Design Board-The Stuffed Ostrich

Via The Taxidermy Emporium

When a friend asked me for suggestions on how to decorate the new house she and her husband purchased I was extremely excited. Let me tell you, there is nothing I love more than planning out a room especially from scratch. Chad also loves this because it means I am not shopping for myself and there are no projects for him to do (except learn how to use Photoshop so he can make help me design better project and mood boards). Like us, they were moving from Nunavut with next to no furniture. They also have great taste and love an eclectic/rustic look. I'm not sure many people would specify that they want to try and have a taxidermy ostrich head in their house.

Here is what she told me, "I am drawn to many designs that are considered eclectic. I prefer creams, whites and grays but am willing to explore colour.  I like deep teal, sea foam green and indigo blue with pops of yellow, corals and orange (not all together but you get the idea). We also want to bring in natural elements and animals."

She means the ostrich head, which her husband saw at the Montreal bar Bily Kun and has wanted ever since. They are also lucky enough to have a family member who can make then a live-edge wood coffee table. The photos she sent me include the former owners furniture so disregard it. They liked the idea of having a sofa and two chairs versus two love seats. They also wanted to change the sconces and paint out the fireplace until they could look into replacing or refacing it.

The Before

It's a great sized room with vaulted ceiling and nice bay window. The only issue I saw was that the feature wall only featured the point where the wall met the ceiling, making it look cramped. I know they didn't want to paint but I had to suggest that they repaint everything white to really open up the whole room (they can do it while they're painting the fireplace and all the wood trim!)

Here were a few inspiration photos:

Via The Brick House

Via Life Creating Yourself

Via The Socialite Family

Via Smitten Studio (Sarah Sherman Samuel)

Via Style at Home Oct 2011

The larger furniture pieces are neutral (yes I'm calling indigo or navy neutral), they have bright white walls and then added interest through texture, pattern or 'pops' of colour. With that I went and made up not one but three design boards. The others will be coming over the next few days. I love all the colours she chose and while it's tempting to combine them all, lately I'm drawn to a more reserved and neutral palette-something that has great basics that can be easily changed with the addition of new pillow, rug, or drapes. I also wanted to use a navy blue sofa (preferably in velvet) really badly. I love the look of a white or cream fabric sofa (leather is a different story) but I can't think of anyone (except if you want to be all grandma and cover it in plastic) who can keep it clean. I know people swear by slip covers that can be removed and washed but if you've ever struggled to put the cover back once a week after washing then you know it's not the greatest idea. So here was my first design board...

Navy, Neutral and Ostrich

Black Lamp/Souk Rug/White Drapes/Ostrich Print/Black Scones/Brass Side Table/Sofa/Chairs

First off, turns out a taxidermy ostrich head is going to cost you. Some examples I found were thousands of dollars . I thought that may be a bit out of budget so these ostrich and egg prints from photographer Sharon Montrose could be a nice substitute. The artwork over the fireplace is a piece they already own by artist Tim Turnball. They had also thought of adding shelving on either side of the fireplace which I think is a great idea so it doesn't seem to be randomly floating in the room. I would layer black and white frames and photos or add books and colourful accessories. I hope they like it, stay tuned for two more colourful options.