• Home
  • Blog
  • Wallpapers
    • Notting Hill
    • Charleston
    • Chelsea Lane
  • Fabrics
    • Notting Hill
    • Charleston
    • Chelsea Lane
  • My Story
  • Contact

The Meaning of Birds in Your Decor

May 10, 2010 By Jaima 15 Comments

Take flight within your own home and surround yourself with natures beauty: birds!  Designer Miles Redd used this  gorgeous bird  wallpaper  pattern  to envelope this  bedroom creating a warm and modern decor. It is like bringing the outdoors inside!

When I was little, we had a bird  fly into my parents home one day.  I think it came down the chimney but no matter how it entered our home, it certainly did create quite a commotion.  My mother was  running around opening all the doors  and windows to let the  swallow out.   Lots of birds have many meanings and with  our bird incident, I like to think positive and believe it meant “new life taking flight” which is a  symbol of hope and of new things to come.  Most people are unaware of all the hidden meanings behind bird images in design.

It is a fascintating world of birds. Remember the  famous Alfred Hitchcock  movie “The Birds”. Who wasn’t  frightened after that?  Well, as it turns out I overcame my fear and  am now a proud owner of an African Grey named Lily.  I inherited her from my mother in law, Alice.  She loved this little talkative bird so I decided to carry on the tradition and continue to love Miss Lily.   With  summer almost here,  we see birds re-surfacing into the  home decor market like   Pottery Barns Spring Sparrow Bedding.   The bedding features blue birds which  symbolize happiness;  sparrows  represent companionship and good luck for lovers while the cardinal represents beauty.

Birds have often been tied to some of the most profound meanings since  ancient history and their symbolism  has crossed many cultures worldwide. As  birds travel in the air, they are often connected with the Divine, symbolizing the human spirit and soul. I am sure  you have heard the saying ” a little bird told me so” well this quote is from ancient folk lore  when birds flew ahead to forewarn a hero from danger.

Beautiful flights of fancy  like Peacocks were popular throughout history and  Religion.  Peacocks were a symbol of immortality, royalty, nobility and  spirituality during the Byzantine and  early Roman Churches. Today, in Hinduism the Peacock represents kindness, patience, compassion and good luck.  For thousands of years, peacock feathers have been used for spiritual healing energy to help  with balance and harmony  in peoples lives. Mostly everyone knows that peacock feathers are used  to bring luck to oneself and reflect beauty, strength but also reflect vanity.

Today, peacock feathers are  being brought back into fashion this year by designers like Tory Burch and  Zang Toi.  As usual, what is in fashion is now often found in home decor.  As featured in  InStyle Magazine “This spring, stylish stars are strutting their stuff in peacock-print dresses. And it’s no wonder—the retro print has what designer Tory Burch calls a “ladylike, but eccentric and quirky” flavor.”  It certainly adds drama to ones wardrobe.  It is amazing to see  how bird images have graced so many items in today’s  lifestyle products and in event  planning.  Depending on the style, birds can  present a high end luxury look as well as a cottage style feel  with warmth and charm.  Coasters, plates, cakes, ring pillows, fabrics and furnishings are just  a few of the things found with  bird motifs in the home  lifestyle catagory.

Most people are unaware of the hidden meanings of birds. At  weddings, often newly wed couples will  release two white doves after the ceremony, this is to  bless  the couple and wish them hope and peace (the symbol of doves).   Other birds  found in designer fabrics are  roosters (pride),  cockatoos,  peacocks (pride and vanity) and  parrots (Ostentatiousness).   Below is a bedroom featuring a bird fabric on the wall with a parrot in the cage and a peacock on a branch.

The classic  American Eagle  represents power and strength.   Herons mean self reliance and hummingbirds symbolize joy. It is easy to get inspired when decorating with these visually  stimulating  motifs as they make spaces unique and bring deeper meaning into a home. Using patterns in general always make a home more interesting but when you add the hidden symbolism, whether it is from folk lore or history,  it just makes your story telling for your home interior more fascinating.
Here are a few ideas on how to use bird motifs throughout your decor.

1. Use them  to create a focal point in a room.  This can be done by using accent pillows  on  couches or beds. Coverlets on a bed can carry the theme of the room and add a color story. Use a dramatic shower curtain to accent a small bathroom.

propecia contraindications alt=”” width=”312″ height=”430″ />

2. Hang a large bird painting  or print above a  sitting area,  fireplace or in a foyer to make a substantial impact when one enters the space. If the art is smaller,  group 2 or four prints together.

