Mermaid + Blobcore = Jellyfish Aesthetic, and We’re Ready
With wild geometry, deep-sea neon, glistening iridescent finishes and graceful flow, jellyfish-inspired decor is design’s new darling. Our pros will show you how it’s done.
![148576175](http://travel.home.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/travel/fullset/2014/12/3/best-aquariums-in-us-monterey-bay-aquarium.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.462.suffix/1491584555749.jpeg)
Doug Steakley/ Lonely Planet Images/ Getty Images
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Trend forecasters report that the latest "-core" to reach design shores is all things jellyfish, and their appeal is easy to appreciate. The sometimes-venomous beauties combine high-drama color combinations (those stunning hues against oceanic blues!) and seaside serenity (it doesn’t get more effortless than just letting the current carry you). We’ve rounded up the very best ways to float like a jellyfish, sting like a … jellyfish. Ready to dive in?
THINK DELICACY AND INTRICACY
Jellyfish owe their statement-making silhouettes to their near-weightlessness in water, and the simplest and most dramatic way to channel that undersea chic is to deploy spectacular, tentacular glass.
![Glass Blown Chandeliers in Eclectic Dining Room Open Dining Room With Metal Table & Glass Blown Chandeliers](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2014/10/9/0/FFOD_SK-Interiors_Downtown-Loft-purple-eclectic-dining-room-chandelier_v.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.616.suffix/1412892940879.jpeg)
S&K Interiors
Dale Chihuly’s Biomorphic Shapes
The art-world interpreter of all things cnidarian — "Cnidaria" being the animal-kingdom Phylum that includes swimming, stalked and box jellyfish, a classification to tuck away for trivia night — is Dale Chihuly, whose monumental blown-glass sculptures look like glorious sea beasties. Their installation in formal and traditional spaces demonstrate how beautifully unconstrained color and forms can offset more straitlaced shapes.
![Fountain Focal Point You may not be able to get your hands on a Dale Chihuly work, but any kind of water feature instantly creates a focal point in the yard. This focal point in the Atlanta Botanical Garden features Chihuly's Paterre Fountain Installation, a sculpture of blue and white shapes that emulate water, ice and sky.](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/grdn/fullset/2015/8/26/0/Original_fountian-focal-point.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.411.suffix/1452976053332.jpeg)
Laura James
Radial Symmetry Is Perfect for Pendants
Delicate forms that splay out from a central point are well and good for marine invertebrates and extremely high-end art, but is that breakable beauty really practical for the home? Absolutely; just take a page from Chihuly’s book and suspend it from the ceiling.
![Chihuly Garden and Glass Persian Ceiling Visitors walk beneath glass floral shapes lit from behind in the Persian Ceiling. This lighting casts colored shadows on the walls and floors. Chihuly calls these forms "the Persians." He began this glass art series in 1986. The first Persian Ceiling was presented in his 1992 exhibition at the opening of the downtown Seattle Art Museum.](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/grdn/fullset/2014/2/20/0/chihulys-glass-ceiling.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.411.suffix/1452663826871.jpeg)
Photo by Dee Nash
Start Small With an Accent
If you’re not ready to commit to a leviathan chandelier, dip a toe in the trend — or create your own aquatically inspired, multi-piece installation — with blown-glass bells like these.
Or, Catch the Sun With a Pearlescent Polyp
Handmade glass pedestal bowls like this one, in turn, are the perfect way to bring a bit of jelly to the breakfast table, where they’ll refract morning light and echo deep-sea shapes with their silhouettes. Look for one-of-a-kind pieces with irregular edges to make the most of the trend’s unfussiness; the look here is both brilliant and just a bit blorpy, like a surfacing bubble.
Invest in a Side Table
If you’re ready to graduate from accessories to jellyfish-inspired furniture, Glas Italia’s newly iconic table, designed by Patricia Urquiola in 2014, takes midcentury makers’ fondness for tempered glass and updates it with a futuristic sheen. Constructed with eight joined slabs and weighing in at 31 pounds, this ethereal piece is surprisingly substantial — and it pairs beautifully with rich, dark pieces like this armchair.
PLAY WITH JELLYFISH PRINTS
Jellies’ spectacular looks are as splendid in two dimensions as they are in three; consider, for example, this colorful, reef-inspired riff on floral wallpaper. If William Morris had also been a marine biologist, we can imagine him cooking up something like this.
![](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2020/6/11/0/CI_CB2_jellyfish-wallpaper-dining-table.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.411.suffix/1591890012305.jpeg)
CB2
The pattern on this moody blue feature wall evokes the illustrations one might find in a Victorian sketchbook.
Employ Underwater Photography
Zooming in on a single jellyfish as a statement piece is equally effective, especially in a space that’s otherwise neutral. We love how this critter’s scale emphasizes how much it resembles a chandelier — and how its vivid environment contrasts with pale textiles in the rest of the room.
![Coastal Den With Jellyfish Photo Den With Jellyfish Photo](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2018/6/26/1/IO_Jennifer-Mehditash_Maui_006.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.924.suffix/1530036874834.jpeg)
Ryan Garvin
Jellyfish Underfoot? Absolutely!
Beach-stroll horror stories notwithstanding, you can walk all over these jellies without a care in the world. A tone-on-tone pattern like this one layers the design in a contemporary coastal bedroom. And as in that breakfast-room wallpaper above, it’s a delightfully unexpected alternative to a floral print.
