Thursday, July 22, 2010

Not for the vegetarians

This post is not for the vegetarians of the group, and it's not about eating meat either. It's about cowhide rugs.

Do you love them? Do you hate them?

I'm personally in the LOVE category. They add so much interest to a room, and are so soft. When you actually think about what you are doing - putting the skin of a dead animal on your floor - it's a bit creepy, I'll admit. But I wear leather on my feet and put meat in my mouth, so it doesn't bother me. I can definitely imagine a cowhide in our home someday.
























[ all imagines above found via decorpad.com ]

I personally love the cowhides at World Market:





IKEA is a good place to get them as well:




I would really love a cowhide in my new office, but my decorating budget is currently being concentrated on reupholstering Craigslist stuff so we can get some furniture into this house :) But maybe someday!

40 comments:

  1. I love them! Love the organic shape it adds to a room! I prefer a monochromatic one... all white or tonal! But the traditional black and white is a turn off for me... a little too country!

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  2. I love all these rooms. But I wish designers would stop peeling cows and instead get creative about how to achieve the same look without adding unnecessary cruelty to the world.

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  3. I love them as well! And especially when layered on top of sisal or some other tight weave rug. I also agree with Beth above. The neutral colors are my favorite and my least favorite is the zebra print on cow-hide. Though I guess it's better than using a real zebra :)

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  4. I absolutely love the look of them - love. But every time I've seen them in person I've gotten a little creeped out, and I absolutely haven't been able to make myself walk on them. Maybe I'll get over it? I'd like to since they add so much character to a space.

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  5. I really want one in black and white! They are so chic! I need to find an inexpensive one though!

    Cindy

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  6. Love them as well. I especially love seeing them layered over another rug or carpet.

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  7. Love them! On the look for one right now for my breakfast nook!

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  8. I had one in my previous master bedroom, which I posted on RMS a few years back. The grief I got...it did make me reconsider. While I still love the look, with two vegetarian children in my home I've since sold the rug. It is a personal preference that can incite strong feelings, most definitely! Janell

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  9. LOVE. I'd sell my soul for one of those fabulous metallic hides I've been seeing everywhere lately. It'd look lovely layered over my jute IKEA rug.

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  10. You can also get cowhide rugs at a place called Tandy Leather. We have one in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio but I know they are in other states as well. They run around $250 but I just heard from a friend that they are on sale right now for $150. That seems like a great value to me!

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  11. LOVE! And I was just talking to my friend last night about what he thought of such rugs: classy or trashy? We both agreed that when used well that they exude that extra bit of something that makes a room pop!

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  12. Absolutely disgusting. My heart aches at the sight of these horrific so-called rugs.

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  13. i love the stool with the large brown spot pattern, but for me there is osomething about the actual shape of the rug that gives me a bit of the heebie geebies.

    i have always wanted one of those darn ikea sheep rugs that pop up all over the blogosphere - they look so soft, but then when it came down to actually buying an animal skin (well im assuming fake in that case!) i totally chickened out... no pun intended :)

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  14. I totally dig how they look but I hate how they feel. They give me the hebbie jebbies. Maybe the more expensive kinds feel softer but the ones Ive been able to lay hands on feel like they belong in the texas chainsaw guys basement.

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  15. Absolutely do not love. I think it's creepy, like walking on a grave.

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  16. Like the look, but makes me sick too. Are there any alternatives-faux cow hide rugs?

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  17. I'm a vegetarian, but I don't mind people decorating with cowhides, bones, etc. I'm pretty sure cowhides are a byproduct of the beef industry, so I don't see it as something that adds unnecessary cruelty. People are always going to eat meat, and I don't see anything wrong with them using the byproducts as well. I might be unusual in having this stance as a vegetarian, but I've never passed moral judgement on meat eating.

    I think I'd like the look of cowhide rugs if they weren't so trendy. The decorating world is just oversaturated with them right now and I think in a few years the trend will look terribly dated. I'm also not so hot on them being placed in rooms that are more classical and refined as opposed to rustic. It looks weird to me when people do things like put a French Rococo chair on top of a cowhide rug, when in my mind those two design styles look strange mixed together.

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  18. I love the look but when I feel them with my hands, they kind of gross me out. Although I do think that from an ethical standpoint, I sort of like knowing that if a cow is going to be used for meat, then more of it is being put to 'good' use. I don't like seeing animals killed just for their fur, but somehow this feels different.

