Fresh Take: 13 New Ways With Animal Prints

Playing free association with animal prints can bring to mind the jungle room at Graceland, Heather Locklear’s sheets on Melrose Place or the fashion choices of Snooki from Jersey Shore. But what designers know is that animal prints can be so much more sophisticated than that. And designers sometimes use these patterns to add a touch of whimsy to an otherwise serious room. After all, even a serious room can use a little bit of Eartha Kitt to make it really purr.

1. Make things playful. Dalmatian prints don’t have to conjure up thoughts of Cruella de Vil. “The dalmatian print added an element of modern playfulness to this otherwise traditional room. We didn’t want to take the space too seriously,” says interior designer Naomi Stein of Design Manifest. “The pink piping on the edges really upped the fun factor.”


2. Add a dash of eccentricity. The bold artwork and leopard print are standouts against this light, neutral backdrop.


3. Add pattern with ease. “I almost think of animal prints as a neutral,” says interior designer Shirley Meisels. “They are usually tone on tone, monochromatic or black and white, so they are a safe way to mix and match. They are an easy way to add pattern that you can easily couple with other patterns and color.”


4. Make a staircase enticing (and durable). “Animal prints are always in style,” says interior designer Sally Wheat of this antelope-patterned stair runner. This pattern doesn’t show stains or wear and tear.

Runner: Stark

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5. Embrace the best of bravura modern style. A vintage black and white cheetah print brings exuberance to this 1970s dining room. The chrome, burled wood, lacquer and accessories give the room a bravura modern flair.

Side note: While putting this ideabook together, I finally learned that a cheetah print has solid spots, while a leopard print has multicolored or open spots.


6. Keep the whimsy going in a kidcentric room. Interior designer Ali Davin of Jute Interior Design layered a playful faux zebra rug atop a larger area rug in this playroom, creating a soft spot for playing, tumbling around and lazing.

Rug: Jonathan Adler

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7. Lighten things up. “We don’t take decor too seriously and like to add whimsy,” interior designer Heide Hendricks says of using these animal-print throw pillows in her family’s New England farmhouse.

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8. Get attention. Channeling Dorothy Draper, this designer added playful eccentricity to a classic balcony by mixing apricot and lime with a vibrant tiger print.


9. Surprise with an unexpected color. A blue zebra print is a key player in this sophisticated pattern mix. An animal print in an unexpected color can fit right into a traditional room.

See the rest of this pied-à-terre, where several animal prints appear


10. Up the elegance. In addition to unexpected colors, familiar animal patterns are now available in a surprising range of textiles. For example, no crocodiles were hunted to create the raised-velvet-croc fabric on this bench. Interior designer Susan Glick likes to add intricate fabrics in small doses — this lets them stand out without overwhelming a room (and as a bonus, means a lower fabric cost).

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11. Bring exotic texture to the bath. Tile with an alligator-skin-like texture adds depth and reflects the light in this jewel box of a powder room.

Tile: 24- by 24-inch porcelain, via Jac Elan Tile Showroom


12. Ground a room. Deep teal and cheetah are not a combination that pops up very often, but interior designer Erin Williamson mixed the two with aplomb. Grounding the room in such a lively pattern was a bold move, but the cheetah is toned down by the dark walls and the vintage Milo Baughman sofa and chair.

Wall paint: Dark Harbor, Benjamin Moore


13. Layer in some global style. “An animal print always helps a room,” says designer Becca Galbraith. In this case a luggage rack repurposed with a zebra-print hide adds to the well-traveled British colonial undertones.

More:
Pattern Primer: How to Pair Different Prints
Expert Talk: Walk on the Wild Side With Animal Art

Tell us: How are you using animal prints in your decor? Share your ideas and pictures in the Comments section.

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