Consider taking a walk on the wild side when choosing accessories for the home. From beautiful animal graphics to imaginative plays on animal shapes, there are a lot of ways to add a bit of beastly style to living spaces.
David Dear's duck-footed mirror fits the bill, so to speak. The designer, known for whimsical takes on practical products, has placed an oval-shaped glass on pewter casts of duck feet - sublimely silly, yet oddly chic.
For the hip yet disorganized person, consider Urban Outfitters' owl-shaped umbrella stand or a Labrador's head wall hook perfect for holding scarves. At MollaSpace, Japanese designer Igenoki deconstructs the cuckoo clock with a striking parade of animal silhouettes. His colorful recycled leather trays, imprinted with images of butterflies, tigers, rabbits and deer, would be great for keys and change.
Go for the graphics
Online retailer AllModern.com has Thai designer Supon Phornirunlit's collection of contemporary graphic Animal Instinct pillows, hand-silkscreened with images of polar bears, deer and a swirling serpent.
Joe Ginsberg's pillow designs are always amazing. The Kingdom collection for Tempo features jungle and woodland animal photographs printed on shearling; they're soft and spectacular, worth the splurge for an animal lover.
DwellStudio's Chinoiserie and Peacock pillows manage to look Old World and current at the same time. The bird artwork is painterly; the color accents - azure, citrine, mocha - are right on the minute.
West Elm has birds, squirrels and rabbits decked out in tiny metallic sequins; while they're meant as holiday decor, they'd make great tabletop accessories all year. A portion of sales goes to support St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Jason Polan's painted owl and penguin canapé plates would be a lovely hostess gift, as would a set of small porcelain plates with winter animals etched in platinum.
Avoid the kitschy
Animal-shaped lamps can often look kitschy, but these find a balance between whimsy and great style. Anthropologie has a squirrel and bunny lit from the inside - a cute fixture for a child's room or an entry foyer. Naked Decor's Happy Hot Dog Lamp in black or white resin features a dutiful dachshund balancing the lampshade on his nose. And while he won't fetch your newspaper, he will hold your fruit; he's also available with a bowl attached to his back, Sherpa-style. Look for him on serving trays, coasters, napkin rings and even as a clock in this cleverly designed collection.
Start a conversation
Finally, designer Stephen Johnson takes us into Alice's Wonderland of animals with his collection of white and silver candlesticks cast from antique molds of rabbits, birds and horses. The creatures create a surreal balancing act, stacked upon other animals and objects before culminating in the candle holder. One or two of these would be a guaranteed dinner party conversation starter.
