Shellegance
With no formal art training, Lucie de Moyencourt has immersed herself into a life of creativity and artistic opportunities. She is an architect, a set designer, an illustrator and a painter. Growing up with parents who deeply appreciated the arts, her mother, a ballet dancer, and her father, an antique dealer and collector of African art, provided constant inspiration. That inspiration, combined with an obvious natural talent, has allowed Lucie to find success in many expressive avenues.
Her gorgeous ceramic shells were once featured in a designer showhouse display that took my breath away, and I’ve been following her ever since. Each hand-painted ceramic seashell is a one-of-a-kind treasure ~ just like finding those special shells on the beach.
Lucie’s painted shells represent just a fraction of what she offers in her endless creative output. Her ink paintings are another example of her varied talents. The black and white detailed depictions have a photographic quality to them and are quite remarkable. She offers fine art prints of this ever expanding collection of ink paintings on her website.
But the shells! The shells have garnered a cult-like following, and she continues to offer them in “waves” amid her other artistic endeavors and ongoing inventive projects.
Here are a few photos from Lucie’s instagram showcasing some of the shell collections. They display beautifully in a multitude of color groupings, like these gorgeous greens.
The various sizes and shapes of the shells create patterns of their own in clusters of colors and designs.
These coral and blue shell sconces make such a charming display!
As wonderful as they are grouped together, I also love each and every one individually.
Lucie did a collab with Anthropologie a few years back and they produced this amazing extra large shell with a few other pieces. I would have LOVED one of these for my kitchen island at the condo. How lucky the shopper to find one while casually shopping at an Anthropologie store!
Darling little dishes for soap and such.
Blue and coral seem to be a popular color combo…
I love how they fit together like puzzle pieces, filling a design space perfectly.
The design applications are endless!
If you happen to be in Cape Town, you might find a collection of them at Chandler House, a wonderful little shop featuring lots of local artists, including Lucie!
If you are lucky enough to have the opportunity to shop her shells, be warned, these little treasures typically sell out quickly.
I have recently had such luck! The French Tangerine will soon be receiving a beautiful collection of Lucie de Moyencourt shells straight from South Africa! They range in size from small (4”) to large (14”) and are priced $150 - $300. Each shell is fitted with a custom brass wire wall hanging device that will enable you to hang the shell from a nail. The wire work is done by a Zimbabwean artist, George Magaso.
I’ll be posting on instagram as soon as they arrive, and they’ll be available online.
Here are some of the shells coming soon to The French Tangerine!
If you’d like an email nudge before they go live, just send me a note and I’d be happy to let you know!