What’s a home tiki bar without a little bit of leopard skin (faux, of course) included? Yes, even though leopards did not prowl Oceanic locations, leopard skin upholstery became associated with tiki decor in the 1940s and 1950s. For example, very famously, Elvis’ Jungle Room is full of animal-print covered Witco furniture of leopard. Leopard print was always the most popular tiki choice, though. Before I start showing you upholstery options for the sectional that will go into my Mahalo Lounge, it’s important to get grounded: I plan to have the main sitting area defined on a big leopard skin rug. So far, I have found two suitable options, although I’m still looking, because I’m not 100% satisfied these are “the best” I can do.
Above: The rug will anchor:
- The new wedge- (rounded corner) shaped sectional — upholstery TBD.
- Two vintage Barcelona chairs upholstered in medium-dark caramel brown leather.
- A cherry Baker side table from the 1960s.
- A clear glass coffee table with black wrought iron legs — one of the first pieces I ever bought at a yard sale (in 1987) and which has been with me through six apartments or houses!
You’ve already seen the draperies — they need to coordinate with the rug as well.
Looking for a leopard print rug online
Of course, the first thing that I did was to jump online to find a made-to-order leopard print rug that I liked. No luck: Many designs had bold edging, which I did not want. Others had iffy reviews, ala “they shed” or “the spots are much larger in real life than in the photos online” — and I did not want to order a large rug only to have to pay a large postage bill to return it. Finally, as you can see in my room layout two photos up, I think I’ll need a 10′ x 13′ rug. No one makes that size as a standard offering.
Find a wall-to-wall carpet — and bind it into an area rug
So then … I went looking for wall-to-wall carpet that I could have bound, to my custom size, into an area rug.
Golly, it was also tough to find examples of leopard print carpeting online. I think there may be too many companies, and maybe their keywords aren’t optimized or something.
But, based on a tip from a reader (ack, I can’t find the email to thank him — I think it was a him), I found a Karastan design that seemed possible… Then, I looked for a nearby dealer. That sent me on a trip to American Rug in Holyoke, Mass. I brought my fabric along — and as you can see from my photo shoot above, there were plenty of options to play with. I could also see: A leopard print area rug is going to look fantastic with the draperies! Hmmmm…. maybe I should do leopard print upholstery on my sectional, instead of on a rug????
In my fun hour at American Rug,we pulled out all these boards, and I eyeballed them versus the drapery fabric. I was looking for color and for scale. I wanted the leopard spots to be black, and I wanted a creamy or golden field. The scales that were too smaller/tighter did not appeal to me as much as the larger-scale designs; what with the size of the furniture sitting on the carpet and also the scale of the graphics on the draperies. I wanted to see those leopard spots!
I came home with three sample boards, and two of them are finalists, shown above:
- Astro quickly showed his preference for the Kane Kaplani in the Nimble Lynx design, which was softer. I like this design because of all the gold in the field — it ties nicely to the gold in the draperies and the natural red oak floor. Downsides: (1) the repeat is not as large as the other choice; (2) it’s some sort of petrochem fiber [seriously, what the heck is “Eurolon”], although on that you could argue it likely cleans up easily. Tiki parties can get messy. Finally (3), it’s about 30% less expensive than the next option…
- Masland Carpet’s “Leopard” in the “Big Cat” colorway. This one is 100% wool, which we like the idea of. Downside: The field is more ivory than gold; the repeat is larger; as I recall, the spots are not as defiantly black; and, it’s more expensive – although not prohibitively so.
Oh: Above you can get a sense of how my new sectional will be positioned. We have a vintage sectional downstairs — and we hauled it upstairs to play with to ensure our idea for a sectional in the tiki space will work. It does. We will be having a new sectional made mimicking the dimensions of this vintage design.
Now I welcome your opinions!:
Which design should I go for:
The bold gold-and-black polyester from Kane?
Or the less edgey but real wool from Masland?
Or: Can anyone find me more options?
Next up: Choosing sectional upholstery that will look good with the rug and the draperies.
Martha says
Look, if it aint tacky, it aint Tiki! I like your cheaper choice. Investment and upkeep as well as lighter color. Concerning the ‘Serengeti’ pattern Nancy referenced, I gotta say I love the Pantera better. The image the include of it on a large scale sold me.
Barbara says
My daughter loves leopard. Her bedroom is finished in leopard. It certainly is a statement maker!
