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.
Karin says
All the patterns are lovely. My personal fave is the “Fine Wool Creations ” colorway. However, I have an icky cautionary tale about wool carpets. My brother-in-law had a much loved wool carpet he lugged from place to place for years. When he finally had it cleaned by a professional service (he thought twice weekly vacuums were enough), they informed him that it was infested with moth eggs. EWW! My sister never could figure out why despite all her best efforts, all her cashmere sweaters got moth holes. This made me chuckle, but I’m sure they didn’t find it funny.
The lesson here is wool has to be professionally cleaned.
Carolyne says
I seem to be in the minority here, but I prefer “Big Cat”. Personally I just like the lighter less gold background with your drapes, and I guess if the cost was not prohibitive, I would always go for wool. I have found my wool rugs to hold up and clean better and look fresher in the long run than synthetic ones. But they both look to be good choices and of course it is your house! Enjoying the posts.
the other theo says
“Eurolon: the Danes call it quality.”
Actually, no. Eurolon appears to be the trademarked name of a proprietary synthetic yarn making process, which uses heat to set the dye into the threads.
http://www.kanecarpet.com/eurolon.html
Peter says
Hi Pam! I currently have wall to wall leopard print carpet installed in my bedroom and have enjoyed it for over a decade. Although, since I can’t remember the brand or model/pattern number, I’m afraid I won’t be much help. I CAN say, though, that it was considered a commercial grade carpet at the time I purchased it and I have since noticed the same carpet in the lobby of New York City’s own Studio 54, now a Broadway theatre space. That’s not why I chose it at all, but I digress. The carpeting has worn well and complemented a variety of my decor choices over the years – mid-century modern AND Tiki.
I think Astro has chosen wisely, for all the reasons others have stated above. Go with the Kane Kaplani “Nimble Lynx” option. It’s bold but not too “in your face” and it will look awesome peeking out from under your seating arrangement. Take the savings from your carpet choice and put it towards something equally as divine for your Mahalo Lounge! Good luck!
Bette Jean says
Pam and Peter, you’re gonna get me killed. Our white bedroom wall to wall is just fine, perfect really. The walls and furnishings are a very soothing, monochromatic robin’s egg blue. And the French doors lead out to our lanai and pool. I didn’t know leopard wall to wall existed (have been to Studio 54, but don’t remember the carpet) but now I NEED, MUST HAVE, CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT leopard wall to wall in this room. Mr. Bette Jean is not going to be happy about this!
SebastianPDX says
Wow, I am really amazed at how this is coming together! I was skeptical at first. With your moldings you could even go French Colonial with a heavy smack of Polynesian.
I was a web content manager for two area rug websites, for about two years. I can tell you wool is always better. Yes, if there’s a spill you may have to run for a cloth but wool is always forgiving in the long run. And, as you know, a good wool rug will age in a fairly uniform matter, while synthetics are made to replace in a few years. Also, so soft of the feet if you or your guests want to slip off their summer sandals…
Carol says
French Colonial with a heavy Polynesian influence is genius. I have always loved that island look. Good wool feels like silk in bare feet.
Gee-Knee says
My sense of decor is not the best but I DO have an opinion on rug content. With pets and partiers around, I would go with the not-wool choice. I have two area rugs in my living room that I switch out seasonally – one wool, one not. I am close to taking the wool rug out of rotation because it is so much harder to clean, takes forever to dry and – okay this is weird but – can start to smell funky from feet and dogs.
pam kueber says
Thanks for the feedback!
Lynne says
oops, sent that too quickly. Milikin also makes zebra and tiger prints too. Even plaid!
Lynne says
Milikin makes this one.
http://www.carpetsindalton.com/products/residential/berber/exotic-touch-by-milliken
I had Milikin yardage bound into an area rug for my dining room when we restored a 1909 house. Wore like iron and cleaned up beautifully.
pam kueber says
Thanks, I’ll check it out!
Jay says
AAKK! After yesterdays post I thought maybe you were being overwhelmed by this project but if you are enjoying it well OK. Carry on! Astro made a nice choice plus as a doggie he knows you won’t have to anguish over its care since its synthetic (pet messes) – the carpet store can give you the low down on the fibers. Wool is luxurious and hardwearing but you will need to send it out to a plant for cleaning, such as those specialized in fine oriental rugs.
Did you mention leopard rug vs. upholstery? Like the drapes you will have to think hard about that, you will have it a long time. The rug can be replaced with a different pattern at considerable less cost.
Barbara says
My daughter loves leopard. Her bedroom is decorated in leopard. It certainly is a statement maker!
Your idea upholstering the sectional in leopard would look stunning! My pick would be, Panterra 3652 Bushwillow pattern.
Tiki, only from stand point, is bold! You can get away with anything. Every piece in the room commands respect.
GO BOLD, Pamela!
Barbara