The Oceanic Edit: Design Inspired by the Deep Blue

“Where hues of volcanic charcoal, amber, and seafoam blend with organic textures, seeping into design narratives that merge raw nature with refined luxury”

Luminous Shell & Pearl

A study in iridescence and organic perfection, where nature’s quiet luxury takes center stage. Delicate, undulating forms mimic the curves of seashells, while shimmering mother-of-pearl surfaces capture the shifting light of dawn on water.

In fashion, Schiaparelli, under Daniel Roseberry, reimagines opulence through surreal shell-like embellishments and gilded, pearl-studded accessories. Alexander McQueen’s Plato’s Atlantis remains a reference point for marine-inspired couture, with its biomorphic silhouettes and iridescent hues.

Ink-Black Molten Lava

This dark and dramatic, obsidian-hued aesthetic – almost liquid in feel – recalls the volcanic flows and black sand beaches of Hawaii. In interiors, charred woods, smoked glass, and inky plasters bring a brooding sophistication, while high-gloss black resin mirrors the sleek sheen of lava’s cooling crust.

In fashion, designers like Rick Owens embrace this elemental darkness, draping forms in ashen silks and scorched leather. In architecture, the monolithic structures of Tadao Ando’s concrete compositions echo the density and weight of basalt. Meanwhile, the sculptural ceramics of artists like Morten Løbner Espersen capture the molten unpredictability of lava, their glazes pooling like cooled magma.

Surely, it’s an unexpected, moody element – one that transforms a space with depth, intensity, and quiet power.

Sculptural, Wave-Like Shapes

Form follows function, or… form follows the rhythm of water – swirling glassware, textured metals, and undulating edges capture the ephemeral beauty of the ocean’s surface – ever-changing, never still. These designs evoke the hypnotic dance of waves and the sculptural elegance of eroded cliffs, like those our editorial team breathtakingly witnessed in person at Kona Village.

In architecture, Zaha Hadid’s fluid structures dissolve the boundaries between solid and soft, much like water shaping the landscape over time.

In product and furniture design, these oceanic influences manifest in sculptural, wave-like forms. Joris Laarman’s experimental seating designs echo the curves of the sea, while Joseph Walsh’s sinuous wooden furniture twists and bends like flowing currents. Oki Sato of Nendo plays with transparency and weightlessness, designing objects that appear to hover like floating water droplets.

Raw & Refined Coastal

Weathered driftwood, oxidized metals, and sun-bleached bone tell a story of time and tide, shaped by the elements. Traditional Hawaiian thatching, woven from lauhala or dried palm fronds, crowns rooftops. These materials, tactile and imperfect, carry the memory of the coast with salt-laced air. Design in its most honest state – where the raw and the refined coexist

In fashion, Loewe’s artisanal approach, under Jonathan Anderson, embraces tactile craftsmanship – think hand-knotted fibers and ceramic embellishments reminiscent of sea-worn treasures. In architecture, Peter Zumthor’s restrained use of organic materials creates spaces that feel elemental and grounded, much like the interplay of rock and water on a shoreline.

In furniture and object design, this aesthetic finds expression in the sculpted wooden forms of Carl Emil Jacobsen, whose pieces seem as if they’ve been moulded by wind and water. Faye Toogood’s monolithic designs in sandblasted stone and linen-wrapped surfaces echo the textures of coastal erosion. And Christopher Kurtz’s hand-carved works translate the organic irregularity of driftwood into artful, functional forms.

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