A beautiful interior design gift courtesy of Mother Nature, let seashells bring the story of the ocean into your home.
Even with the tourist season in full swing, you can still find secluded beaches in the Algarve with more shells than holiday-makers. So next time you go for a stroll, keep your eyes on the shoreline and you could be the proud owner of some of nature’s loveliest home decor.
Shells are not just pretty faces, they are a feat of engineering designed by soft-bodied creatures like snails, clams and oysters. These clever molluscs secrete a tissue called the mantle to protect themselves, which hardens into layers of shell. As the mollusc grows, the mantle continues to add layers of shell, creating an impenetrable armour. When the creatures die, their shells are left behind and wash up on the shore.
We have many types of beautiful shells in the Algarve, including one named after the region – the Algarve Volute. I see them all the time and pick them up instinctively because of their amazing colour. They’re those big snail shells with a curled shape, the ones with a blush-pink-orange-sunset hue that perfectly reflects the sunbaked tones of the Algarve cliffs. The largest shell in the Algarve is the giant clam, which can grow to a metre wide and weigh a whopping 200 kg. Can you imagine meeting one of them in your spaghetti alle vongole? I can’t say I’ve ever met anyone who’s seen one on the beach, but I live in hope.
Another Algarve native is the Abalone shell, it is shaped like an ear and has a row of holes along the shell’s edge. Grey and knobbly on the outside, its beauty lies within… the shell is lined with shimmering mother-of-pearl, or ‘nacre’. The iridescent interiors of these shells evolved not for beauty, but for strength. The nacre helps to make shells crack-proof, so the Abalone is a natural choice for mirror frames and decorative inlays in furniture. Mother Nature is just so clever, designing something both useful, practical and beautiful at the same time, isn’t that what every interior designer and architect in the world tries to do?
The great thing about shell decor is that there is no self-assembly involved, and you don’t have to be skilled with a drill or a paintbrush. You can stagger home from the beach with a haul of shell booty, fill a clear glass bowl or vase and place it on your coffee table. Simple as that. The, you can put your feet up and marvel at your stunning centrepiece.
If you are one of those people who actually like making things, the possibilities for creating your own shell decor are endless. You can create wall decor with seashells by arranging them in patterns on a canvas or within a shadow box for a unique piece of artwork. You can glue shells onto frames, mirrors or lamp bases for a custom, beach-inspired look. You can even make your own seashell candles by filling large, sturdy shells with wax. Add a wick and some essential oils for a spa experience in your bathroom.
I love the look of shell wind-chimes, so last week I decided to make my own. It wasn’t just original home decor I was after; it was also a way to stop the seagulls from hanging out on our balcony. They drive me mad with their noisy parties. A neighbour told me that birds don’t like reflective surfaces so shiny things fluttering in the wind will have them looking elsewhere for a place to poo and screech. I collected loads of pearly shells on Meia Praia beach and had a very pleasurable Sunday morning making wind chimes with the glittering treasure and little pieces of driftwood. When I saw my pest controllers hanging on the balcony, I stood back to congratulate myself – what a clever girl I was! I had managed to create something both pretty and useful.
After half an hour, the clinking and tinkling were starting to get on my nerves. Aren’t wind chimes supposed to be soothing and whimsical? They were irritating me more than my husband’s drone. After two hours listening to the wind lashing the shells, I decided the high-pitched racket they made was worse than the birds, and before I knew it, I’d lost my temper and cut them all down. Oh, how the seagulls laughed.
So now I’m making wall art with all the felled shells, glueing them to a large stretched canvas so they will be seen and not heard. I had been planning to use the canvas to create a piece of textured gold art, but I’ve realised that shells are nature’s very own metallics. Their iridescence is more stunning than gold paint could ever be.
Shells are natural beauties; they don’t need any embellishment or dressing up. Invite some into your living space and let them be the star of the show; they’ll bring the sounds of the sea into your home and make the whole place feel unique and special.
Main photo: A glass bowl filled with shells Royalty-free stock photo taken by Mariia Demchenko
