Decorating
Decorating: 10 Ways To Add a Butterfly Motif to Your Décor
Tap into the beauty of Mother Nature and let loose a flurry of butterflies in your home
As well as planting to encourage more butterflies into our gardens, we can also welcome them into our homes – if only in spirit. From framed artworks to graphic wallpaper and jewel-bright fabrics, butterfly prints are flying high on the design radar this season and are the perfect decorative flourish for your summer home… and a cheerful note through the winter months, too.
Have a flutter
I love the simple, arty touch of this decorating trick, where pretty 3D butterflies are scattered across furniture and walls in the most lifelike manner.
Visit craft stores and hobby shops for strings of feather or paper butterflies and attach each one with a little dab of strong adhesive or Blu-Tack. Place randomly around the room and let the array of rainbow hues and different butterfly species create an ‘indoor garden’ mood.
I love the simple, arty touch of this decorating trick, where pretty 3D butterflies are scattered across furniture and walls in the most lifelike manner.
Visit craft stores and hobby shops for strings of feather or paper butterflies and attach each one with a little dab of strong adhesive or Blu-Tack. Place randomly around the room and let the array of rainbow hues and different butterfly species create an ‘indoor garden’ mood.
Create a statement piece
Many of us might have plumped for a reliable (and still stylish) block-coloured velvet or striped linen fabric to upholster this chaise longue. But by choosing an elegant, all-over butterfly print, the seat is transformed into the statement piece of the room, adding a shot of personality to the neutral rustic sleep space.
Browse more dreamy daybeds
Many of us might have plumped for a reliable (and still stylish) block-coloured velvet or striped linen fabric to upholster this chaise longue. But by choosing an elegant, all-over butterfly print, the seat is transformed into the statement piece of the room, adding a shot of personality to the neutral rustic sleep space.
Browse more dreamy daybeds
Love your lighting
A ball of fluttering butterflies creates a striking focal point in this neutral hallway without the need for bold colour or glittering crystal. The interesting shadow and light play created by the mass of cream-coloured butterflies is mesmerising.
Do be aware of scale and proportion in a large hallway like this one: a teeny light fixture would be swallowed up in all this space, while extra-long droppers might just cause a nuisance.
A ball of fluttering butterflies creates a striking focal point in this neutral hallway without the need for bold colour or glittering crystal. The interesting shadow and light play created by the mass of cream-coloured butterflies is mesmerising.
Do be aware of scale and proportion in a large hallway like this one: a teeny light fixture would be swallowed up in all this space, while extra-long droppers might just cause a nuisance.
Experiment with stickers
If you don’t want to commit to a particular colour palette or ‘look’ in a nursery, try embellishing the walls with an array of removable butterfly stickers. They’re a breeze to put up, easy to take down and the perfect landlord-happy solution if rental rules and regulations prevent you from using paint or paper.
Browse the web for an amazing selection of decals that won’t cost the earth, and make your little one their very own butterfly house.
If you don’t want to commit to a particular colour palette or ‘look’ in a nursery, try embellishing the walls with an array of removable butterfly stickers. They’re a breeze to put up, easy to take down and the perfect landlord-happy solution if rental rules and regulations prevent you from using paint or paper.
Browse the web for an amazing selection of decals that won’t cost the earth, and make your little one their very own butterfly house.
Go for a graphic paper
Butterflies aren’t simply a sweet decorating motif best kept for the nursery. Far from sugary pastels and ditsy wings, this striking, statement wallpaper adds a certain flamboyance to the hallway.
The giant-sized cabbage roses in graphic black and white are strewn with neon-bright butterflies, offering a spirited walk with nature as you ascend the stairs.
Butterflies aren’t simply a sweet decorating motif best kept for the nursery. Far from sugary pastels and ditsy wings, this striking, statement wallpaper adds a certain flamboyance to the hallway.
The giant-sized cabbage roses in graphic black and white are strewn with neon-bright butterflies, offering a spirited walk with nature as you ascend the stairs.
Supersize for impact
Here’s how to do butterflies in a gutsy, gritty manner. The oversized, two-tone canvas is a far cry from the pretty bedding and cushions you might associate with a butterfly print. The lesson here is to take something familiar and present it in a different light, and be amazed at how it sparks to life.
Here’s how to do butterflies in a gutsy, gritty manner. The oversized, two-tone canvas is a far cry from the pretty bedding and cushions you might associate with a butterfly print. The lesson here is to take something familiar and present it in a different light, and be amazed at how it sparks to life.
Soup up plain chairs
A plain white kitchen might well benefit from a pattern or print somewhere if it’s all looking a little too clinical or ‘safe’ for your liking.
Consider upholstering a standard set of dining chairs in a bright and bold new fabric, like this powerful-yet-pretty turquoise butterfly print. The vibrant clash of colour enhances the graphic nature of the butterflies and will inject a new lease of life into your cook space, for sure.
Gather more ideas on choosing the perfect dining chairs
A plain white kitchen might well benefit from a pattern or print somewhere if it’s all looking a little too clinical or ‘safe’ for your liking.
Consider upholstering a standard set of dining chairs in a bright and bold new fabric, like this powerful-yet-pretty turquoise butterfly print. The vibrant clash of colour enhances the graphic nature of the butterflies and will inject a new lease of life into your cook space, for sure.
Gather more ideas on choosing the perfect dining chairs
Rev up with a rug
A single, graphic butterfly motif is all you might need in terms of colour and pattern for a modern, sophisticated living space. The mix of silver, lavender and charcoal hues here offers an effortlessly, luxe look, with the butterfly rug adding just the right touch of prettiness to the room. Layer with velvet, silk and a sprinkling of sequins to hike up the opulence.
A single, graphic butterfly motif is all you might need in terms of colour and pattern for a modern, sophisticated living space. The mix of silver, lavender and charcoal hues here offers an effortlessly, luxe look, with the butterfly rug adding just the right touch of prettiness to the room. Layer with velvet, silk and a sprinkling of sequins to hike up the opulence.
Flourish with a fabric blind
A more regimented butterfly print in a repeat colourway might be more your thing if you prefer crisp simplicity. A fabric roller or Roman blind like this, decorated with neat rows of petite butterflies, is modern and feminine, and will add a lick of subtle colour to a neutral bathroom.
Don’t put bathroom window treatments at the bottom of your wish list, as they can add a much-needed decorative blast to a functional space.
TELL US…
Have you let the outside in with butterfly prints in your own home? Please share your photos and tips in the Comments below.
A more regimented butterfly print in a repeat colourway might be more your thing if you prefer crisp simplicity. A fabric roller or Roman blind like this, decorated with neat rows of petite butterflies, is modern and feminine, and will add a lick of subtle colour to a neutral bathroom.
Don’t put bathroom window treatments at the bottom of your wish list, as they can add a much-needed decorative blast to a functional space.
TELL US…
Have you let the outside in with butterfly prints in your own home? Please share your photos and tips in the Comments below.
In my opinion, you can’t beat a pair, or indeed a gallery, of framed butterfly prints for decorating any room in the house, from bedroom to study, bathroom to kitchen. They are classic, stylish and can be mounted in simple and purse-friendly black or white frames to striking effect.
Pick out a range of beautiful colours that draw your eye and hang against a plain backdrop (try milky white or rich charcoal) for impact.