Safari Style Decorating

Creating an Exotic Design with African Decor and Furnishings

Sep 5, 2009

A classic home interior decorating design is African Safari or British Colonial. Its organic material and bold designs create a classy, yet relaxed style.

The book Safari Style by Tim Beddow and Natasha Burns is an inspiring read for anyone considering decorating their home in African Safari Decor Style. Sometimes this design style is referred to as British Colonel, since the eventual design and decor was influcenced by the British elites who settled in the area, bringing their art, carvings and furnishings with them.

In the book, Beddow and Burns explain that over one hundred years ago, Britain’s Royal Geographical Society explored the African continent through safari expeditions. Their excursions were followed by explorers, map-makers and naturalists. The Travel photos that made their way back to Europe captured the interest of Europeans due to the region's natural elements, lush landscape, big game hunts, and intriguing exotic tribal patterns.

East Africa began to be colonized by wealthy Europeans in 1895, whereby they infused their luxurious and intricately crafted Victorian decorating tastes with the adventure and natural elements of the African bush. The result was a designmixture of artistic romance, and raw adventure.

The Natural Elements in Safari Decor

British Colonial Safari decor style incorporates many natural elements. These natural decorating elements accentuate furniture, pictures frames, candle holders, wall decor, flooring and window coverings:

Wool and grasses were woven into their homes' interior design through baskets, blankets and rugs, and the hides obtained through big game hunts were tanned and used as decorative rugs, wall hangings or upholstery material. Reeds and twigs were twisted and wrapped to create artwork or decorative artistic touches on furniture. Tree limbs were a natural design element in their imperfect, gnarled shapes and used in decorative shelving, table legs, cabinet handles and shutters.

Design Patterns Used in Safari Decor

Safari interior design blends patterns and textures that may seem juxtaposed to one another.

Decorators use Geometric tribal designs to create a bold Safari design statment, mixing stripes, squares, circles, and hieroglyphic type drawings. The Tribal designed fabric reflect the natural colors of the bush, such as browns, tans, greens, blacks, rusts and yellows.

Patterns in Safari decor also include animal print in cheetah, zebra, tiger stripe, giraffe and even alligator. Many décor items are available in animal print, ranging from furniture upholstered completely in a material replicating animal skin to placemats with touches of an animal print.

The secret to decorating with animal print is to add constrast, When the design includes an area rug in animal print, the sofa and wall hangings should be in contrasting textures and decor such as canvas, bamboo, wood or floral. Additional design touches in animal print pull the look together, but too much of it is just too much! A zebra rug in front of a cheetah sofa with tiger pillows sitting in front of a Safari pictured framed in Giraffe design might create too dizzy of a design experience! Animal print should be used tastefully in decorating Safari style.

In pulling the Safari Sytle interior design together, mix it up. Place floral silk pillows alongside animal print on canvas or leather covered furniture. Decorate with a lamp that has an animal print lampshade on a table sharing tribal figurines in geometric designs. Nearby, cover a table with a tablecloth reflecting natural design elements such as tropical leaves and flowers.

Safari Designed Furniture Style

Furniture for Safari design incorporates a variety of styles. It can be minimal, with clean lines, elegant with intricate carvings, or rustic and bulky.

The British Colonel influence is displayed in the elegant, crafted, dark polished wood as found in the Hemmingway inspired furniture style. Imagine a room decorated with a four poster bed sheltered by mosquito netting, Bombay inspired dressers with carved claw legs and a massive, dark wood, carved desk..

Just as appropriate are gnarled, rustic furniture pieces that could be imagined decorating the veranda of an African lodge. Decor pieces that reflect an imperfect, rudimentary, homemade look fit right into theme and add an authentic African Safari touch. Imagine a home filled with decorative items such as slabs of polished wood with natural edges in the dining room, and a sofa with gnarled wood legs, held together by strips of leather with canvas, burlap or woven geometric designed cushions.

Island inspired pieces made of bamboo or wicker fit the decorating theme as well. Imagine a room decorated with a bamboo framed chair and canvas cushions in a design of tropical leaves; a bed covered with neutral colored linens with a rattan headboard stained a rich, dark brown.

Safari Designed Décor

Safari Style décor pieces are abundant online or in the retail stores and boutiques. Look for:

Pulling the Safari Decor Style together is an enjoyable eclectic experience, with many decorating resources available. Just keep in mind that, in Africa, the room design was kept minimal so that the air could circulate in its humid climate, so don’t overcrowd a room by decorating with too much large furniture. And, when choosing fabric and patterns, always mix it up by combining decorative pieces in animal print, tribal patterns and old world ambiance. The result will be magically homogeneous and romantic!

The copyright of the article Safari Style Decorating in Interior Decorating is owned by Jan Peterson. Permission to republish Safari Style Decorating in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.