Decorating Guides
Elements of Style: For the Birds
Whether you’re a hipster or a member of the Audubon Society, you may want to put a bird on it
As longtime fans of TV’s Portlandia know, birds may be the perfect motif for home decor. The body-plus-wings shape is so simple that just its silhouette on a wall is a crowd-pleaser. Moreover, there are thousands of species to represent, sending the creative potential as high as any bird can fly. Here are 11 ways Houzzers are turning their rooms into veritable aviaries.
2. Like most good things, a little can go a long way, which is good news if your art budget is teeny or if you don’t have the patience to deal with the gazillion birds featured in the previous photo. These birds from Scout offer a quietly visceral detail that feels somehow animated and alive.
Figuratively Speaking
3. I can’t help but love interiors that take a natural scene and reinterpret it as a room scheme. Here’s a stylized take on birds in a tree, complete with branches on the bed linens, and a wood-clad wall populated by bird figurines on tiny ledges.
3. I can’t help but love interiors that take a natural scene and reinterpret it as a room scheme. Here’s a stylized take on birds in a tree, complete with branches on the bed linens, and a wood-clad wall populated by bird figurines on tiny ledges.
Wilderness Wallpaper
4. No ideabook in a series about design motifs would be complete without a wallpaper depicting the chosen shape in full reverence. Here, a bold, bird-decorated wallpaper accents the wall behind the bed. Such a large pattern might feel overwhelming if pasted to every wall, but as a special feature, it’s divine. Positioned behind the headboard, it also won’t distract restless eyes struggling toward sleep.
4. No ideabook in a series about design motifs would be complete without a wallpaper depicting the chosen shape in full reverence. Here, a bold, bird-decorated wallpaper accents the wall behind the bed. Such a large pattern might feel overwhelming if pasted to every wall, but as a special feature, it’s divine. Positioned behind the headboard, it also won’t distract restless eyes struggling toward sleep.
5. Birds have been associated with freedom since time immemorial. Here, a subtler wall treatment captures the lightness and grace of these avian creatures in an entryway. This ethereal paper sets the tone for a welcoming home, inviting visitors to lighten their load and let their spirits soar.
Branch Out
6. Fresh flowers and greenery are beautiful, but they need a green thumb to survive. Although their artificial counterparts can be convincing alternatives, the dust that accumulates almost immediately on their petals and leaves too often betrays them. A thoughtful arrangement of colorful faux birds on found branches may not exactly repel dust either, but at least it isn’t trying to hide the fact that it’s fake. This branch bouquet honors the treetop ecosystem without pretending to be one.
6. Fresh flowers and greenery are beautiful, but they need a green thumb to survive. Although their artificial counterparts can be convincing alternatives, the dust that accumulates almost immediately on their petals and leaves too often betrays them. A thoughtful arrangement of colorful faux birds on found branches may not exactly repel dust either, but at least it isn’t trying to hide the fact that it’s fake. This branch bouquet honors the treetop ecosystem without pretending to be one.
7. Actual figures aren’t even necessary to evoke birds’ presence in the home. Their nests suggest that the natural world is close at hand by showing off the architecture of the ornithological set within our human constructions.
8. Where there are branches or branch-like protrusions, such as on a mirror or chandelier, there exists an opportunity to add a bird or two as a decorative detail. And if your washbowl recalls a birdbath, so much the better!
A Nursery Natural
9. Babies lying in their cribs may not always have the liberty of looking out a window, but we can certainly give them a taste of the natural world by mounting a branch with little craft-store birds to watch over them. Even better, add some ambient chirping, and let little ones reap the relaxing benefits of birdsong while they rest indoors.
9. Babies lying in their cribs may not always have the liberty of looking out a window, but we can certainly give them a taste of the natural world by mounting a branch with little craft-store birds to watch over them. Even better, add some ambient chirping, and let little ones reap the relaxing benefits of birdsong while they rest indoors.
10. Here’s a different take on the same idea. These glossy white gulls hang as a mobile above a crib, but there’s no reason why you couldn’t suspend them on fishing line from the ceiling elsewhere in the house too.
Material Matters
11. Just as relevant as color is material. Let your use of the bird motif be informed by the materials in your space, or let your preference for birds determine the materials you use in your decor. For example, these metallic figurines form a beautiful symbiosis with the live-edge wood table they adorn.
More Elements of Style: A Passion for Pineapples | Flamingo Flair | The Surfboard
11. Just as relevant as color is material. Let your use of the bird motif be informed by the materials in your space, or let your preference for birds determine the materials you use in your decor. For example, these metallic figurines form a beautiful symbiosis with the live-edge wood table they adorn.
More Elements of Style: A Passion for Pineapples | Flamingo Flair | The Surfboard
1. For whatever motif you can think of, you’re bound to find a range of wall decals. What’s especially fun about birds is that they’re a varied bunch, meaning you’re likely to spot a species to suit your decor. Or, if you’re already a bird lover with a favorite flock, you can build your color scheme around its plumage.