In an episode of our video series, Design Notes, from 2022, Top 100 designer Sophie Ashby describes her workspace. “The desk chair is a bit of a joke as my mum likes leopard print and it’s a very Marmite motif,” she adds. In general, my clients don’t let me wear leopard print, and my husband has the same opinion. The print is divisive and elicits strong reactions from both sides, whether you love it or detest it. These two points of view frequently need to coexist in the same space, as Sophie summarises.
At Home & Garden*, we truly believe that even the most ardent opponents of animal prints can be persuaded to change their thoughts with the proper application. Although using animal print into a design concept does require some confidence, especially if it is frequently rejected, when done well, it is a wonderful way to add boldness, energy, and a wonderful sense of vitality to a space.
Others see it as a noisy print that should be avoided at all costs, while some see it as neutral. How do you do it well though? We posed the same query to fans of the print, including interior designers and tastemakers.
What to use it for
Just as difficult as deciding whether to use leopard print at all is deciding where to use it. A fitted carpet is more than acceptable, according to some, such interior designer and tastemaker Luke Edward Hall. In my bedroom in London, I have a superb leopard carpet. When they installed it approximately five or six years ago, the business, Ollerton Rugs & Carpets, told me that they don’t receive many requests for leopard carpet these days. A disgrace!”
Madeleine Castaing, who once covered the salon in wall-to-wall leopard print carpet in her Parisian home, Maison de Lèves, was arguably the most courageous and well-known supporter of the animal print in the design world. She was unquestionably one of the finest interior designers of the 20th century, and many of our Top 100 designers still credit her as an inspiration. A leopard print carpet, in her own words, “is both lovely and forgiving, especially in a room with doors that lead in and out of the garden,”You can still find a couple of her rugs that Codimat created today. Eventually, she decided to use the print on the ceiling and all four walls of a project she worked on for Jean Cocteau.
Another option is to take a more soft approach, which is preferred by many other designers. Starting with an accent before committing to entire walls or flooring is one of the simplest ways to include animal print into your house if you’re apprehensive. The immediate sense of adventure can be added with a runner, pillows, throw, or little items like a trinket box with a leopard pattern, suggests Natalia.
But, this does not imply that you should just choose smaller things and home décor accents. Even larger surfaces like the floor can be cleaned gently. Paolo Moschino’s area in 2022’s WOW!Home Exhibition is a favourite of Rémy Mishon, assistant decoration editor for House & Garden and a lifetime lover of leopard print. He pulled off a pretty cunning move by bringing a worn-out leopard rug into a mostly white space. To feel more well-used, he had gone at it with a razor and shaved it down. It might still be utilised in place in that altered state.
Which colours to match it with (and which ones to not)
Not all leopard prints are made equal, and you become a little more free to experiment once you begin to see each fabric as its individual components rather than as a whole. Pay attention to the fabrics’ undertones. Does it have a yellowish leopard print? Or maybe one that is more orange in colour? Even very beige swatches will have warm or cool tones, and the optimum pairings will be determined by these components.
According to those who enjoy it, leopard print complements the majority of colours. Luke adds that leopard print “may work as a great neutral.” However, I like to contrast leopard print with strong, solid colours or other patterns like flowers and stripes, even though there aren’t really any colours that won’t go with it. According to Natalia, it complements almost any colour, from neutrals to more striking hues of scarlet, crimson, and forest green.
However this view is shared by design businesses as well as by individuals. The minimalist pioneer House of Hackney employs the leopard print fabric “Wildcard” as a neutral when designing. We encourage people to defy convention and use their interiors with audacity and bravery. For people who are more cautious or just beginning to wear leopard print, Natalia suggests “milder patterns with smaller motifs placed against relaxing tones of soft blue, pinks, and creams.” She has, in fact, subtly combined those same colours in her restoration of the members-only club The Twenty Two, and the outcome is far more minimalist and artistic than one might anticipate.
