Animal prints can conjure up all sorts of images. Many times they get a bad rap and are attributed to tacky rooms with velvet paintings and satin bedding. That can be the case sometimes as we've seen in the past but today, animal prints are stylish and attractive if used in the right way. The trouble is determining what is 'right' and what is over the top.
It's a balancing act really. Some of you love animal prints and even have some in your wardrobe. For those of you who are not shy to bring a little of the jungle into your decor, good on you. You have to be careful, though, especially if you are mixing several different prints in one space. Also, unless you want to have a room like Elvis' Safari room at Graceland then you've got to use some discretion.
You may be asking yourself why I'm even bothering to feature animal prints. Well, they are not the first thing I think of when shopping for home decor items but they do add an unexpected touch of the exotic, which can be a good thing. If your space needs a little spice, a few touches of your wild side might just be what the decor doctor ordered. If your space has warm earth tones, then a leopard print would fit in quite well. If you are more black-and-white, a zebra print would be smashing as an accessory print.
Animal prints are visually busy patterns. Stripes of a zebra print or the spots of a leopard print can be hard on the eyes in large doses. Think about it; you probably wouldn't choose a bold, checkered wallpaper, and animal prints are no different. Using them in smaller doses is the key to incorporating them into your space. A leopard-print lamp shade here or as an accent on draperies or linens there is enough to make a style statement.
There are several ways in which to incorporate a little of the exotic into your space in a tasteful manner. As I mentioned, a small animal print on an accent lampshade would be stunning in a masculine den with leather furniture and dark tones. A zebra-striped accent rug (you know the kind... with wavy edges) can be stunning on a hardwood floor in a modern loft. Place the rug beneath a glass-and-chrome coffee table and you've created a small but exciting focal point. Gorgeous copper-coloured silk draperies would be stunning with a large bottom border of leopard-print fabric. The border would visually ground the draperies while adding an exotic touch. Animal-print border on a stunning black or dark brown area rug will ground a solid-coloured right furniture grouping and add much-needed pattern to the vignette. An accent pillow thrown in with co-ordinating solid colours can add a touch of spice to a boring sofa or chair. You can go even further by including texture in the mix. Faux fur animal prints will add a cosy touch to accent cushions while adding texture to the space. This additional texture is often needed with leather furniture, which can be sleek and cold in appearance.
If you're a little more adventurous, you might want to bring in more animal print via an accent furniture item like a chaise lounge or large upholstered ottoman. This can work well as these are feature pieces that will stand out anyway and can take the additional seasoning that an animal print will bring. As long as these pieces are balanced with solid colours to visually tame them they can be stunning features in most any space.
Easy ways to add animal prints
Of course you can go out and purchase animal print fabrics to use in your decor but there are a few other ways to obtain them in smaller pieces to use as accents in your space. You might even have some in your clothes closet. An animal-print top, belt or footwear that are no longer being used can be turned into fun accent pieces for the home. A belt can be glued around the edge of a lampshade, for instance. The top can be turned into a toss cushion or glued onto a lamp shade and the shoes or boots, depending on what they are made of, can be cut into small appliqué pieces for use on most anything. If you don't have these items kicking around you can, or course, find them at most thrift shops. If you come across a fun fur coat, pick it up to make those textural toss cushions I mentioned above. Look for unique items like animal-print picture frames (or create your own) jewelry, hair bands, shower curtains and fabric remnants to use in your space. You don't need a lot of fabric to make a small but stunning statement.
Be kind to animals and use only faux furs and fabric replicas of animal prints. The patterns are gorgeous and so are the animals that bear them.
