
Mushroom Vases
Mushroom Vases from Spicer & Wood
Mushroom Storage Baskets
Perhaps a little more surprising but storage baskets shaped like mushrooms are making an appearance in the mushrooms interior trend. These are perfect for use in children’s bedrooms.
Rattan Toadstool Fairy House from Ella James (affiliate)
The Stella McCartney x B&B Italia Bambole Capsule Collection in Forest Fungi
In December 2022, the Stella McCartney x B&B Italia three-piece capsule collection officially launched at Art Basel Miami Beach. This collection is Stella McCartney’s first-ever interiors collaboration and features a hand-drawn “Fungi Forest” print upholstery pulled from the Stella McCartney Summer 2022 runway collection.
The collaboration sees the Italian design company and British designer joining forces to reimagine Mario Bellini’s iconic 2022 Le Bambole armchair. The capsule collection is designed with circularity in mind and the upholstery is a 100% biodegradable and toxin-free polyester leaving no harmful microplastics in the environment. It is also designed to be fully disassembled – allowing for easier repairs and the most responsible use of materials at the end of life.st
Mushroom Wallpaper & Wall Murals
But we are also seeing the mushrooms interior trend showing up on wallpaper and wall murals too. Our fungi friends are making quite a statement as large-scale images that cover the walls, tiny images in repeat patterns or elaborately detailed works of art. So whether you want something more subtle or want to go all out there is an option to suit you and your home.
Stella McCartney X Cole & Son Fungi Forest wallpaper
Stella McCartney’s Fungi Forest doesn’t just appear on furniture. The British designer’s hand-drawn Fungi Forest toile de Jouy print has been reinterpreted as a new wallcovering by the Design House of Cole & Son.
The Fungi Forest wallpaper, which was launched at Salone del Mobile 2022, has been printed on a new eco substrate derived from 79% renewable fibres whose manufacturing process uses 30% less greenhouse gases than traditional non-woven wallcoverings, making Fungi Forest Cole & Son’s most sustainable wallpaper to date.
Fun Guy Wallpaper from Lust Home
Toadstool wall stickers from Eliza Doodle Designs
Mushroom wall murals from Photowall
Magic Mushrooms : Trippy Psychedelic Interiors
Patricia Iridescent pink drinks cabinet from Webb & Gray (affiliate) | Pop Giraffe and Sunglasses Lady from Mineheart | Stay Weird / Rise And Slay Reversible Cushion from Neonimo (affiliate) | Seletti Street Lamp Outdoor Floor Lamp from Naken | Yoko Wood Frame Armchair – Crystal Blue – Mojow from Lime Lace (affiliate) | After Matisse Rug from Sonya Winner
The second form that the mushrooms interior trend takes is edging more towards the trippy effect you might get if you take magic mushrooms. So think bright colours, psychedelic patterns, fantasy art and what Pinterest is generally calling “weirdcore”.
During the Pandemic when we were all confined to our homes, many of us had the realisation that our homes don’t actually reflect our personalities or styles so this sparked a bit of a revolution. We saw a real surge in maximalist interiors where people were really embracing the opportunity to create a home that they loved and not one that was generic and not at all personal.
I wrote about the trend for Joyous Maximalism back in December 2021 when I first noticed this trend coming through as a big player for 2022. In stark contrast to Organic Minimalism, which was the other trend I predicted for 2022, Joyous Maximalism is about the weird and whimsical. Surround yourself with loved objects that tell the story of your life and reflect your personality. Instead of following trends, this is about freedom of expression.
Basically, anything that you would class as funky, weird, abstract, and unusual is the name of the game here.
It Was All A Dream Neon Print Pink from Ink & Drop (affiliate) | Jimi Hendrix 1960s Blacklight Poster Joe Roberts Jr from Orson & Welles | Bloomingville Abigail Mirror from Sweetpea & Willow | Summer Blue Lightning Bolt Mirror from Bride and Wolfe (affiliate) | Riley Upcycled Black and White Striped Drinks Cabinet from Webb & Gray (affiliate) | Bossa Side Table Orange from House of Hommes | Princess Flaminia figurine from Mineheart | Vase with ears from Softstore (affiliate) | Neon Yellow Sofa from Ligne Roset
3. Mycelium Madness: Grow Your Own Home
Now, this third direction is probably not at all what you expect from the mushroom trend but it is actually my favourite. So much of the fungi kingdom is actually invisible as it is found underground.
