Back in May I wrote the unintentional first part of this blog series on faking it interior design. I say unintentional because I wasn’t originally going to expand on it. Then I was asked by the lovely people at The Bath Magazine to write a full feature on the topic and part II was born.
(You can read the article in full in the July issue of The Bath Magazine or you can read it online here.)
In part one I discussed the merits of fakery, and cover three ways in which you can use quality products to imitate a particular style, trend or feature. This included trompe-l’oeil wallpaper, faux plants and tile stickers. In part two, I just want to expand on those ideas with a couple more examples: wood-effect flooring and fake taxidermy.
Wood-Effect Flooring
Wood-effect luxury vinyl tile flooring by Amtico
Wood flooring is probably one of the most enduring trends in interior design. Has there ever been a time where beautiful timber planks weren’t desirable?
However, real wood flooring isn’t always suitable. There are times, in the kitchen and bathroom or where a shallow depth is required, when a better option is wood-effect flooring made from vinyl, ceramic or porcelain tiles.
Vinyl is an especially popular choice because it’s durable (with anywhere between a 5 and 20 year lifetime), hardwearing and low-maintenance. It is also remarkably easy to install as the planks simply click together.
Like real wood flooring, the price and quality of vinyl varies enormously so it is definitely worth doing a little research before committing to a particular brand. My recommendations include Karndean, Amtico, Mandarin Stone and Fired Earth, all of whom offer a range of vinyl and ceramic flooring effects including timber, metal and stone.
Faux Taxidermy
Paper mache sculpture by Natalie Price on Etsy
For my final foray (for now) into faking it, I want to have a bit of fun with faux taxidermy. Taxidermy is very much back in fashion. You can’t walk into an antiques shop without being stared at by a stuffed bird; but whether for ethical reasons or otherwise, real taxidermy isn’t to everyone’s taste.
If you like the look of taxidermy but would rather not use real animals, there are some very creative alternatives. From ceramic skulls to paper entomology displays and timber antlers; you can indulge in this trend in a myriad different ways.
I particularly like the breathtakingly realistic art of Shauna Richardson who crochets life size animal sculptures. While the more obviously fake but enticingly colourful artificial birds available at Rockett St George are equally as charming.