Your idea having the couch in leopard, would look stunning! My pick, Panterra 3652 Bushwillow.
Everything about Tiki, only speaking from my stand point, is bold! You can get away with anything. Everything stands out in the room.
GO BOLD Pamela!
Barbara
pam kueber says
Yes, that’s nice looking too. Thank you! http://www.stantoncarpet.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=520&SKUID=2291
Debbie in Portland says
I have to agree with Astro: “Nimble Lynx” is my favorite here, too.
I can only imagine how much fun this was for the people at the rug store. They’re probably used to helping people wade through selection of beige after beige. How delightful to to get to show a couple of dozen leopard prints!
pam kueber says
Yes, I think my salesman was amused.
Lynne says
Oh, Pam, you’re not going to like my comment. So, I’m going to apologize profusely right from the start. I’m sorry, but, for me this reads more African Safari than Polynesian Tiki.
When I think Tiki, I think natural weave mat material. Or a tropical leaf print.
Now, I live smack in the middle of rural Illinois and there isn’t a Tiki Bar to be found so maybe I’m way off the mark.
Please don’t ban me from your blog!
pam kueber says
No problem. I asked for opinions. When asked for opinions, you may offer them (with civility, as usual, of course)!
That said: 1950s tiki included leopard prints! Wait ’til I’m done, it’ll be fine!
Susan Halla says
Oh, you must try the Hala Kahiki Tiki Bar and Lounge in River Grove, IL! (Chicago ‘burbs.) http://chicagotikibar.com/
And if you take a look at their home page image, there is leopard EVERYWHERE.
But really. Take a road trip to the Hala Kahiki. It is DIVINE.
Leslie says
Yep, yep, yep!!!!! I second that emotion 🙂
Reader Deb says
You asked for more options. I don’t know if everyone gets the same ads I do when I visit your site, but the “Shop Related Products” turned up with this: Classic Leopard Faux Fur Pelt Shape Rug in 2 sizes. Maybe 4 of the 56″ x 79″ pieced together would work?
[note pam changed this to an affiliate link]:
pam kueber says
Thanks, but naah. I really want one large rug.
Flor has nice looking leopard carpet tiles, and I thought about those, but decided I wanted the more classic single large rug.
Maria says
Dogs have great instincts. Always listen to your dog! (My terrier mix has certainly enforced that belief enough times…)
pam kueber says
🙂
Carolyn says
Well, people, now you see what happens when you don’t have supervision – thanks to Astro, “A” choice was made for a starting point.
Eurolon: root is Euro so it probably has something to do with it being luxurious – good boy, Astro!
100% wool – pricey moves into spendy – if you’ve got guests spilling drinks with fruits and juice (which ranks how well your parties are going!) – do you really want to invest in the time and $$ to carefully or even professionally clean? As a former janitor and lifelong lazy person, the easiest way to clean up a mess is to find ways to prevent it in the first place.
How much will the repeat matter once you have the furniture placed?
Nancy says
Hi Pam — Have a look at Stanton brand ‘Serengeti’ pattern. I chose color 17901 Wildroot, installed it on my stairs 5 yrs ago and couldn’t be happier with it. It takes a beating, shows nothing, doesn’t pill. Synthetic. Good luck!
pam kueber says
Thanks, I’ll take a look!
pam kueber says
Wow, that’s a good looking one! http://www.stantoncarpet.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=223&SKUID=300
They did not have that board at the shop. I will ask them to get it. I will also email you, I’d love to see a photo. Thank you!!!
miya says
You mentioned having “a new sectional made based on the old design”. I’ve been wanting to do this also. Did you find a place that will “make” the frame and then upholster it?? I would love to know how/where?
pam kueber says
Yes, I did. Old school furniture maker. Once I get that part of the project under way I’ll let everyone know!
Tracy says
Be careful, it’s easy to cross the line between cool and tacky. I’d try to match with colors in drapes. The oak floor will look great with the leopard. I’d leave a good width of oak showing in front of the windows as a buffer between drapes and rug. The fabric for the sectional will be key to pulling it all together.
Astro is adorable.
pam kueber says
I walk the line between cool and tacky so close that the bottom of my feet bleed. The “best” home tiki bars tend to be EPIC.
Stacy says
This^^^!! Now, excuse me while I go put some band-aids on my feet as well… ; )