How to Decorate with Antlers

Over the past year I have noticed an antler and animal skull trend in interior decorating. As I mentioned in my post There’s No Place Like Home, I am from eastern North Carolina where everyone is a hunter, and decor with antlers and taxidermy is common. These days, everyone is decorating with antlers and skulls, no matter where they are from, or whether they hunt or not, but not everyone has hydrangeas and antlers.

INSPIRATION:

I love seeing all the trends as they happen, but I don’t always jump on the band wagon. However, when I saw Christine’s Eclectic Boho Style Foyer, I could see the possibility of this trend working for me. I love her foyer.

One Friday night date night not too long ago, Mr. Menace commented on the decor of the restaurant where we were eating, specifically an animal skull that was hanging on wall. I told him about the current trend and informed him that when he finished his beaver skull, I could use it in our decor at home.

POSSIBILITIES:

Of course, there is a back story to the beaver skull… A couple of years ago, Mr. Menace was working out of town and on his drive he witnessed a beaver crossing the road and getting hit by a car. Since he was running late, he made note of where it happened and stopped to look for it on his way back home. He found it and brought it home, but what he didn’t realize until later was that the car had actually hit it in the head and the skull, which is what he wanted, was in hundreds of pieces.

Have I ever mentioned that Mr. Menace loves a challenge? He worked on the beaver skull puzzle daily for months, painstakingly putting the pieces back together. He eventually got stuck and quit for over a year. When he went back to it after the long break, his head was clear and he was able to get it all back together.

 

*We interrupt this post to share this Facebook exchange that took place at this point in time: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Now back to our regularly scheduled post:

However, he didn’t let me have it for home decor. Instead, he mounted it on a short post attached to a board and carried it around with him showing it to anyone who would listen to his story.

REALITY:

Back earlier last year, I was visiting my mama and was telling her this same story. She got a kick out of it, as she always does with any Mr. Menace story. Then she offered me my own antlers.

These have been hanging on my parents living room wall since 1979. I graduated high school that year and that is also the year that my grandfather, Uncle Henry, passed away. He had shot this deer and my daddy had mounted the antlers as a gift for him. After Uncle Henry passed away, Daddy brought them to our house.

When Mama first offered them to me, I wasn’t sure I even wanted them. But the more I thought about them, the more I knew I needed them. First of all, I love having home decor that means something to me, that reminds me of beloved family members. I forgot to bring them home with me then, but I remembered them the next time.

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So I took them off her wall, packed them up and brought them home. I have some ideas for giving them an update, but first, I am going to enjoy them just the way they are.

I decided to hang my hydrangea wreath with the antlers and I love the way they look together.

This wreath was made by my mama. The base is a large (24″) grapevine wreath which I found at the thrift store. Large wreaths can be pricey at conventional stores. The silk hydrangeas were also a thrift store purchase. They were all in a bag for $3 I think it was. Mama just hot glued them onto the wreath for me.

A wreath this size would be at least $50 full price.

The more I look at them, the more I like them.

In fact, I love them.

Do you decorate with antlers?

Check out this article from Shelterness for 28 Cool Ways To Use Antlers in Home Decor.