Traditions in Taxidermy

Carriage House | Manchester by the Sea

Growing up with traditional taxidermy displayed on the walls of my home did not prepare me for the current fascination with faux taxidermy, aka fauxidermy. In thinking about my own design style, and the movement towards bringing nature inside, it never occurred to me that collecting natural elements for florals and interiors is akin to this newer definition of taxidermy.

Martha Stewart

I will also share that, along with the abundance of heads hanging around our home, there was also an abundance of fresh game in the freezer. Oh joy! Mom's numerous attempts to substitute venison for beef in her spaghetti and meatball recipe never proved to be too successful, as her "unsuspecting children" could always tell the difference. Really Mom?

Pinterest

I can still remember giving tours of my grandfather's taxidermy collection to all my friends, for the purpose of freaking them out. My Grampy had a montage of heads displayed in his man-cave, ranging from a bobcat to a bear. If you were wondering where the rest of the bear went, well, the clawed foot made a nice ash tray for his office desk. I don't believe that my Grampy ever smoked, because he was actually a bit of a health nut. He read many articles on health and wellness, and I can specifically recall one article that he read about 30 years ago alerting people to the high mercury levels found in tuna. He never ate it again. His morning routine included a self-made concoction of wheat germ and Nuform milk, along with a tablespoon of cod liver oil, for good measure. While I would watch this whole process in action, noticing the movement of particles floating in his drink, the enjoyment for him was in my wide-eyed and curious expression. He could also tell the BEST stories, even though he had the tendency to tell them over and over again, but it didn't matter. I never tired of hearing about his adventures in the woods, as his love of nature and his appreciation for wildlife were evident in his sincere enthusiasm.

Erin Gates

Z Gallerie

West Elm

As I begin to appreciate and recognize the influence of taxidermy for the beautification of interior spaces, I begin to see the connection. It seems like every time I open a magazine, click around on Pinterest, shop online or in stores, I see evidence of this craze, from felted animal head trophies at Snug Harbor Farm in Kennebunkport, to a wall of papier mache heads at West Elm, to resin skull caps and antlers at White Faux Taxidermy to metallics at Z Gallerie. It's incredible!

Zuloh

And look...one for the horse-lover in your family!

As this trend follows its course, I will take the time to enjoy the fact that for me, it all started with my Grampy.

Christmas, naturally...

A mid-week visit to Durkee Tree Farm to select, and cut-down a Christmas tree. 

A little gift... tucked inside the branches of our tree, and the perfect addition to our natural theme.

My little elf, assisting in the cutting process?

In years past, my little elf and I have decorated two Christmas trees. One smaller tree for our rustic-inspired dinning room, and one larger tree for our cozy family room. Because we have always adored the natural feel of little tree we decided to change things up slightly, and decorate the larger tree with an all over natural theme.

Since we would not be using our traditional red ornaments and berries this year, we decided to use what we had on hand; either from my design studio or from our backyard. All the while, keeping the cost of our design change to a minimum.

We did splurge however, on two design additions. A family of felted mice, and a new fur tree skirt from Restoration Hardware. I spotted the mice in Kennebunkport over Thanksgiving weekend at (one of my favorite stops), Snug Harbor Farm; where you are always guaranteed a little holiday inspiration. The tree skirt was purchased from Restoration Hardware, in case you need one. With these two additions, the theme came together like magic.

A Pottery Barn owl roosts on its pinecone perch, and tops off our theme perfectly! My little elf was most pleased with the results of her efforts, and happy that she had taken a chance in doing something a little less traditional. At least for this year.





Until next time...L

Rock Gardens at "Point O' View"

My Mom asked me to design some rock gardens at her Kennebunkport home. As I am always interested in ways to utilize my love of design, I agreed to help.  One of my favorite Kennebunkport stops is a place called Snug Harbor Farm, a perfect spot for all the necessary supplies.

I happen to be in love with succulents, as terrariums are the HOTTEST new design trend right now. Succulents would be perfect for this application as they can be planted in shallow areas, and spread well; not to mention the fantastic textures and shades that they come in. The harsh ocean winds will be no match for these low growing beauties. I used creeping thyme, dianthus, coreopsis, hens and chicks, mini hosta, dwarf ladies mantle, and several varieties of succulents to complete the design.

 Design elements were added to create interest, and soften the look.

I felt a bit like a mountain goat climbing up and down off of these rock formations. 

I even put on quite a show for guests of the Cape Arundel Inn, as I lost my footing and rolled onto the grass.  Pictured here are the windows to the Arundel dinning room where I'm sure my graceful landing made for good lunch conversation.

A perfect day for planting, but not for the beach. Stay tuned... As The World Turns at "Point O' View."




Until next time...L.