It may sound odd but there is a connection between interior design and animal protection. Many people like animal patterns, skins and motifs but there is always an alternative solution instead of using real materials made of animals. We can meet clients for whom it’s important that their home fulfills the animal protection principles.
Leather is the most commonly used animal material. It has several good characteristics and it is very decorative. Usually we use cow, pig, goat and lamb leather. These animals are slaughtered for their flesh, their skin-utilization is a plus, this way it isn’t waisted neither. Using this kind of leather is not against the animal protection. We can also use poromeric imitation leather instead of a real one. Its look and feel are very similar to real leathers, it breaths also and remains comfortable in heat. The material is polyurethane on textile base. It’s durable and easy to clean. Nowadays market leader textile factories produce lifelike and high-quality printed fabrics in exotic and domestic animal patterns. Exotic looking faux-furs are another good solution. These are high-quality products too and also perfect for upholstery and carpet uses.
Stags and deers shed their antlers in every year. Forestry officials gather them to be sold. These can be used for household or decoration objects looking good in classic interiors. Horns of cattle are also frequently used for this purpose. We can choose objects with similar colors and surfaces instead of real animal origin products. Many factories produce high-quality faux trophies and artificial animal leathers.
For me, not only energy saving and green architecture are important issues, but also the protection of the fauna. An alternative solution can be beautiful, chic and comfortable also, what’s more environmentally friendly.
Archives
Variations 5.
Variations 4.
Variations 3.
Tartan
Tartan is associated with the Scottish heritage.
The pattern itself consists of stripes with different widths and colors which cross each other in 90° angle, this way they create a grid pattern in both directions which has a checked pattern effect. There are same stripes in width and color on both sides of the main stripe in vertically and horizontally also, so the pattern is completely symmetrical. This differentiates tartan from other similar checked patterns. The order of the threads is reversed mixing the two colors with this and „creating” a third one.
On the contrary to the popular belief, in old times rather institutes, regions and families had the same clothes, not the clans. The pattern was connected later to the Scottish nationality and costume. First it was only used on textiles for clothing, these were made of almost only wool and were colored with natural dyes. Artificial dyes became widespread in the Victorian era allowing new color variations to be used.
Nowadays tartan isn’t limited only to clothes, or to the fabrics at all. It appears on objects made of any material, be it paper, porcelain or plastic. Because of this fact, there are many possibilities for using the pattern in interior design: not only on upholsteries but on wallpaper, lampshade, dinner set, carpet etc. The variations of it with red-green color combinations are associated with Christmas mood.
If you also like it and want to make tartan the part of your home, ask for help of an interior designer.
Variations 2.
Variations 1.
Fleur-de-lis
Dotted
Toile pattern
„Toile de Jouy”, or shortly „Toile” pattern has a French origin. The word toile itself means linen and Jouy is the name of a small town at the East part of France. These type of fabric had produced there since the 18th century. „Toile de Jouy” means canvas from Jouy.
Patterns are printed in one color on the fabric. The base is generally white, or beige. The pattern is repetitive at the whole area of the textile. It displays mostly idyllic scenes, such as rococo noblemen dressed to shepherd or shepherdess, fishing, flower picking or picknick groups, surrounded by landscape and building parts. Colors used for the patterns are originally the black, dark blue and red, but there also were green, brown or pink versions. These fabrics were used to upholstering furniture, covering walls or curtains. The toile pattern itself can appear on wallpapers, porcelain sets, tablecloths and beddings, etc.
In the recent years, toile pattern became popular again and widely used in interior design. Colors are much more variant and vivid nowadays, designers pair practically any background color with any pattern color. The scenes remain bucolic and idyllic. In chinoiserie topic we can find Chinese related scenes instead of them.
The pattern itself is very versatile. Can be applied in country style and also in a baroque, elegant interior as well, or even in a child-room. The furniture and accessories will give the final view, we can emphasize it with choosing the color of the material.
If you love this pattern, but afraid of having it too dominant, or just want to realize a romantic and elegant atmosphere, ask help from an interior designer for planning.