3. Surround yourself with a beautiful wallpaper or fabric. Hang it on all four walls or only on one wall to create a feature wall in a room.

The birds in fabrics above like the Chickadees symbolize optimism; pheasants mean harmony; quails means family;  Ravens mean shifting but a Robin means new growth.   Of course,  the list of bird meanings is extensive. There are many famous bird quotes as well, one  I really like is by Salvador Dali  “Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings”.

So add a little flight of fancy to your interior and fly away with meaning…..

Images via: jaimabrownhome.com;blisslivinghome.com;lindamackenzie.net;thesorrellcompany.com;potterybarn.com;walnutwallpaper.com;

Filed Under: Symbolism of Pattern Series #1 Tagged With: aviary, bird meanings, bird symbolism, birds, chickadees, herons, parrots, song birds

« Fun Conversational Prints!
How to Mix Patterns »

Comments

  1. lalique glass says

    May 17, 2010 at 1:55 am

    This is the great publish we arrive more after large searches. I’m truly thankful to you for providing this unique information.

    Reply
  2. Jason Castro Jason Castro Deluxe Edition 2010 Mtd says

    June 22, 2010 at 6:13 am

    Presently there is obviously a lot to know about this. We think a person made great quality points additionally.

    Reply
  3. busy ze Szczecina do Holandii says

    June 25, 2010 at 7:46 am

    I was bored until i’ve found your blog, interesting articles

    Reply
  4. Andrew Joseph says

    July 7, 2010 at 2:16 am

    I knew I was right. My friend and I placed a bet about which website was superior. I thought your webpage was much better produced, but she believed this post on trendy style ideas was much much better. We rounded up 5 family memebers who had not observed either web site prior to to read them each a lot more than. Majority chose your internet site. Many thanks for maintaing an excellent site.

    Reply
  5. Free tattoo designs says

    July 13, 2010 at 11:06 am

    Your blog theme looks cool. What template did you use ?

    Reply
  6. Free tattoo designs says

    July 25, 2010 at 8:38 am

    Very interesting site, but you must improve your logo graphics.

    Reply
    • Jaima Brown says

      August 11, 2010 at 12:38 pm

      I agree that my graphics need help. Working on that! Have a great day!
      Jaima

      Reply
  7. dating fashion advice says

    July 26, 2010 at 7:15 am

    Great info, thanks for useful article. I’m waiting for more

    Reply
  8. mazda 3 used cars pa says

    November 10, 2010 at 4:04 pm

    I just sent this post to a bunch of my friends as I agree with most of what you’re saying here and the way you’ve presented it is awesome.

    Reply
  9. part time jobs in singapore for students says

    March 12, 2011 at 10:13 am

    Awesome Post. I add this Blog to my bookmarks.

    Reply
  10. Alveo says

    March 19, 2011 at 1:27 am

    Very informative post. Thanks for taking the time to share your view with us.

    Reply
  11. Alveo says

    March 20, 2011 at 6:11 am

    Thank You For This Post, was added to my bookmarks.

    Reply
  12. click here says

    July 17, 2012 at 3:20 pm

    I love that blog layout . How was it made!? It is rather good!

    Reply
  13. Adrienne M DeRosa says

    July 18, 2013 at 7:55 pm

    Thanks for the post! I'm looking for wallpaper for my daughter's room. Can you tell me where the bird paper from the first image is from?

    Reply
    • Jaima Emmert says

      July 30, 2013 at 4:13 pm

      Hi Andrienne:
      I believe that the bird wallpaper is from a De Gournay Mural which is very expensive. You can get the look with a bird paper. We have a lovely chickadee print from Jaima Brown Home Retreat Collection. You could look on line but have to buy it from a designer or a wallpaper design shop. I have designed other wallpapers with birds as well. There is a lovely toile style paper in Chanticleer Collection by Jaima Brown Home Brand. Please have a look and good luck decorating. Sorry it took so long to email you back. Regards, Jaima

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search Blog

About Me


I am a designer who loves pattern and color.
Read More


Jaima Brown Home

Please visit Jaima Brown Home Jaima Brown Home

Subscribe to my newsletter





Copyright © Jaima & Co. All Rights Reserved

Daisy Bennett Designs - Sub brend of Jaima & Co.

»
«