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  19. I hadn't thought about it until recently when I saw a pony skin rug in Town & Country and looked up how those are supposedly made...blech. (Though I felt much better when someone noted that they are usually actually made from cow hide and not pony - I guess I feel okay with that because the cow was presumably also used for meat, which I do eat. http://www.myfavoriteandmybest.com/mfamb-home/2010/7/14/this-is-bullshit-is-what-this-is.html)

    Even so, it's just not the look for me, but I think it's interesting in some of the spaces you show.

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  20. For the vegetarians...I wonder if they hurt Alpacas while making alpaca rugs. They are so soft and natural, but I imagine all they have to do is take the "wool" from the alpaca? Perhaps you could achieve a similar look?

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  21. I love the look, love the colors, love the shape...but have been unable to actually bring one home. I always walk over to them in a store, but after touching them, have to walk away.

    I do have one of those sheepskin throws from Ikea on an ottoman, but if I touch the underside I get the heebie-jeebies! :)

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  22. I do like the look but it does seem weird in a way.

    I love the Jonathan Adler zebra versions that are wool (I think), just not the price tag!

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  23. I love them and have a beautiful cream one in our bedroom. I got it for only $99.00. It is the easiest rug we have to take care of and is something I have never regretted purchasing –which is big for me. Cowhide rugs are a by-product of the meat industry, if that makes anyone feel better. My husband’s father raises butcher cows, so I asked a few questions about them.

    However, I realize that when/if we put our house on the market it would have to come up as they do come with some controversy.

    A picture of mine and the sources I had in March are here: http://thelovelylifestyle.wordpress.com/2010/03/23/hide-and-seek-part-2/

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  24. I'm torn. I love the look of them...I just feel bad that something once alive and beautiful is now skinned on and on my floor. I would probably lean more towards faux. BUT, I still love the look of them. But, i think the guilt would get me in the end.

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  25. i love everything you do, but animal print, animal anything, i find SOOO tacky! and i'm not even remotely vegetarian. please don't put that in your house :)

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  26. I'm with Ahhnna Wintour on this one...especially if it's antique, because then you're really improving the animal's afterlife...

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  27. Hate them. Never ever in my house.

    @the_brunette: the IKEA sheepskin rugs are real, not faux. Young House Love did a tutorial on making faux sheepskins a few months back - seems easy, and definitely easier on the sheep.

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  28. Where did you get the picture of the bedroom with the gray walls, white curtains, and dog art? I love that room. I would love to know more about it. Thanks!

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  29. I don't think I'd put one in my home, but I don't mind cowhides at all. It's not like the cows are skinned and the rest of them gets tossed; just like leather they're "leftovers" from meat production, so they're not like fur in the "fashion" industry. I think it's great that the whole animal gets used!

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  30. LOVE...we just placed one in a client's Master Bedroom this week at the beach. And an early commentor is correct (as our favorite rug store pointed out to us when we took the piece out on approval)...the rugs are by products of the meat industry. The cows aren't being killed just for rugs, it's certainly better than throwing the hide away.

    On a side note, my car still smells like leather from driving that thing around for two days.

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  31. I'm veg, but I love them! Someone ate the cow, right? Might as well make use of every part ;)

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  32. I actually love them, especially the light ones, but then again, I actually have no problem with animal items, fur throws, etc. (I know, I'm bad). Lovely little world, happy to find you, will be following!

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  33. I'm in the love camp too! I have one of the zebra printed ones that I got off of Craigslist for a steal, so don't forget to check it for a rug like this if you really want one.

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  34. Love them! Have one in our living room.

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  35. Cowhide is a byproduct of beef, so as long as people continue to eat beef, its nice to at least use all the parts.

    I seriously, seriously considered one layered on top of sisal in my own home. I adore the organic elegance. In the end I was too afraid my dogs would destroy it. I continue to admire from afar though!

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  36. I love them ... and just put one from IKEA in my own office nook. You'd be so proud of me, Bryn, because I DIY'd a bit. It was too big so I had to cut it down, but it turned out great!

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  37. Hey! Picture number three is my living room!

    (I got mine from E-cowhide, in case anyone was wondering...)

    Anyway, I dont eat meat, but I do use leather products, and I dont see the cowhide as any different from having a leather couch... Its actually much less cow than a leather sectional.

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  38. They are so great, and the finest ones come from Brazil - so I lucked out on that one. I have a fawn colored one in our living room, and am about to purchase a gray one for our daughter's nursery.

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THANK YOU for taking the time to share your thoughts. I appreciate each and every comment.

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