Animal Prints Are Trending — Here's How to Embrace in Small Doses for a Big Impact
- Evelyn Long
- Mar 14
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 17
From leopard spots to zebra stripes, people still go wild over animal prints as part of their interior design aesthetic. They fell out of fashion for a while, but they’re making a strong comeback. What is the origin of this trend, and how can you use it to appeal to modern sensibilities?
Why Are Animal Prints Trending in Interior Design?
You might be shocked to hear animal prints for home decor have been around since ancient Egypt. They were obsessed with animals as icons, as seen in many reliefs and decorated pottery. However, these were also practical textiles, lining hard sandstone beds to make them comfier to sleep in.
In the 18th century, Napoleon and fellow explorers were inspired by the big cats they saw in Africa. Their fascination circulated until the prints became associated with nobility. They wouldn’t become mainstream until the 1930s, with the premiere of “Tarzan the Apeman” in 1932 inspiring many women. The pattern has fallen in and out of interest many times over the centuries — now, it’s creeping back in.
The style of animal print interiors varies widely, from over-the-top garishness to subtler nods to the natural world. It can meld with luxurious sensibilities, lining a gold-painted ottoman in a royal sitting room. It can also be more literal, with striped curtains draped next to taxidermy.
This aesthetic has stretched beyond an obvious spotted rug. Many animal print products are merely screenprinted or abstractions of these patterns, making them more palatable to those who find the style tacky or in poor taste.
Gen Zers are making the interior aesthetic commonplace again with their maximalist sensibilities. Social media observations suggest millennials tied animal prints to neon, while Gen Zers are doing the same with pastels. The types of patterns are also changing with the times, with cows seeing more real estate than zebras in younger generations’ homes.
How Can You Integrate Animal Print Tastefully?
Here are the best tips you can use today to start getting a glimpse into the animal print life. You can avoid overdoing it with some restraint and research.
Find Complementary Aesthetics
Even though you could justify animal prints in every decor style, there are a few better suited for them. The colors and materials of farmhouse interiors naturally work with animal textures like leather.
It gives a rustic atmosphere and makes you feel more at home than it would in a gothic mansion. Be as creative as you want, but if you’re looking for visual harmony, you should explore more comprehensive design shifts that make animal prints feel more intuitive.
Frame an Art Piece
Large statement art pieces can make or break a room. This is a great option for anyone who loves the look of animal print but doesn’t want to feel fur or texture. The frame is a perfect opportunity to weave in other aspects of your style, like an industrial metal base or an ornate bronze frame with embellishments.
An experiment like this is important for people who may be on the fence about incorporating animal prints at large. It allows you to be reminded of the other preferences you have without feeling like the patterns will dominate everything. Consider how a close-up of stripes could look like waves or brushstrokes, giving the pattern more versatility.
Mix and Match Textiles
Decorative pillows are the best place to incorporate pops of animalistic pizzazz. Choose several larger pillows of at least 22 inches for a more put-together look instead of tons of smaller ones. Set them next to muted or complementary patterns and colors so the visuals don’t get too busy.
Go Beyond Mammals
Most people consider big cats, foxes, and other mammals when they think of interiors with animal prints. However, you can go anywhere in the animal kingdom for inspiration.
You can have an upholstered chaise lounge with stylistic turtle-shell markings or shimmering fish scales. Lampshade tassels are a wonderful place to incorporate colorful bird features. Large peacock feathers can make a fake potted plant more colorful if decoratively positioned.
Experience Patterns from Multiple Perspectives
If you’re adding a cheetah-print decorative blanket to the couch, make sure it’s not an exact mirror of the spotted upholstered armrests. They can both have animal print, but the furniture and other design choices you made get muddled under a visually blurring sea of spots.
If you use the same print in one area multiple times, it will be more visually appealing if there are a different number or color of spots going in other directions. Some large- and small-scale images are ideal.
Work in Layers
Interior designs often layer rugs and similar large textiles on top of a neutral. Natural, woven fibers could add intrigue and definition, making the animal print pop even more. Smart layering can also make the fabric look matted as if it were framed.
Try Animal Prints in Weird Colors
Tiger stripes don’t always have to be orange and black. If you’re hesitant about committing to a certain color palette, consider what the pattern would look like in other shades, such as purple and green.
Leopard spots on a white background can be any color of the rainbow. You’ll want to make your prints stand out from others jumping on this trendy bandwagon, especially when surveys anticipate a 6% rise in the style for U.S. homes.
Animal Prints Done Right
If you’re worried about coming off as someone who hates animals or you’re afraid of loud prints, there are ways to balance them with most interior design visions. You can go as little or big as you want, localizing the theme to one room or sprinkling it throughout the house.
The beauty of interior design is its malleability — every throw pillow cover is changeable, and small rugs can be seasonal.
