This month's "What's Hot" section in Elle Decor, has a small feature on the new Victoria Hagan collection at Target. AT:Chicago did a little post on it a few weeks ago. One thing in the article that popped out was the term "faux-shagreen," a term I had never heard of... After a little googling, found out "shagreen" is commonly made from shark or stingray skin. I had no idea people used stingrays for surfaces, but I recognize that the texture has been around for ages (...learn something new everyday!)
Faux-Shagreen at Target
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The design cred on shagreen is really interesting. Originally, It was used on Japanese Samurai sword grips because it has a texture.
The early century search for luxury without historical weight led Jean-Michel Frank to use the material on cabinets. Ever since, shagreen has had a romantic, modernist appeal.
Mostly, the material is from a type of stingray called dogfish (I don't think it is really a stingray). Even though the material isn't expensive it takes a lot of time to pluck out the fish fuzz and cure the shagreen by the traditional Gauchet method.
Fun to know.
Scott
I LOVE the new VH collection the clocks, lamps are super hot!
Has anyone purchased any of her line?
i will now...thnx, missed this in Elle
Shagreen or Galuchat is - as Scott says - the term for a type of Dogfish. Dasyatis Bleekeri is tanned and used throughout Asia and sometimes in luxury brand accessories.
The skins are in fact realatively expensive given the small area that can be used (normally a rectangle in the centre), but certainly the work to prepare them and inlay them is very great too.
I run a small workshop in Bangkok producing shagreen furniture and lighting. Faux shagreen is basically vinyl with a repeating pattern. Anyone who has seen or touched traditionally made shagreen items will see why it has been cherished in Japan and by the great deco masters. Every skin has a subtly different tone in the raw process while vinyl is vinyl. Even tanned skins have a very consistent tone given the chromium treatment that prepares them.
Some of the most beautiful examples keep the brownish film on the surface as a natural tone. i can send you a picture if you are interested in this.
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