23 August, 2011

Oh Deer!

by Ally Evander, Allied Member, ASID

 


This week’s blog subject was inspired by a conversation I had with my good friends Amanda and Kevin. Kevin, who is an avid outdoorsman and hunter, asked for my professional opinion as a designer to resolve a couple’s dispute.  He wanted to know, “Shouldn’t guys be allowed to have a deer mount in the house?”
Since Amanda was my friend first, I said, “Absolutely not.”
But as we say at LiLu, there is a time and a place for everything. Your home should reflect the personalities of everyone who lives there. So how do you incorporate this style without banishing it to the “man-cave” or the garage?
Here are some ideas on how to meet in the middle:
-Just the Antlers
A lot of people don’t like staring into the eyes of an animal that was once alive. I am one of those people. But mounting antlers on the wall is a way to reference the hunting lifestyle.
-Scale
Make sure the scale of whatever you are mounting on the wall is not too large. Having a mount that is oversized can create an intimidating feeling and cause it to be the focus of attention.
An interior that combines masculine and feminine touches:

 

Antler collages on the walls at Blackbird Cafe in South Minneapolis: