How to style an animal bust on a wall

There is something about animal heads hanging on walls that is so irresistible to me and I am always on the hunt (groan!) for a good safari bust to add to the walls of my home. There’s something so awesome about papier mache horns slapped on the wall with a few basic Target white frames, or the byproduct of one of Uncle Derwood’s deer hunting trips next to a stretched canvas print. They add some 3D interest to an otherwise flat, boring (dry) wall.

On my biweekly perusal of the HomeGoods clearance aisle, I snapped up this cool silver longhorn to add to my collection. It sits above a framed picture of the Capitol and an old wooden chair that Wes picked up off the curb in D.C. way back when he first learned of my appreciation for dumpster diving.

Animal heads, at least my herd of them, are best hung in arrangements of at least three items. They need something to anchor them to floor of the room and then draw the eye upwards but not distract from everything else going on (a la Gaston’s living room from Beauty and the Beast). It’s something I saw done well at Pretty People Vintage in Virginia (an equally wonderful source of interior inspiration and vintage clothing): they styled a papier mache zebra bust with a bright yellow chair and a few frames, and tucked it into a small space next to a display shelf. (I also love the purple walls and more-is-more approach to décor.)

This picture has been in my interior inspiration file for a long time, and has influenced most of the rooms in my tiny little house: if you visit, you’ll find a wine rack-and-mirror combo topped with a silver moose; a fireplace mantle stacked with books and finished off with a pair of deer antlers; and a desk with a few pictures hung beneath an elephant bust. And now a pair of longhorns in our bedroom!