Butterflies have beckoned to furniture makers for decades. In 1954, Japanese designer Sori Yanagi imitated the insect’s wings when constructing the iconic Butterfly Stool. Similarly in the mid 20th century, Danish designer Poul Cadovius produced a wooden wall shelf resembling the monarch’s stripped-down form. And perhaps most famously — Argentinian collective Grupo Austral practically invented a whole new genre of seating with the now-iconic Butterfly chair. So it only makes sense that interior decorators have followed suit with their own butterfly-bedecked designs. Playfully whimsical and symbolically transformative, butterfly motifs elicit energy and charisma. Is the idea of a monarch-influenced room giving you butterflies? Don’t fret! We’ve polled three experts to learn how to make the trend really soar.
Let Them Fly Solo
In truth, a single butterfly-inspired piece is all you need to usher in kinetic energy to a room. For this casual living room, Houston-based interior designer Mary Patton practiced restraint and crowned the space with a solo gold dandelion chandelier adorned with pretty butterflies. The lighting fixture is sophisticated, but not too serious, setting a tone that feels equal parts whimsical and glamourous. For Mary, less is more. “Keep the motif to one area,” she advises. “Balance the cheeriness with some live-edge wood or other emphatically masculine pieces.”
Fly on the Wall
Adorning your walls with a butterfly wallpaper can transform a simple room into an awe-inspiring conservatory. Schumacher’s Exotic Butterfly Collection, a long-time best seller for the brand, is a favorite of designers. Designer Brittany Farinas of the Miami-based House of One Studio used a similar scheme in the powder room above. Bright butterflies scattered across a delicately scrawled background lend the paper heaps of design intrigue. While Brittany chose white fixtures to accent the paper in the powder room above, she notes that you can compose a darker, more moody scheme with a butterfly wallpaper, as well. For a more atmospheric paper, consider House of One’s own Mariposa Black and White, which Brittany teamed up with bespoke wallpaper maker Candice Kaye to design.
Contrast Colors
Because butterflies are so vibrant, they present the perfect opportunity to introduce intriguing color combinations to a room. Above, Tulsa-based designer Mel Bean applied an edgy, 90s-inspired butterfly wallpaper to the ceiling of a home bar. Flocked with colorful butterflies, the paper provides context for uproarious color elsewhere in the room — including the fuchsia bar and the emerald green backsplash. If you’re not in the mindset of making dramatic revisions to your home (i.e. wallpaper), Mel has an alternative: butterfly art. “A simple piece of art can be a launching pad for an entire space,” she says. “Pull the colors of the art into the room via paint, upholstery, pillows, and rugs so that the art doesn’t completely dominate.”
Lead image: Design by House of One / Photo by Lifestyle Production Group
