How many of us had animal-themed rooms as kids? You don't have to raise your hand; we're not taking a poll, but we're willing to bet that plenty of adults look back fondly on their animal-themed bedrooms. Maybe it's just the nostalgia or the utter freedom and fun of being surrounded by your own little zoo of animals, but animal-themed rooms were (and remain) the best.
As an adult, you might feel a little constrained by the modern aesthetics and norms for interior design. Where are the fun cheetah prints, the roaring lions, or the pictures and posters of your favorite animal plastered all over your space? Can you have the best of both worlds, combining an adult space with your love of animals?
Absolutely! By finding and leveraging modern animal-inspired furnishings that capture the whimsy and fun of animals while balancing the modern and mature look and feel you want, you can have your cake and eat it too.
Things to Keep in Mind for the Ultimate Animal-Themed Living Room
Stick Around 1-3 Modern Animal-Inspired Furnishings Per Room
The sweet spot for modern animal-inspired furnishings is between 1 and 3. In this case, less is more because of the way that these pops of animal life can spring out of a room.
Mix Your Modern Animal-Inspired Furnishings Up
Don’t be afraid to play with different items within an animal-inspired space. If you have more than one, try having one pillow + one art print + one 3D object instead of three pillows. This spaces things out and makes them feel more organic.
Leverage Pillows, Blankets, and Rugs
Every good living room needs to have pillows and blankets. This is a universal fact acknowledged throughout interior design, regardless of your aesthetic. Modern animal-inspired furnishings can use this universal rule by marrying form and function. Pillows with animal themes, such as cheetah print pillows or a pillow with an animal on it, are the perfect way to add a cheery animal or two to your space while still keeping the functionality high. Bonus points for the simple yet modern designs with animals that capture animals elegantly.
That’s why we love this Equestrian Sunset pillow. This vibrantly colored throw pillow features a striking design that helps you feel the spirit of freedom and galloping along the open plain. This pillow's premium feel comes from a resilient shape-retaining insert and plush fabrics. All with a fun design that touches the animal lover in all of us. This modern animal-inspired furnishing perfectly balances elegant decoration and fun animal themes.
Another great place to go for modern animal-inspired furnishings is rugs. Many larger spaces that need an anchor can benefit from a rug, which acts almost like an island tying smaller pieces together in a large room. Throwing out a faux-fur rug in a space that needs to be a little warmer (both in looks and temperature) is a great way to bring more modern animal-inspired furnishings into your home.
Use Neutral Colors with a Fun Pattern
For some, too much color is just too much. Playing within a neutral pallet creates a cohesive look that isn’t too hard on the eyes or overstimulating. By adding it to a pattern that keeps you on your toes, you get a good blend of neutral colors with fun and interesting shapes.
Incorporate patterns into your living room in subtle ways. Leverage a throw pillow in a neutral color with a pattern or even a textured blanket whose design comes through in the weave and weft of the blanket. We love these Pawfect coasters because they “perfectly” capture this idea. The neutral color scheme brings a rustic calm to the space, but with man’s best friend written all over these cork-back coasters, you invite fun and inventiveness back into your adult space.
An added benefit of these pawfect coasters is the inherent adultness of coasters. Integrating modern animal-inspired furnishings like coasters into the room gives you an easy way to have the animal-themed room of your childhood as an adult.
Go 3D
Three-dimensional décor refers to décor that jumps right out to life before you. This can include bowls, handcrafted pieces, life-like décor, and more. These pieces can be simple or larger things that bring nature inside. Peppering these throughout your space is a simple but effective way of getting more animals into the room, but the pieces fit into a grown adult's aesthetic and modern feel.
Another great way to do this is by incorporating animals into your every day and every use items. Things like water glasses, phone cases and notebooks are the kinds of things we have in every room of our house at one point or another.
Think of the five items closest to you right now; they either occur in every room in your house or they follow you from room to room because you need them everywhere you go, like your phone. Since these things occur naturally in each of these rooms it's all too easy to slip some animal-inspired themes in to elevate any item into modern animal-inspired furnishing.
Modern Animal-Inspired Furnishings for a Fun Grown Up
You don't have to be constrained by adulting. You can have the fun, animal-inspired room you want and deserve without feeling like your guests are entering a child's bedroom. With the right pieces and attitude, you can create a space that captures the fun of animals within a mature setting. For more tips and tricks on using modern animal-inspired furnishings to get the area of your dreams, visit our website.
