When the discussion of the acceptability of animal skins comes up, Frank Conn, an industry insider says “these are products that many of those same people eat and wear. They eat lamb chops, hamburgers and steaks.” He goes on to point out that these rugs are just byproducts of those acceptable consumer goods.
Some people say that the dramatic growth in the use of animal rugs is because so many decorating magazines have been highlighting animal-pattern rugs in their pages as of late. But Jim Muller, the manager of wholesaler Pacific Hide & Leather in L.A. sees it much differently.
“This is no trend for us; it’s a steady business that’s important to high-end designers who want an exotic look. We consistently do well with zebra-stenciled cowhide pieces that look like the real deal.”
If you do think it is a short term trend or just feel a little uncomfortable about animal rugs there are still many traditional and modern area rugs that can give a room a real exotic feel.
