Luxurious Shagreen

Shagreen has been a favourite of designers since the 30s and this exotic finish on furniture has been a symbol of luxury in interiors. It has a fascinating fine pebbled surface and texture and a suede-like softness. It has a two toned leather finish which changes beautifully with the touch of a hand.

Shagreen is a raw hide historically made from stingrays or sharks or dogfish, today stingrays are farmed commercially for their skins. However there is currently a big trend towards man-made faux shagreens in an array of colours.

Modern day faux shagreen in an array of colours. Image: Luxehomecompany

During the 16th century shagreen was first used as a decorative material, until then it was mainly used wherever a functional leather type finish was required. The most popular use by British and European craftsman was to cover trinket boxes, knife handles and shaving kits.

Later on in history, there was a resurgence in its popularity during the Art Deco period. In this era it was often used to cover writing desks and cabinetry.

We love this console. Everything from its textured shagreen finish, dramatic brass legs and handles, to the dovetail drawers finished in cherry wood come together beautifully to provide elegance and contemporary style to your space.

One thing is for sure, through all of history this exotic looking luxe leather has been a popular choice when creating luxe interiors. With time we were also able to create man-made versions of this luxury leather as environmental issues were highlighted.

Today most faux shagreens are made from polyester or vinyl and are available in an array of beautiful colours. The great news is that faux shagreen is actually much more durable as actual shagreen dried out over time and would easily be damaged then and was pretty much impossible to repair.