Here’s Our Favorite Mushroom Decor — and How to Use It in Your Home

Mushrooms and the visual arts have a very, very long history: A cave in Algeria features a 9,000-year-old painting of a shaman with a fistful of fungi. The design world's most recent love affair with the motif began around 2020 and shows no signs of growing stale; in fact, mushrooms are expanding their territory in interiors of all kinds.

Case in point? This chic living room in Hudson, New York, which features a pair of ‘shroomlike, cherry-red Verner Panton Flowerpot lamps and a graphic contemporary painting of a lion’s head mushroom. What fungal finery could pop up at your place? Check out our mood-board slash shopping-list and see.

With intricate stitching and gleaming metallic thread, this Yves Delorme mushroom pillow is a suitable starter piece for someone looking to dip their toe in the Victorian end of the trend, without tipping all the way over into Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

The playful print on this cotton-percale duvet and shams pairs well with other patterns — go ahead, mix it with pastel stripes or plaids! — and offers a more modern and graphic take on woodland chic.

BUY IT: Garnet Hill, $44-$199

More is unquestionably more in this luxe and eclectic butler’s pantry, where a massive grid of standard frames presents colorful specimens of all kinds. (They just happen to complement the jewel-toned midcentury glassware perched on the marble countertop.) A little bit culinary and a little bit woodsy, fungi illustrations like these are a savory and unexpected alternative to flowers or foods in a similar display.

If you’re looking for a single, standalone piece that plays the hits, consider Smallable’s contemporary reproduction from a 1907 edition of Larousse Pour Tous, an illustrated French encyclopedia. The more muted tones on this larger canvas suit neutral, minimalistic spaces like this one, and they’d mix in beautifully with other art in a maximalist context, too.

BUY IT: Smallable, $67

European encyclopedias are gorgeous, but too often they lack anthropomorphic dancing. Enter Boston artist Amy Ross’s fanciful field guide-inspired collage that finally answers the question, “Would an oyster mushroom wear capris or more of a relaxed chino?” Framed in crisp black metal, this fella’s ready for a funky kid’s room or pride of place above the sofa.

BUY IT: Schoolhouse, $159

When you’re a celebrated Savannah garden designer like Holley Jaakkola, punctuating your foyer with an oversized, sculptural ‘shroom is a must. Framed at the end of the hallway like an especially organic house guest, this piece pairs with the urchin-like pendant in the foreground to layer a bit of wildness over the space’s formal architecture.

These elegant teak beauties would look marvelous in an outdoor space, but why should patios have all the fun? Lean into indoor-outdoor living by borrowing a page from Holley Jaakkola’s book and plant a few mushrooms in your entryway.

BUY IT: Terrain, $148-$298

Wooden mushrooms on a smaller scale are also strong candidates for shelfscaping. In this Colorado kitchen’s pantry bar area, a stylized trio echoes the warm serving tray on the lower shelf — and evokes oversized pepper mills.

Much like cocktail-party guests, mushrooms thrive in low light. Remember how well the framed mushroom prints in that butler’s pantry doubled down on the tones in vivid countertop glassware? That reflection is even more effective in this treasure trove of a home bar.

If turning your whole bar over to the forest feels like overcommitment, start with a hand-drawn, hand-printed mushroom tea towel. This lovely, monochromatic pattern suits styles of all sorts (and would make a lovely host gift for the next mycophile you visit). The wallpaper will be ready when you are.

BUY IT: Naturewalkstudio, $16

Speaking of chanterelles, the ones on this bed’s sunny yellow cushions bring the Catskills indoors at Eastwind Hotel & Bar in upstate New York. Designer Julija Stoliarova put a quirky, hyperlocal spin on midcentury and Nordic decor by using botanical prints, like these, to accent public and private spaces.

For a truly one-of-a-kind take on plush fungi, look no further than Helsinki artist Suvi-Tuuli Junttila’s handmade cushions. With details like corduroy ribbing, textural caps and unique styling, these babies are true characters. (They’re also more practical than they look; you can unscrew the ‘shrooms from the body of each pillow to rearrange and wash them).

BUY IT: Fungimaa, $125

Julija Stoliarova also used mushrooms at Eastwind Hotel’s bar and lounge area, where vintage framed prints share space with carved wooden birds, and Nathalie Lete’s vivid green Mushroom Forest Wallpaper draws attention to the room’s arched architecture. There’s a theme running through this area, but it’s a far more subtle iteration of the cabin in the woods decor you might find in an older vacation home.

Living mushrooms would struggle in an arrangement like this one, but dried or wooden ones pair with ferns and moss to cultivate a durable, autumnal vibe quite nicely. Reaching for fungi as a dark-academic flourish says, “While I don’t cast spells, I can recite a few.”

Wouldn’t a feature wall sprouting a troop of mushroom shelves and hooks be marvelous? Hand-molded, fired and glazed in Poland, these ceramic creations are fitted with secure, hidden metal brackets and available in an array of sizes and species.

BUY IT: LeilyCloud, $36-$84

This bright, industrial Pittsburgh loft’s wooden shelves are the perfect perch for a ‘70s-era mushroom table lamp with a bold green base. The saturated color complements the space’s brilliant blue rebar and the white shade, in turn, echoes the architectural-salvage iron sink. Is there anything mushrooms can’t do?

Inspired by Mongolian tents’ domed shape, this portable, rechargeable lamp is the contemporary descendant of all those groovy ‘70s light fixtures. Its rough-and-tumble polycarbonate body and diffuser are sturdy enough for the backyard and kids’ rooms, and its sleek lines feel sophisticated in spaces of all kinds.

BUY IT: HAY, $195

This plug-in ceramic lamp, in turn, feels like the centerpiece of an epic stuffed-animal tea party. Its gentle glow is perfect for a child’s room or cozy reading corner.

BUY IT: West Elm Kids, $159

Fair warning: Clicking for more information on this cheerfully checkered knit Myco Throw will send you tumbling down a fabulous rabbit hole of Valley Cruise Press’ snuggly, mushroom-bedecked blankets.

BUY IT: Valley Cruise Press, $95