Aqua’s Silk Color Codex

A guide to composing light, mood, and atmosphere through hand-pleated silk tones.

Each color lives
by its mysterious life

— Wassily Kandinsky

Sixteen silks, each hand-dyed in the studio and named for the feeling it holds. Color that deepens and shifts as light moves through it.

About the Color Codex

Color carries mood and intention. In lighting, it becomes something you live inside.

We developed the Color Codex as a guide to composing with it: hand-pleated Tussar silk tones, each one named for what it evokes, from fine porcelain and dried cotton flowers to claystone walls and dewy grass.

Tones placed close together create harmony, an enveloping, unified atmosphere. Tones set further apart create contrast, dynamic and alive as light shifts through the day. Coal and Cream sit at one extreme: bricks inside a chimney meeting dried cotton flowers, a warm black against fine porcelain. Rust and Stone offer something warmer and more nuanced: the last sunbeams before sunset settling into a gloomy cave, Victorian red meeting a cup of strong Earl Grey. Sand and Shell, close in tone, gather into a single breath: sunkissed skin and tanned leather meeting honey and freshly washed linen.

These pairings are starting points, not rules. Our design team uses the Codex daily, developing custom color compositions across any collection, with mock-ups and color studies as part of the process.

Cream Silk

A nurturing feeling of warm comfort.
Dried cotton flowers. 

Hushed chatter. 

Timeless beauty. 

Fine porcelain. 

Sunsa 10 silk chandelier, nine Cream parasol shades viewed from below on a grey ceiling, Aqua Creations
Stand By mobile light, luxury pendant lights for bedroom calm — Cream silk fans drifting over an attic bed, Aqua Creations
Stand By large luxury pendant lighting, a Cream silk canopy crowning a maximalist drawing room, Aqua Creations
Baby Coral Wall & Ceiling Light — sculptural wall light in hand-dyed in Cream silk color by Aqua Creations
Rotini in Cream silk, eight pleated volumes looping into a statement chandelier for dining room tables — Aqua Creations

Gold Silk

A vintage golden watch.
The first sip from sparkling champagne. 

Freshly mown hay.
Shimmering sun.

Coral Wall & Ceiling Light — silk wall and ceiling light in hand-dyed silk by Aqua Creations
Stand By bedroom pendant light in Cream silk glowing above a dressed bed in a classic green-walled room, Aqua Creations
Sunsa 10 chandelier, clustered Gold silk fan shades on brass arms at hotel lobby chandelier scale, Aqua Creations
Stand By pendant light in Cream silk, a fabric chandelier for the living room floating below a gilded ceiling, Aqua Creations

Shell Silk

An early morning beach walk.
Dash of honey.
Soothing waves rolling in.
The feeling of freshly washed linen.
Oxford stone. 

Mino Floor Lamp by Aqua Creations Luminary Design Studio
Simon Says Maybe Wall and Ceiling Light by Aqua Creations. Featured in this Amsterdam apartment designed by Kiek Concepts. Photo by: Flare Department.
Maestro Floor Lamp designer handmade floor lamp by Aqua Creations
Dippa Pendant Light — hand-pleated silk pendant light in hand-dyed silk made-to-order by Aqua Creations

Curry Silk

Unrestrained laughter.
Sipping on a cup of tea in bustling Bombay.
Turmeric root powder.
Freshly grated ginger. 

Gail Mobile Light handmade light Aqua Creations
Stand By large pendant in Curry silk, luxury pendant lighting over a classic living room entryway, Aqua Creations

Sand Silk

Wavelike ridges on a beach.
Fragrant cinnamon sticks.
An empty cocoon. Sunkissed skin.
Tanned leather. 

Mino Floor Lamp handmade floor lamp Aqua Creations
Horn Floor Lamp

Orange Silk

Dawn on a sunny August morning.
A grand Duchess. Energetic.
Amber stone. Powdered clay.

Bassito Table & Floor Lamp designer hand-dyed silk floor lamp by Aqua Creations
Baby Coral silk ceiling lights in Orange clustered like glowing anemones across a ceiling, Aqua Creations
Grace

Redwood Silk

A smell of earthy undertones
and a tinge of sweetness.
No dread of time.
An otherworldly tree.
Majestic. Sacred.  

