Decorating Guides
Elements of Style: Flamingo Flair
Discover how these stylish birds can add tropical whimsy to your home
Summer, with its balmy breezes, has us thinking tropical lately, and we trust that six months from now, when many of us are all snowed in, we’ll have more than a few wistful escapist daydreams then too. Whether you dot your interior with seasonal touches of your favorite equatorial emblems or you’re known to leave a figurative trail of flamingo feathers everywhere you go, we think you’ll be inspired by this sampling of 14 flamingo motifs.
2. Cultures in the tropical locales where these pink birds dwell often favor bold, saturated hues. Here, the bubblegum pink and cerulean blue in the rug go together like flamingos and water — bathwater, in this case. The room has the vibe of a Costa Rican lodge, with its wooden-beamed ceiling and wide-louvered shutters.
3. Introducing a flamingo motif via a pillow, painting or wallpaper is a fantastic way to glamorize your black-and-white decor with a little Palm Beach style. It also makes for a more mature take on the old hot-pink-and-black teen dream.
4. These colorful creatures make a splash in any palette. They pair well with a variety of other brights, like the turquoise and yellow seen here, but are equally endearing against a more subdued palette that would benefit from a little jolt of color. Take away any other element in this room, and the painting still works.
5. Those plastic birds that sometimes strut across lawns are either tacky and campy or hip and ironic, depending on whom you ask. Whatever your stance on bright pink lawn ornaments, you have to admit that the flamingo motif makes for absolutely charming outdoor pillows. In fact, plenty of retailers and artisans have caught on and are making flamingos their signature pattern of the summer.
Fun fact: Jennifer Price devotes an entire chapter of Flight Maps, her look at Americans’ quirky image of nature, to our beloved plastic flamingos.
Fun fact: Jennifer Price devotes an entire chapter of Flight Maps, her look at Americans’ quirky image of nature, to our beloved plastic flamingos.
6. A little harder to find, but packing a potentially big design payoff, are flamingo-themed fabrics. Like any other tropical motif, they range from classy, like this shade, to cloying. But for those who want to add a special little something to, say, a guest bath, flamingos are a great way to put a smile on your visitors’ faces.
7. If you’re afraid of getting carried away with this theme, or if pink just isn’t your color, metallic seabirds will make an artistic statement evocative of the tropics.
8. We’re not saying that flamingos are a girl thing, but they sure do look apropos in this bachelorette haven. It’s another example of how glamorous the flamingo motif can look when paired with black and white (and more pink, of course).
9. Like so many motifs, a little can go a long way. Here, a single bird gazes at the coastal environment beyond. The statue invites conversation and pondering, as it seems adorably out of place in this sophisticated dining room. Perhaps to the homeowners, it’s a meditation on the draw of the ocean, and like the gazing flamingo, his human companions long to be ankle-deep in the tide too.
10. Although it takes up a lot of visual space, wallpaper can actually be seen as a single design element. When paired with simple monochromatic furnishings and decor, it reads as one object in the field of vision, rather than as a busy amalgamation of detail. For that reason, you can use a fanciful wallpaper motif as your “punch” factor without it feeling the least bit jarring.
Wallpaper: Flamingos, Albany via Wallpaperdirect
Wallpaper: Flamingos, Albany via Wallpaperdirect
11. Believe it or not, you can even sneak a flamingo into a completely modern office — just paint it black and call it a heron!
12. More clever and humane than trophy heads on the wall, this guy really sticks his neck out for design (get it)? Indeed, from the time the plastic models hit the Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalog in 1957, flamingos have been a symbol of cheeky humor.
Fun fact: In 2009, three decades after a group of students in Madison, Wisconsin, spread a sea of 1,000 plastic flamingos in front of their dean’s office, the city named the plastic flamingo the official bird of Madison.
Fun fact: In 2009, three decades after a group of students in Madison, Wisconsin, spread a sea of 1,000 plastic flamingos in front of their dean’s office, the city named the plastic flamingo the official bird of Madison.
13. Even without any bright pink accents, this bathroom feels hip and special. Although wallpaper motifs like this one are trendy in their own way, this bathroom feels approachable and dripping in charm that never goes out of style.
14. And here we go, the mother of all flamingo references: A little yellow lacquer and a wild collage of rain forest decals transformed this formerly dull and barren kitchen into a showstopping jungle of color. Click the photo and take a look at the “before” shots to truly appreciate this amazing metamorphosis.
More design motifs: A Passion for Pineapples
More design motifs: A Passion for Pineapples