What we are talking about in this instance is mycelium, which is a root-like structural network of branching fungal threads. It’s a bit like yeast but instead of growing as a single cell, mycelium is multicellular and can grow into macro-size structures—which we most often recognize as mushrooms. As mycelium grows it forms a dense network of long, microscopic fibres that grow like a superhighway system.
What is really interesting about mycelium though is how we as humans can intervene in the way the network and the tissue grows by controlling temperature, CO2, humidity and airflow to create a predictable structure.
Now controlling the growth of mushroom fibres may not sound revolutionary but mycelium is gaining attention as a sustainable and versatile bio-material with potential applications in various industries from packaging to clothing and even food. In fact, mycelium is showing huge potential in the interiors industry with designers and architects exploring its use in construction, furniture, and decor.
Mycelium’s unique properties, its ability to grow and conform to any shape, its strength, and its ability to decompose naturally, make it an attractive alternative to conventional materials, particularly plastic.
So what kinds of things are we seeing being made from mycelium?
Reishi, the Fine Mycelium alternative to leather
MycoWorks is a biotechnology company founded by artists with the mission to create a platform for the highest quality materials using Fine Mycelium™, a new class of premium, non-animal materials. Using biotechnology, manufacturing and master craftsmanship MycoWorks is literally growing the future of materials.
Reishi is a new class of fine material crafted from mycelium as a sustainable alternative to leather. It can be custom grown for aesthetic expression, flexibility, density and strength, offering unprecedented design possibilities. Reishi™ is a versatile material that can be tanned without chrome, dyed, embossed and stitched. It also matches or surpasses cowhide leather in several capacities and demonstrates similar strength and abrasion resistance. It can also be grown into any shape or form, reducing waste in fabrication and enhancing speed to market.
The first furniture to be made from Reishi comes from a collaboration between MycoWorks and luxury Italian furniture brand Ligne Roset.
Mogu, bio-based flooring and acoustic panels
Mogu is an Italian company that believes that it is possible to employ nature’s intelligence to radically disrupt the design of everyday products, seeking a finer balance between the man-made and the rhythms of the natural ecosystem. Using mycelium, Mogu creates products and materials that are functional, sustainable and beautiful. But not only that, they use mycelium to recycle residues from other industries to be transformed into beautiful products made from the composite material.
Acoustic wall panels and resilient flooring tiles made from mycelium are the result of Mogu’s partnership with naure.
Mushlume Lighting Collection by Danielle Troffe
The Mushlume Lighting Collection by Danielle Troffe
Danielle Trofe founded her design studio in 2011 with the goal to make sustainable design both accessible and attractive. Her aim is to encourage a departure from conventional materials and production techniques in search of long-term solutions that uphold the fundamental value of nature.
She works at the intersection of bio-mimicry, biofabrication, biodesign, and biotechnology to really push the boundaries of design in terms of innovation and sustainability.
She is well known for her MushLume Lighting Collection which is GROWN, not manufactured, from mushrooms. The collection, which is organic, sustainable and biodegradable, redefines what interior objects are made from and encourages a departure from conventional materials.
The Mushlume light installation features in 1 Hotel Toronto
In order to grow the lights, Danielle uses agricultural byproducts, such as seed husks and corn stalks, and combines them with liquid mushroom mycelium. The mycelium then binds with these components and grows for several days in custom molds. When the growth process is complete, the material is heated and dried, ending the growth cycle. At the end of its life, the mushroom material can be broken into smaller pieces, then added to your garden compost to fully biodegrade, adding nutrients back to the soil rather than pollutants.
Symbioosa lighting collection from Lasvit
The Symbioosa collection from Lasvit
The Symbioosa collection from Lasvit has been developed in collaboration with LLEV studio and is a development of Symboll, the very first collection to use glass forms produced from mycelium. It will be officially launched at this year’s Salone del Mobile in Milan.
Symbioosa is made by blowing the glass into forms made of mycelium, which transforms the glass on heated contact and helps it form into uniquely organic forms. The mycelium forms are not made by machines and once they have been used they can be composted.
But what is really interesting about the Symbioosa lighting collection is that it respects the changes in natural ambient light throughout the day and changes accordingly. Inspired by the organic shape of mushrooms, the Symbioosa collection uses a two-channel system that allows the user to set the dimming according to their needs, and allows users to choose from a spectrum of white and yellow light, or custom-set the light’s intensity and composition based on what’s best for the morning, afternoon or evening. The system thus ensures that the light will live in perfect symbiosis with its users.
So there you have it. Three different takes on the mushrooms interior trend that will be HUGE in 2023! I’d love to know what you think and which take is your personal favourite so do leave me a comment below to let me know.
And don’t forget to pin this post for later!
