Animal Skin Rugs - from Country to Urban Chic
5th Sep 2014
There are a number of
decorating trends that have come and gone in a very brief period of time. One
trend that simply doesn’t seem to fade away may be seen in the use of leather
and animal skin to accent the home and provide functional benefits. The use of
leather and/or animal skin rugs has been a useful way to provide functional benefits to a home since
long before the advent of woven textiles. It has also a product that has
retained its benefits in an age of synthetic fibers and coverings.
The Accents of Nature
Whether you’re decorating a rustic lodge surrounded by forest, made a home on
the sweeping open range, or built a cozy, modern nest in a high rise apartment,
animal hide can provide a pleasing and unique accent to your design scheme. A
cowhide rug can display the natural markings of the animal or be dyed to match
certain specifications, including mimicry of exotic animal markings.
Other types of animal hide can also provide both functional benefits and design
accents.
Sheepskin is not only warm, but also novel in texture and appearance. Cold winter nights were never so comfortable, curled up with a good
book or movie, sheepskin offers warm, soft textures underfoot, as well as
providing sound-normalizing properties in spaces with many hard surfaces.
Reindeer skins offer attractive and exotic points for any décor—toss them over
a storage chest, the foot of your bed, or use them as an area rug in an entry
way or family room.
Function First
Beyond their obvious decorative appeal, animal hide rugs offer a number of
functional benefits. Cowhide, which can be dyed or natural, is hypoallergenic.
Many individuals may suffer from the dust-catching nature of textile carpeting,
but that doesn’t mean they have to suffer during the colder months with bare
floors. As well, while modern industrial society has placed emphasis on
selective animal products, such as meat, when you decorate with natural animal
hides, you’re making use of more of the animal, which is a part of a being more
ecologically conscious.
While many elect to use animal hides for floor coverings, they can also be
specially treated to serve as blankets. Sheepskin makes an excellent blanket
for your couch, to keep away the chill while you’re enjoying a good book on a
chilly winter evening. As well, reindeer
hides have been gaining in
popularity. Long used by indigenous and Nordic cultures for their awesome
insulating properties, reindeer hides offer superior protection from cold wood
and stone floors or drafty homes. As well, when you snuggle beneath a reindeer
throw rug, you can turn down the heat and save on your energy costs.
Unlike woven carpets or even moveable area rugs, animal skin is much easier to
maintain. Simply pick it up and shake it free of dust outside. Because it is
the hide of an animal, it can also be spot-cleaned in the same way you would
wash a dog—no harsh chemicals needed. The only precaution you will want to
observe with reindeer, if you decide it’s a perfect look for you, is to not
store it near a major heat source. Reindeer are seasonal animals, shedding a
heavy winter coat or a lighter summer coat, unlike sheep or cows. Your rug will
begin to shed in intense heat. Beyond this small caution, such rugs and throws
are ideal in any home—cost effective, eco-friendly, attractive, and unique.
Pick your favorite today