Decorating
Decorating: Bring Home Some Birds and Bees
From ornaments to artwork, wallpaper to lighting, our favourite flying friends are spreading their wings all over our rooms
You probably learned about the birds and the bees when you were young, but forget that meaning of the phrase – today’s lesson is all about decorating with these buzzing, tweeting beauties. Birds and bees make a welcome addition to our homes. From a monochrome mural of birds taking flight across the walls to a simple cushion decorated with a fat bumblebee, they bring a splash of natural colour, shape and wildness to our interiors.
Decorating with birds and bees is nothing new. Birds have been used to adorn our homes for hundreds of years. Just think of the chinoiserie patterns popular in Europe since the 17th century, which often sported elegant birds perched in blossomy trees. Bees crop up in botanical prints, on wallpaper, amid a hexagonal hive pattern and on ceramics, too, but there are no rules about where or how these creatures can make an appearance. So get with the buzz and let these charming natural beasties wing their way into your home.
Decorating with birds and bees is nothing new. Birds have been used to adorn our homes for hundreds of years. Just think of the chinoiserie patterns popular in Europe since the 17th century, which often sported elegant birds perched in blossomy trees. Bees crop up in botanical prints, on wallpaper, amid a hexagonal hive pattern and on ceramics, too, but there are no rules about where or how these creatures can make an appearance. So get with the buzz and let these charming natural beasties wing their way into your home.
Go minimal
Bird motifs can be as simple and strong as this silhouette artwork. The black of the bird matches the dark walls for a very clean, bold look.
See how to add dramatic black to your space
Bird motifs can be as simple and strong as this silhouette artwork. The black of the bird matches the dark walls for a very clean, bold look.
See how to add dramatic black to your space
Scatter some cushions
Cushions are an inexpensive and versatile way to introduce pattern to your rooms. Team a bumblebee cushion with other monochrome designs, such as typography or stripes, for a gorgeous mix of influences.
Cushions are an inexpensive and versatile way to introduce pattern to your rooms. Team a bumblebee cushion with other monochrome designs, such as typography or stripes, for a gorgeous mix of influences.
Have fun!
Taking a few decorative liberties with birds or bees brings a fun, quirky edge to your home (and they won’t mind, honest). Seek out some witty artwork, such as this black swan dressed to impress and sporting headphones, for a fresh take on the animal still lifes that adorned country houses centuries ago.
Taking a few decorative liberties with birds or bees brings a fun, quirky edge to your home (and they won’t mind, honest). Seek out some witty artwork, such as this black swan dressed to impress and sporting headphones, for a fresh take on the animal still lifes that adorned country houses centuries ago.
Take flight
A mural of birds in flight brings enormous energy and fun to this loft space. The birds make a feature of an otherwise dull wall and draw the eye up to the mezzanine level.
A mural of birds in flight brings enormous energy and fun to this loft space. The birds make a feature of an otherwise dull wall and draw the eye up to the mezzanine level.
Adorn your walls
Give walls a bold new look with a swarm of bees. Wallpapers with a recurring pattern of small bees are available, but this bathroom goes for a large-scale effect, using big, individual bees widely spaced and in graphic black for a striking effect.
Give walls a bold new look with a swarm of bees. Wallpapers with a recurring pattern of small bees are available, but this bathroom goes for a large-scale effect, using big, individual bees widely spaced and in graphic black for a striking effect.
Make it multitask
Birds can do more than look decorative in our homes. This pigeon is a useful light, too, made all the more witty by its position, perched in a tree created with a wall sticker.
Check out more ideas for creating a feature wall
Birds can do more than look decorative in our homes. This pigeon is a useful light, too, made all the more witty by its position, perched in a tree created with a wall sticker.
Check out more ideas for creating a feature wall
Go beyond decorative
Make your bird work a little harder by choosing cookware or crockery that takes an avian angle. This duck eggcup looks quacking!
TELL US…
Ready to share your home with some birds and bees? Tell us in the Comments below.
Make your bird work a little harder by choosing cookware or crockery that takes an avian angle. This duck eggcup looks quacking!
TELL US…
Ready to share your home with some birds and bees? Tell us in the Comments below.
This shower enclosure looks highly original thanks to the pelican on one wall. Companies such as Surface View can blow up photos and artworks to create large-scale prints like this. Glass seals the image and prevents it from getting wet.