DIY Home Decor with Mushrooms

For millennia mushrooms have been used for many purposes  - medicinally, culinary, and environmentally. Ever thought about using them aesthetically? It’s time to bring nature into your space with mushroom art. 

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This blog will walk you through how to create your own mushroom art from start to finish. You will learn specifically how to make a dried mushroom collage in this post.  Be on the lookout for more blogs in the future on different kinds of mushroom creations! Whether you want to hang it up as wall art or make a 3D piece to place on your mantle, from start to finish, creating home decor with mushrooms IS something you can do yourself. 

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First step: Forage

Take a stroll in nature and bring along a bag or basket to collect your treasures. When foraging look for mushrooms growing off trees. These are typically the ones you want to collect. They are known as shelf fungi and are the best to use for art. Ideal mushroom treasures include:  

• Turkey Tail (trametes versicolor): a firm and leathery mushroom that features rings of color, resembling a turkey tail.
• Artist’s Conk (Ganoderma applanatum): a flat, shelf-like mushroom with a smooth, white underside.
• Reishi (Ganoderma Lucidum): known for its shiny, reddish-brown, slightly varnished appearance.
• Lichen varieties: bright green moss like structures.

If you’re in Richmond, Virginia, some great spots for your foraging adventure include Pony Pasture, Forest Hill Park, James River, Robious Landing Park, or Rockwood Park—anywhere with fallen deciduous trees. Mushrooms thrive in moisture. They simply cannot survive or even be “born” without water. Spring and fall are the best times to find them, so head to your nearest woods after your next rainfall and find your ‘shrooms. 

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One note - although mushrooms are technically finder’s keepers (unless you’re truffle hunting in Italy), it’s always best to forage responsibly. Take only what you need, ensuring a sustainable ecosystem will continue to live on. 

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Step 2: Preservation & Drying

After gathering, inspect your finds and remove any attached debris. Arrange them on a baking sheet and bake at a low temperature (200-225°F) for 45-60 minutes or until fully dry. Even seemingly dry mushrooms should undergo this process to eliminate bugs hiding in crevices. Alternatively, a dehydrator can be used if you’ve got one. Just a heads up that lichen does not need to be dried in the oven, it can air dry! 

Step 3: Create

Once your mushrooms are all dry, you’re ready to make some art. Gather the following materials:

• Your dried mushrooms
• Flat, sturdy backing material (e.g., canvas, wood panel, heavy paper)
• Hot glue gun 
• Scissors
• Paintbrushes ( to dust off extra debris) 
• Protective sealant or varnish
• Mounting frame or display case (optional)
• Pencil and ruler (for layout planning)
• Decorative elements if you’ve got them (e.g., dried leaves, moss, bones, bark or  other natural materials)

Once gathered, let your fungal freak flag fly (say that 5 times fast) and create your mushroom decor. There is no rhyme or reason, just do what feels right for you. You can follow this suggested workflow if you are more of a rule follower:

1. Lay out all your dried materials to see what you’ve got. Super type A? You can go a step further and classify everything to stay nice and organized.
2. Now grab your backing material and begin creating your design. This is the time to play! Move things around. Stand back and look at your design every couple of minutes to make sure it’s encompassing your vision. Maybe even walk away from your design draft and do something else for a bit to let it marinate. If you come back and it makes your heart leap with joy, it’s probably done and ready to be glued.
3. Before gluing, use your pencil and ruler to trace your designs, just in case things get moved around in the process. Make sure to LABEL where everything is going. You’re basically creating a glue-by-number template.
4. Get to gluing. I HIGHLY recommend using a glue gun for accuracy and adhesive power. Place large dots of glue on your backing and then gently but firmly press your dried mushroom into the glue. Let sit to fully dry. 
5. If you are hanging your collage to make some mushroom wall art, make sure to use hooks or command strips that will support the weight of your collage. It’s sturdy, but not always fall proof. Better to be safe than sorry.
6. Once your mushroom art is fully dried, spray with your sealant so it’s truly everlasting.

And that’s it! Creating simple, sustainable art with ‘shrooms is something anyone can do. 

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Don’t have the time to forage and DIY? Moody Blooms can do it for you. Reach out for a custom quote on our large and small scale natural botanical installations.

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