This Once Controversial, Art Deco-Inspired Trend Is Back

I’m always looking for easy ways to elevate my home, whether it’s through my desk setup, living room, bedroom, or something else. While designer furniture and original artwork may be the dream, they’re significant investments and not always budget-friendly. So I often opt for adding texture and pattern to up the luxe factor—and for me right now, nothing is attracting my attention quite like faux shagreen.

What’s faux shagreen, you ask? It’s a distinctive pebbled texture imitating stingray and shark skins that’s often executed in earthy shades of gray, green, ivory, and brown. It’s a lot more affordable and far less controversial than the real thing, which was popularized in the Art Deco period. This time around though, faux shagreen finishes and details are now available in a range of decor and furniture pieces, from nightstands and wallpaper to lamps, coasters, and even dinnerware. In bolder iterations, faux shagreen feels like a fresh, almost geometric take on an animal print, while subtler designs look similar to embossed leather.

No matter which way you go, there’s a faux shagreen decor piece for every taste, design need, and budget. If you’re looking to make a luxe tweak or two to your home, keep scrolling to shop nine faux shagreen items, from sleek decor accents to stylish pieces of furniture.

Set off your mantel or dining table with one or more of these chic candle holders. As if the ivory faux shagreen finish wasn’t glam enough, the gold detailing makes them look extra luxe.

Buy: Shagreen Ivory Tapers, Starting at $17.95 from CB2

These jade-colored faux shagreen plates add a playful splash of color to any tablescape, whether for a family dinner or an outdoor gathering with friends. They look ceramic, but they’re actually melamine, meaning they’re virtually unbreakable and easy to clean, too.

Buy: Shagreen Print Plates, $40.00 for a set of 4 from Oka

Perfect for storing jewelry, memorabilia, or small gadgets like remotes and charging cords, this sleek box is an elegant accent on a dresser, entryway table, or atop a stack of coffee table books in a living room. It’s a bit of a splurge, but since it’s made in such a classic color scheme, you’ll be able to use this piece throughout your home for years.

Buy: Small Faux Shagreen Box, $125.00 from Williams-Sonoma Home

If you’re tired of bare white walls, how about taupe-colored faux shagreen wallpaper as a bold, textured accent wall? Inclined to go bigger and bolder? It’d be beautiful in a powder room or hallway, too, and comes in a black-and-white colorway if you really want to up the drama.

Buy: Shagreen Wallpaper, $188.00 for a 36-square foot roll of peel-and-stick paper from Anthropologie

Faux shagreen sideboards, dressers, and coffee tables can be expensive. If you’re craving a textured furniture piece, this side table and magazine holder makes a sleek statement without totally breaking the bank. Even better, its clean-lined silhouette will keep the room you put it in still feeling open and airy.

Buy: Kingsroad 19” Gold and Gray Accent Table With Magazine Holder, $199.99 from Target

I love lighting that also serves as a stylish piece of decor. This faux shagreen table lamp is a little pricy, but its unique pyramid shape will make it an artful accent on any desk, table, or shelf.

Buy: Port 68 Cairo 16” Table Lamp, $186.99 from Wayfair

Coasters are a small decor accent that can have a big impact in your living room or on a bar cart. This gold-rimmed faux shagreen set even comes with a decorative storage box, so you can spread the faux shagreen love to your bedroom nightstand, where you can use it to store jewelry or small hair accessories.

Buy: Faux Shagreen Coasters, $85.00 for a Set of 4 from Bespoke Living

Whether used as a side table or a set of nightstands placed on either side of a bed, the faux shagreen-covered drawer on this curved oak table gives it a glamorous feel. There’s also a coffee table-sized version of this design, too, should you want something larger to anchor your living room.

Buy: Pulaski Delmar Gray Oak & Shagreen End Table, $139.99 from Bad Bath & Beyond

Up your throw pillow game by throwing just one faux shagreen motif into the mix. This sizable design, which is just slightly smaller than a Euro sham, dazzles with subtle metallic flecks, making it an elegant but commanding addition to any bed, couch, window bench, or side chair.

Buy: Eastern Accents Cecelia Throw Pillow, $110.00 from Wayfair