Twinspired

she said.she said. 
This week, animal print...go!

Austin Powers said it best, “Grrrrr, baby!“

I’m definitely pro. Animal print is classic, sophisticated, and sassy all at the same time. It’s the original “bring the outdoors in” organic element that when done right is very grown-up.

Note the “done right”. Yes, that means there’s a but coming. To quote an equally great man, Mies van der Rohe, “less is more”.

Now don’t translate doing more with less a demure sentence for animal prints. It can still play a big role in a room. It is great as a star – think leopard carpet lining ebony stained stairs – or just a supporting role – think animal hide pillows against a feminine print – but it shouldn’t be a one-man show.

Good design includes juxtaposition. That could be pattern, texture, color, or all of the above. Without it a design is one-note and even a joke.

Best illustration – the Jungle Room at Graceland.

Elvis Presley had the voice, the hips, and a proper love for his momma, but his talents didn’t extend to grounds of Graceland. Granted, the mansion was decorated and departed in the 70’s which was at best a mixed-bag decade of design success. That exception noted, thematic rooms should be left to those still in single digits. And if the theme is a jungle one, then it should be reported as cruelty to animals...and the rest of us.

My recommendation, if your finished room is floor to ceiling cheetah print, it is time to refinish it. 

Jungle Room at Graceland, home of Elvis Presley

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I feel about animal prints the same way I feel about fudge: I can take it or leave it. I don’t necessarily crave it but I don’t mind it once in front of me. 

Animal prints are also like fudge in that a little goes a long way. 

Fudge has a bold flavor. It would be near impossible to eat an entire 9 x 13 pan of fudge, you would have a belly ache. In the same vein, animal print is visually bold. If every fabric in a room is some type of animal print, it would make you visually sick. A hide rug or an animal print pillow can bring an element of the exotic to an interior without overwhelming the palette.

Lastly, there are good fudge recipes and then there are the shortcut, use a microwave or low fat ingredients fudge recipes. Similarly, there are beautiful animal prints and there are too tacky for words animal prints. I am all in favor of faux furs and it is okay to be synthetic but not okay to look synthetic. If you do not want the real McCoy, look for animal prints that do a good job of replicating the real thing or look for a quality fabric, such as linen, that uses the animal pattern for a graphic punch.

That’s my opinion, it ought to be yours.