By the way, if you do step on a jellyfish by accident, rinse the affected area with sea water, then rinse again with household vinegar or rubbing alcohol, per the Cleveland Clinic. Do not pee on it! (Seriously, they say that doesn’t help and might make the sting worse.)
![Round Glass Coffee Table and Blue Jellyfish Rug Round Glass Coffee Table and Blue Jellyfish Rug](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2014/10/2/2/Grace-Blu-Designs_Capistrano-Beach-Residence-LivingRoom-Rug.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.411.suffix/1412278964075.jpeg)
Grace Blu Designs
Showering beside an on-trend jellyfish curtain also has no documented therapeutic significance, but it’s undeniably delightful.
SUGGEST TENTACLES WITH PLANTS
Double down on coastal accents by pairing a beachy glass vase with architectural, cascading stems like gracefully preserved amaranth. An unexpected arrangement like this one captures the delicate beauty of an undulating kelp forest or a lacy coral reef — and if you keep it clear of moisture and direct sunlight, it’ll last for ages.
Air Plants Mimic Aquatic Blooms
Mounted on plaques and tipping from terrariums, air plants like these are an equally clever way to layer a marine theme. To put an even finer point on their resemblance to jellyfish, try tucking tillandsia into sea urchin shells and suspending them in a glass cylinder.
![Air Plants Suspended From a Wooden Door In a Greenhouse Air Plants Hanging on a Wooden Door](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2022/6/8/2/Original_Christine-Han_Rajiv-Surendra_Atlock-Farm_-112.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.924.suffix/1654709412551.jpeg)
Christine Han
30 Modern Terrariums to Inspire You 30 Photos
These sleek and sculptural terrariums can add a modern and natural element to your outdoor or indoor decor.
LEAN INTO BLOBCORE AND VINTAGE
Jellyfish are among nature’s most eye-catching maximalists and letting their looks inspire yours is all about leaning into freeform fabulousness. A design icon that just happens to echo their sultry swoop? The midcentury modern classic Panton chair.
![Eclectic Pastel Dining Room With Retro Furniture Arched door into dining room with pastel retro furniture.](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2024/1/12/1/Original_Marcus-Meisler_HGTVHandmadeHomeTour_LA_Samantha-Klein_1780.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.924.suffix/1705087761399.jpeg)
Marcus Meisler
Cozy Up With Adorable Pastels at Samantha Klein's Pretty-in-Pink Los Angeles Home 30 Photos
Will this be the year you lean into feel-good whimsy? Take cues from Los Angeles digital creator Samantha Klein, who thinks of her design style as “the intersection of mental health and comfort and coziness.” The home she’s created with soothing hues and vintage delights feels like a bear hug from a bestie, and she’s showing HGTV how to generate that warmth anywhere.
Find an Old-School Arc Lamp
It’s worth keeping your eyes peeled for similar curves at vintage stores and flea markets, where quirky pieces like this one boast creatures’ features.
![Eclectic Pastel Living Room With Vintage Accessories and Floor Lamp Living room with curvaceous floor lamp, burlwood desk and peach sofa.](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2023/5/10/5/Original_Marcus-Meisler_HGTVHandmadeHomeTour_LA_Katie-Mack_10652.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.411.suffix/1683745995216.jpeg)
Marcus Meisler
Tour Katie Mack's Candy-Colored Home in Los Angeles 32 Photos
Ready for a master class in maximalism? Follow along as designer and creator Katie Mack — whose love of all things post-modern and playful has made her a social-media sensation — welcomes us to her home and shows us how it’s done.
Hang a Jelly-Inspired Mirror
Use an iridescent, acrylic piece like this one to loosen up the look of a gallery wall.
Or, Go Big With a Floating Ceiling
If you favor a more contemporary take on more-is-more curves, consider a floating ceiling like the one Sarah and Bryan Baeumler installed in this Florida home for Season 5 of Rock the Block. Created with custom material that shrinks when it’s heated to stretch tight over any shape, this feature is touted as the next big thing in lighting design. (Bonus points for the blobby sofa and coffee tables the Baeumlers arranged below it.)
![](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2024/3/8/02/HRKBK502_1119_SarahBryan_Living_First_003_After_r.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.462.suffix/1709927186860.jpeg)
Bob Croslin
Tour Sarah and Bryan Baeumler's Season 5 'Rock the Block' Home 56 Photos
Caribbean-resort expertise from Renovation Island gives the Baeumlers an edge in this tropical competition. Have a look at their natural-zen home full of sensational Rock the Block firsts.
Customize an Umbrella
Social media’s favorite take on the jellyfish trend (Zendaya’s high-concept jellyfish haircut notwithstanding) is the festival-and-parade-ready DIY jellyfish umbrella, which can be as light-catching and frilly as you like, depending on how much you prioritize visibility with your all-weather accessories.
![Bonnaroo Attendee Carrying Jellyfish Totem Bonnaroo Attendee Carrying Jellyfish Totem](http://travel.home.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/travel/fullrights/2018/6/25/Original_Jessica-Yonker_Bonnaroo-Music-Arts-Festival_2019-Fashion-Jelly.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.822.suffix/1529947743495.jpeg)
Jessica Yonker
Fiber artists and gift-wrappers, know that saving your yarn and ribbon scraps to trim a piece like this one is a deeply satisfying upcycle (and an excellent way to help late-arriving friends figure out where you're picnicking in a crowd).
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