Sea of Galilee Wall Light by Aqua Creations Luminary Design Studio
Rigua Table Lamp

Rust Silk

Feeling the last sunbeams on your
face right before the sun sets.
Victorian red. Warm-heartedness.
Redolent of claystone walls in Marrakech.
Flamboyance. 

Zooid Wall & Ceiling Light
Stand By Wall & Ceiling Light 72" / 180 cm — silk wall and ceiling light in hand-dyed silk by Aqua Creations
Palm Wall Light handmade wall light Aqua Creations
Custom Zooid Pendant Light in Rust silk

Flame Silk

Enjoying a midsummer bonfire
out in nature. An iconic red lipstick.
Blushing. An inviting warmth.
Totemic. Strength. 

Lake Doiran Mirror 2 by Aqua Creations Luminary Design Studio
Three Chilli handmade pendant lights in Flame silk, glowing cones with ruffled hems above an orange bench, Aqua Creations
Nara Wall & Ceiling Light hand-dyed silk wall and ceiling light Aqua Creations
Stand By Pendant Light 95" / 240 cm — designer pendant light for dining room in hand-dyed silk by Aqua Creations
Nana 200 in Flame Silk

Red Silk

The strong yet delicate flower
bursting through concrete. Full-bodied
Merlot. Burgundy. Soft velvet curtains
at the theater. Fresh bouquet of roses. 

Suuria Pendant Light in Shell silk above a hotel bed, luxury pendant lights for bedroom softness, by Aqua Creations

Silver Silk

A freshness that awakens your senses.
Polished silverware. A misty morning.
Crisp air. A luminous glow. 

Simon Says Yes Pendant Light by Aqua Creations Luminary Design Studio

Stone Silk

Balancing pebble stones.
An unpaved road. Concrete jungle.
A cup of strong Earl Grey tea.
Delicate ash. A gloomy cave. 

Lake Doiran Ceiling Light 3 by Aqua Creations Luminary Design Studio
Rotini Chandelier
Stand By Wall & Ceiling Light 35" / 90 cm — sculptural wall light in hand-dyed silk by Aqua Creations

Smoke Silk

A calm mood.
Unpolished pink marble stone. 

Blossoming flowers. Optimism.  

Manhattan Pendant Light Large (47"/ 120 cm) hand-dyed silk pendant light Aqua Creations
Viola Table Lamp
Coral wall sconce for bedroom walls in Shell pink silk, lit pleats radiating from a deep violet heart, Aqua Creations
Avia Mobile Light designer handmade light by Aqua Creations
Suuria Pendant Light — silk pendant light in hand-dyed silk by Aqua Creations
Palm Tree Floor Lamp handmade floor lamp Aqua Creations

Dark Silk

Walking quietly on a moonless night. 

Delicately dark. Intuition. 

Soft shadows. Plum. 

Dark aubergine Chilli, a bedside bedroom pendant light in matte silk pleats sweeping into a gentle curl, Aqua Creations
Chilli in Dark aubergine silk, a luxury pendant light for the bedroom with a softly curling ruffled hem, Aqua Creations
Horn Floor Lamp — sculptural floor lamp in hand-dyed silk by Aqua Creations
Sikus Wall & Ceiling Light

Coal Silk

A night walk on a warm
summer night. Bricks inside a chimney.
Iconic. A warm black. Smokey eyes. 

Dippa Pendant Light by Aqua Creations, a hand-pleated silk pendant light in hand-dyed silk
Sahara Floor Lamp designer handmade floor lamp by Aqua Creations
Liana S. Pendant Light

Grass Silk

Dense moss on a brick wall.
Whispering woods. Emerald stone.
Dewy grass on an early summer morning. 

Morning Glory floor lamp in Grass green silk beside a lounge sofa, a tall floor lamp made for a hotel lobby, Aqua Creations
Zooid Wall n Grass silk color
Suuria Pendant Light — hand-pleated silk pendant light in hand-dyed silk by Aqua Creations
Mikado wall light in Grass green stripes hung on the diagonal, organic modern lighting with wit, Aqua Creations
Doe Table Lamp designer hand-dyed silk table lamp by Aqua Creations