Hear them roar!

Good morning....so nice that its Friday. We are having a string of incredibly beautiful weather. 70's, slightly breezy, sunny skies and NO HUMIDITY. This is key for me, I can deal wtih the heat but really have a problem wtih the oppressive humidity so I am loving this weather! 
So what are your thoughts on animal prints? Leopard, tiger,zebra, etc....I happen to like touches of animal prints in a room, not too much more than touches however. I love the look on an ottoman, a small area rug, maybe on a small chair or a grouping of pillows. Am not such a fan on very large pieces of furniture like sofas or large rugs or surfaces. The neat thing is it seems to work with almost any style decor and virtually any color. I have thought about incorporating only tiny doses into the new house and in considering it have been looking at a lot of images to digest the look and see if I think I would like it. So thought I might share some of my "findings" with you. I love a number of the smaller traditional styled ottomans, in a classic traditional room, it somehow gives a little twist and takes any "fussiness" out of the room, in my opinion. I don't mind a smaller rug here and there, but couldn't handle wall to wall animal print carpeting. Its an interesting design element and one that is fun to play around with......Would love to know, as always what you think!

A bold zebra rug can look fabulous even in the most formal of living rooms, Dan Carithers

Love the mix here for the crisp blue and white against the dark wood paired with a zebra rug, it really works, Decorpad

A leopard ottoman gives a sense of texture, pattern and boldness to this elegant room, House Beautiful

Zebra stripes for this elegant dark stained staircase, Alina Apteker

Love this space by Mary McDonald, bold and beautiful!

In a simple but elegant bedroom, this brown zebra rug adds some flair to the room, Lonny

Joe Nye used a bold zebra print and tiger pillows to give a fun flair to this study

Willaim Eubanks seems to like using animal prints, he did so beautifully in this very formal study, blending fine antiques and blue and white china

I like how Elizabeth Dinkel choose to bring in leopard in small doses such as the pillows and small benches, the elegance of the serenity of the room are maintained

Todd Romano went bold with this navy painted room and a geometric zebra rug

Bunny Williams chose an animal print rug for her beautiful office

A new take on an old classic...blue zebra stripes! Roger Davies photographer

Ashley Goforth used leopard as an accent in this otherwise black and white room

Elizabeth Dinkel used a small scaled bench covered in zebra for a little punch in this master

Brian Watford chose a few beautiful patterns including a dark gray zebra for the pillows in this elegant and streamlined bedroom

Candace Olsen used a leopard pillow on the brown chairs

I like this elegant marble floored foyer with the leopard runner.....Decorpad

Jamie Drake did not hold back in this yellow dramatic bedroom with zebra bed and rug! 

David Adler's elegant stairway complete with leopard runner

The zebra ottoman looks quite fabulous with this unique color combination...Mary McDonald

Leopard on the walls...who knew! Arch Digest

Graciela Rutowski used two pair of elegant animal prints on these simple beautiful chairs

Clare Watkins went for a zebra patterned rug to add interest to this setting

I like the of many traditional elements here paired with an exotic zebra skin rug, Mary McDonald

How about leopard on dining room chairs like in this elegant dining room, Rene Margies

A zebra ottoman paired next to a coffee table....DM magazine

Living room of Madelaine Castaing

A pair of zebra covered chairs and pillows add a little "animal instinct" to this opulent room by Rose Anne De Pampelonne

I feel like I can almost hear this sofa roar....loaded with its zebra pillows. Against the white sofa its quite beautiful and dramatic (though I would use only 2 or 3) Sarah Kaplan

Anne Coyle used a leopard area rug to add some life to this otherwise fairly monochromatic room

Perfect example of how you can mix prints like florals, checks, solids and leopard!

Barclay Butera choose a leopard area rug as an expected floor covering in this blue and white room

Another view of another room in Madelaine Castaing's home

Mary McDonald gave tiger full court press in this room, too much for me personally but its "a look" for sure!

This elegant transitional living room gets its drama from the zebra rug, Elizabeth Dinkel

This dramatic foyer gets a zebra rug for extra drama, Hortencia Vitale

Ralph Lauren's "leopard" carpet

Lawrence Boeder used a pair of leopard pillows for a little punch in this bright lime green space

Lawrence Boeder used a pair of small stools covered in leopard (this is something like I could see myself doing, just a small touch in a traditional room)

Markham Roberts used an elegant tiger velvet on this traditional ottoman, beautiful colors!

How about the punch of drama these little zebra stools add to this fun black and white bedroom? Decorpad

Mary McDonald used a zebra ottoman in the middle of a pair of chaises to act as  a small table

So what do you think? Did you hear them roar? I love the look of a small touch of leopard or zebra but wouldn't personally be able to live with large pieces or large rugs, it wouldn't feel soft and serene enough for me. But give me a stool, an ottoman, a small chair, or a few pillows and I like it! I always love to know your thoughts and so appreciate your wonderful comments!

 Have a wonderful Friday!