The Meaning of Birds in Your Decor

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.

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;