From Arty And Eye-Catching To Truly Off The Wall – How A Touch Of Surrealism Can Transform Homes

Tired of tables with four legs, porcelain sinks, and rooms that stay the same colour when you turn the lights off? No, we didn’t think you would be – but hear us out.

These surrealist home improvements will make you question all you thought you knew about your living room and, perhaps, your reality.

The Collins Dictionary describes surrealism as: “A style in which ideas, images and objects are combined in a strange way, like in a dream.” We’re not going to stick to this too rigidly here (full disclosure: We just want to show you stuff that’s cool and weird), but it’s worth keeping in mind nonetheless. It worked pretty well for Spanish artist Salvador Dali; it may do the same for your kitchen.

Surrealism often sets up an apparent contrast between what something appears to be, and what it actually is (see Dali’s aptly-named ‘Lobster Telephone’), and Red Candy’s quirky furniture store (redcandy.co.uk) is filled with bits and bobs that are not quite what they seem.

But our favourite accoutrement is the Giant Champagne Cork Stool (£150/AED 727), a slam dunk party piece sure to impress even your most humourless guests. We’re all thinking it – if those are the corks, what fun could be had with the bottles.

The designs of Jake Phipps (jakephipps.com) are yet more inscrutable. An attractive glass-topped table rests not on four legs but a single undulating loop that twists and turns in on itself, like a snake that’s bitten its own tail.

The Lost at Sea Side Table comes encrusted with golden barnacles, as though newly salvaged from the ocean floor. For lighting, bowler hats hang from the ceiling masquerading as lampshades, a warm glow pouring from beneath their brims.

Hungarian artist Bogi Fabian (bogifabian.com) travels the world painting unique murals on clients’ walls, with a special kind of fluorescent paint that can only be viewed in the dark. Wait ’til sundown, snuff out the lamps and enter a dream world.

For daytime designs, Zurleys (zurleys.co.uk) offers matching sets of reflective furniture to create your very own bedroom of mirrors.