Animal print décor: Embrace your wild side with class

tolerate animal prints well, it is time for something a little more expressive. Hold your horses, though. The rule of instant reversibility still applies, so accent chairs and throw pillows are your best bet. Don’t yet re-upholster the sofa or go for full-scale zebra print wall art in the bedroom. Keep the additions explicit enough to enjoy, but not large enough to disrupt the eye.

For those fancying big and bold décor, animal prints are an ideal choice. Use them rather centrally so as not to visually distort a room’s proportions and pair them with solids to balance out the boldness. Large animal prints used in area rugs do a fabulous job of tying up the elements of the room and framing conversation or dining sections. They instantly define open floor plans and fuse energy into simple white and black colour schemes.

Stripes, polka dots, flowers and leopard spots together? There’s no reason why the eclectic approach should exclude animal prints. The easiest thing to do to avoid chaos is to unite patterns with colour and keep the prints moderate in size, but it is by no means the only way.

Mixing various patterns and colours can produce a stunning effect and it doesn’t necessarily take a professional decorator to accomplish that. Purchase pieces gradually, one at a time, and expand the room as long as you feel comfortable with the additions. To be on the safe side, make sure there’s enough solid colour and plain accessories around to maintain balance.