Our brand family · A story by Lisa Melvin, Founder
Natural pearl.
Extraordinary detail.
A small room, with so much to discover.
I have admired Siminetti for years. Mother of pearl has a depth that is difficult to capture in a photograph: move around it, change the light, and another colour appears.
When the opportunity came to refresh our studio powder room, it felt like the perfect place to show what this material can bring to an interior.
From samples to space ↓01 / Before the room
It started
with these samples.
This is the little material board we put together for the display. Seeing the finishes side by side helped us consider the whole palette: iridescent pearl, a crisp white basin and warm metal against deep teal.
The pearl links the finishes together: its changing tones pick up the cooler wall colour and the warmer metals.
Movement and reflection.
A warm accent.
A quiet backdrop.
02 / In our design studio
Framing the light.
Two Siminetti panels flank the basin and mirror, bringing texture to the deep wall colour. The rose-gold finish of the Starck tap and the coordinating Zehnder radiator add warmth, while the illuminated Duravit mirror draws the eye to the centre.
I am a great believer in showing a special material in a real setting. Here, visitors can see the scale of the shell, the changes in tone and how a relatively small amount can transform a room.
03 / A familiar design, rediscovered
The Starck barrel.
Then and now.
When Duravit first came into our showroom in 2006, one of our displays was the Starck barrel basin. I have returned to that recognisable silhouette in the refreshed powder room, choosing a different colourway and surrounding it with new materials.
Philippe Starck designed the Starck 1 collection for Duravit in 1994. The barrel celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2024, with updated finishes and detailing that keep its distinctive identity.
Open the doors and there is another part of the story: useful storage within that sculptural form.
Our Duravit relationship →Starck 1 is introduced by Duravit.
A Starck barrel joins our showroom.
A new palette in our powder room.
Design history: Duravit’s Starck 1 collection ↗
04 / The material and its origins
Beauty with
a source story.
Mother of pearl is the lustrous shell material itself. Siminetti’s sourcing statement explains that its freshwater shell comes from pearl-production farms in Asia, using shells left as a by-product of that industry.
The company also describes saltwater sourcing through Pacific pearl-farming and food-harvesting communities, with requirements for origin records and relevant fisheries and biosecurity compliance.
For me, that makes the material conversation richer: we can appreciate the surface and ask how the particular collection has been sourced.
Read Siminetti’s sourcing statement ↗05 / Made around the space
A niche, a wall,
a moment of pearl.
I would love to see these surfaces in a beautifully lit niche, or as a considered feature within a shower. A special material can have real presence when it is given the right setting.
Siminetti makes panels to project dimensions, with cut-outs and bespoke options depending on the design. Selected panels can be used on shower walls and in wet rooms when correctly specified and installed.
The feature panels combine pearl with an aluminium honeycomb backing. Individual panels can be up to 2400 × 1200mm, depending on the design; layout, joints and service openings are planned together.
Explore the panel possibilities ↗06 / Beyond the home
From a powder room
to life at sea.
Siminetti’s work extends into yacht interiors. One of the brand’s case studies shows bespoke Crackle panels made for all three bathrooms of a Princess yacht, supplied through Aquamare Marine.
That is a Siminetti project, and an inspiring example of the possibilities. In our own studio, the scale is smaller, but the pleasure is the same: seeing natural pearl respond to its surroundings.
Discover Siminetti’s Princess yacht project ↗8 photographs · Our studio and material board
Look a little closer.
Swipe through, click a photograph to enlarge it, or heart a finish for your Mood Cube.
Experience the material
Come and see
what the light reveals.
Visit our Rugby design studio to explore the powder room and discuss where a pearl detail could belong in your home.
Arrange a studio visit →Product and sourcing information checked against Siminetti and Duravit’s current guidance, October 2026.