This Woman Created Human-Sized Mushroom Lamps, and TikTok Is Obsessed

With mushroom-shaped drinking glasses and miscellaneous decor, it’s safe to say that there’s been a recent fungal frenzy. And, now, these realistic mushroom lamps look like they belong on the set of Alice in Wonderland. 

California-based artist Kara Walker has impressed over 1 million viewers on TikTok after clips of her human-sized mushroom lamps went viral on TikTok. 

In order to create the lifelike lamps, she copies the mushroom stem by making a mold with a wire that runs through it. At the top of the stem is a socket for the light bulb. For the gills — that’s the underside of the mushroom cap — she designs it to complement the light’s illuminating glow. And finally, she paints the props with realistic features so the fungi would look natural in their environment.

Once they’re clustered together in the garden, the mushrooms make for an otherworldly sight that you’d only see on the set of a science-fiction or fantasy movie.

“My inner child squealed. I would love to sit beneath these and read,” said a commenter. Another replied, “All of sudden I know how I want to light & decorate my patio.” Others also had additional decor suggestions to complement the mushrooms to create a “fairy ring,” with a fire pit centered in the middle for an ethereal late-night hangout. 

For those who want one at home, Walker is selling the mesmerizing fungi on her website, and you can buy the five-foot and six-foot versions of the mushrooms in various colors like traditional red, poison apple green, and emerald, among others, for $449.99.