López-Cordero Mario - Veranda Decorating

In an Atlanta living room by Melanie Turner, a sofa covered in tiger-stripe velvet was inspired by one owned by Lee Radziwill and becomes a fittingly stylish and bold focal point.

A whos who of tastemakers have sworn by them, including no lesser personages than the Empress Josphine, Elsie de Wolfe, Billy Baldwin, Bill Blass, and Albert Hadley, just to name a very few. Theres a good reason theyre all devotees. When it comes to giving a room a dash of cosmopolitan glamour, nothing does it quite like an animal print. If youre the cautious type, you might want to be judicious in your applicationa leopard seat cushion or throw pillow is the chic equivalent of a quiet purr. But theres nothing wrong with a full-throated embrace of the style: an antelope, zebra, or tiger rug lays a versatile, genre-defying foundation for a statement space thats as gutsy as a roar. Welcome to the jungle.

There is a noble beauty that comes from an armchair or table that has stood the test of time for centuries. A gracefully aged, lovingly used antique gives a space a sense of history and a lasting soulfulness that no shiny, fresh-off-the-line piece of furniture ever can. An heirloom can be like an old friend who was there when your great-grandmother took tea and is still hanging around the living room to watch you sip your double macchiato. This points to the important thing to remember with inherited (or seemingly inherited) objects: they must adapt. Nobody wants to live in a museum. Period pieces dont have to dictate period rooms. Think of it as a balancing act. Match a Georgian chest of drawers with a vivid work of contemporary art. Pair a walnut claw-and-ball-footed highboy with diaphanous taffeta curtains and pretty painted floors. The gorgeous results will combine a healthy respect for the past with a joyful celebration of the way we live today.