animal prints at home

the fine line between stylish and tacky

Let me start this off my stating my undying love for animals (take our office assistant Nola for example). But that doesn’t mean I would want a house full of them, including their excess baggage (beds, toys, food…). No, my love for animals is a little more subtle than that. A cool animal illustration perhaps. An animal print is great too but you want to avoid a home that looks like it’s inhabited by Snooki circa Jersey Shore’s first season. Or you can, and then you should go all out and get as many prints and materials and mix and match them all. Or do something very different and fill your house with porcelain cats and dogs. To each their own but I’m here to give you some tips on how give your home a bit of an animal theme and to help you keep a fine line between stylish decorating and over the top tackiness. Read and learn.

a drawing

If you’re in love with animals, but you don’t want it to be too obvious, then opt for a cool illustration or so to hang on your wall. There are plenty of canvases you can buy with cute puppies or wild bears, and if you get of sick of it after a while, you can easily just hang up something else.

animal head

Not a real one of course. But you’ve got plastic or wooden varieties that are cool to hang up for decoration.

wall paper

You don’t have to cover all your walls with leopard or zebra print. Go for a more subtle wallpaper with the subtle head of an animal. Or you can go wallpaper with a bit of an animal print texture in it. Think snakeskin; you don’t see it but you can feel it.

(fake) furs

Personally, I’m rather allergic to fake bearskins or sheepskins, but hey, it’s very hip and it keeps you warm in the cold winter months. And nothing is more romantic then snuggling up with your loved one under a furry blanket next to a fireplace.

furniture

Well, if you want to up the ante, then it’s time to bring out the big guns. Couches, chairs, tables. But make sure you don’t go overboard because then you will be creating Snooki’s version of paradise.

set limits

Limit yourself to one extreme animal print residential item. I get that you might enjoy mixing and matching, but you’re setting the stakes very high that that can go horribly wrong. One item is enough, I promise. Less is more.

be original

A bear cloth on a wooden floor or a leopard print matching the white and black tones in your home are easy, but try and be original. Give a brighter color a go. Flora or fauna, remember those?

Invest

Pick one item for in your home that’s a little more expensive. And be picky. You want your item (unless it’s a drawing or a fake animal head) to be timeless and last for longer than a few seasons. Take the time to decide what kind of eyecatcher you want so you don’t throw it out a month later.