Guest blogger: Animal Furniture

Many thanks to Karly Hand of design crisis for writing this crazy animal-themed guest blog spot today. Take it away, Karly!

I'm always on the lookout for home decor that makes me giggle. I like pieces that stand out and will always opt for quirky over clever and silly over swanky (bonus if the piece can combine all of the above!). So when I spotted a couple of select pieces of animal-inspired furniture I was in la la la la love!

Of all Nature's four-legged miracles, the horse is hands-down my favorite. They're such strong, powerful beings and tug at my girly "I want a pony" heartstrings. So when I spotted the Horse Lamp from the genius ladies at Front Design, I nearly fainted at the sight of decor perfection.
Did I mention that the horse is LIFE-SIZED? Meaning, one could be so lucky as to have a life-sized horse lighting one's living room at all times. Swoon!

And if rabbits or pigs are more your thing, or perhaps space is an issue, pas de probleme, as Front Design serves up lovely versions of each too, all for moooi.

If you decide to pass on the life sized horse, but still have a hankering for biology-infused designs, you could opt to go the more subtle route of animal table legs. Behold:

Clockwise from top right:
- Jacques Garcia's Le Lion stand (available at Decorati)
- Ibride Diva Black Ostrich Console Table (available at Velocity)
- Arthur bench by Brad Huntzinger and Kate McIntyre (Oly Studio)
- Ibride Sultan Red Dog Stool (also available at Velocity).

In case subtlety REALLY isn't your thing, and I mean REEEAAAALLLYYY, then you can just go for broke and pick a Tiger or Dog Couch by Rodolfo Rocchetti:


I prefer to temper my quirky fixtures with a monochromatic color scheme. It's well documented (by myself, of course) that I will paint anything solid gold or solid white if it sits still long enough, so these Made In China Limited benches by Wokmedia are perfect for me:

The benches are created by fusing vintage wooden Chinese toys with new furniture, then (here's the part I love) they are painted completely white. I would be quite happy to give any of the toy benches a home in my garden.

If by chance a jealous neighbor were to come along and steal my lovely bench (who could blame them?) I would most certainly replace it with one of these Whippet Benches by Radi Designers:


Would it be tacky to have the 4 color whippet inside my home and the blue one in my yard?

No? Not tacky? Perfect!! Then I will also assume that it is also safe for me to fill my living space with one of each of these:



Clockwise from top left:
- Harry Allen Piggy Bank (available at Unica Home)
- Goose Table by Alessandro Mendini (available at Unica Home)
- Vintage Crab Table featured on First Dibs
- Ab Ovo Dining Chair by William Emmerson

The crab table is quite possibly the most amazing thing I have ever seen. I would gladly pitch a tent right on top of it and just make it my home. Oh, lovely crab table, why is there only one of you and why don't you live at my house?

I believe the only thing in the world that could ease my pain right now would be to get my little paws on one of Timothy Horn's octopus-inspired chandeliers:

The octopus chandelier would be such a stunning centerpiece over my dining table I would throw a lavish dinner party just to watch my friends become delirious with envy. (And since I like to push any theme to it's max, I've rounded up a lovely selection of animal-inspired dishes for my dinner party over at design crisis.)

Because I have no meter for tackiness, and invite any and all silly finds into my home, I must insist on also finding a spot for these Sheep Stools from Sam Brown at Leigh Harmer.


All this talk of animal decor has me so excited, I think I need to go lay down my spinning head. Now, If only I had a giraffe bed...