I think they could be fun if you paint them some unexpected color. Looking at your colors (bear in mind my monitor may not show them exactly accurately), maybe a black or gold? You could always go bright and funky, too.

I hope I don't offend anyone but I think they'd be fine. I grew up with and around hunting. It's very common where I live. I also think they could work in your decor. I would leave them natural.

I'm not a decorator but I think they could be worked into your room very tastfuly with help from the decorators here. My opinion would be "natural" for this room but think that "gold leaf" would be fun for someone elses room. Have fun and I want to see when you decide.

Ralph Lauren loves them! I'm seeing them everywhere this year.

I think they'd be great, and recently admired this 'Lodge' wreath (link below) at Horchow ($150) that shows them in resin, along with several other accessories.

I'd keep them natural, as I am into natural things as they are found. I just couldn't paint them, and don't see them painted in your room, which has warm earthy colors. But that's just my taste and others might find them perfect painted for their homes.

I made a similar wreath to go over a resin deer head that I plan to put above my mantle this year, if I can get it all installed. I got a faux evergreen wreath on clearance last year, and added cones, dried and faux greenery, berries, and some pheasant feathers. Mine might have cost $30 all together, and I had the fun of making it. It's also lighted, so I will enjoy those soft white lights at night if at all comes together as planned.

Detail of things I added

My deer head (pic from Front Gate site last year)

Here is a link that might be useful: Lodge wreath with antlers

My late husband was an avid hunter for many years and we had many trophies and antlers. I wouldn't paint them...it's nature. Here's one I kept that I put in my barn room. They can work well surprisingly in even contemporary or even more feminine rooms. This is neither lol.

I think they'd go very nicely in your room! I would personally never display a dead animal in my house (I'm actually wishing I didn't even have leather, now that I know the majority of it comes from India cows that are treated most inhumanely), but antlers are shed seasonally and nobody has to die. ;-)

My dad made the antler chandelier that hangs over my dining table from shed antlers that he collected himself while hiking various backcountry trails in Colorado and Utah. It remains one of my most treasured possessions.

I think it would go nicely in your LR. You have the birds along with the hunting dog lamp, what's not to like?

My3dogs love your deer wreath.

.....Jane

Oh Jan ... can I adopt you? How I would love to have you work your magic on my house, particularly my upstairs bedroom (an attic conversion done in 1948 with the original knotty-pine paneling covering walls and ceiling, and old hardwood floors). I would love to see more photos of your barn room. Woman, you inspire.

Oh good!
My3dogs, I love the resin deer head & your wreath is beautiful. I have tons of pheasant feathers that I use for my Xmas decorations along with evergreen, twigs and magnolia from the yard. Your wreath is beautiful.
Jant, what a great room!! Great idea for a magazine rack out of an old shutter - love it! And your antlers are perfect.
AuntJen - I would love to see your antler chandelier. How cool your dad made it for you from his hiking trips!

Okay, so I will get some & will def. be posting for help about how to place them!!

I just thought of something my Uncle did with them....he used them as handles for his fireplace doors. They looked great on the black door - would be kinda cool on something as a handle, too.

Smiles:)

We are a hunting family and I like antlers (we have both harvested and found/dropped on display). Just antlers mounted (without the skin) is often called a "European mount" - we have some of these too, I don't have pic right now.
I think they would go well in your room, esp since you say they are a family tradition.

Ok, I'll be the one and I know there must be others out there. Since you asked the question you must have some doubts hiding somewhere, too. You have a lovely elegant room, NOT a rustic "hunting" trophy room. Your wildlife prints are beautiful as are the area rug, fabrics, etc. For me, antlers would ruin it. Jant's room is an "antler" room; yours is not. JMHO.

I think you could definitely work them into that room and they'd look great. I love how you've balanced the more rustic elements like the dogs, pheasants, heron, etc w/ the more elegant rug and chairs. I too have been seeing them a lot this year and in more contemporary settings than I'm accustom to seeing. Honestly I think they look out of place in many photos I've seen, but would look nice in your room if you like.

Can you get enough that you could wind them around into a wreath? I think you can drill holes in them and screw them together or you could try epoxy. Then you could tuck in some more elements with them like feathers, twigs, evergreens (anything that you could easily move in and out depending on the season) to fill it out.

I was really hoping this thread didn't turn ugly. So far so good!

Jen - Your Dad made that chandelier? That's pretty awesome!

I have a couple of antlers sitting on top of a cupboard in my bathroom. The same, subtle look would work in your room on top of your entertainment center.I also have antlers hanging in my front hall to hang hats and coats from.Go for it!

Deer and such shed their antlers every year so they are fun to go looking for before the mice find them as they use them to grind down their ever growing teeth.

I'm not a hunter really but I have a few found ones and totally love the look of antler deer, I'm not huge on the stuffed heads but some are OK.

{{gwi:1439224}}

Nice room Scooby. What is the picture behind the armchair? As far as decorating goes, if antlers, European mounts and regular taxidermy are good enough for the Biltmore, I figure they're probably good enough for my shanty.

I can easily picture antlers in this room...a very relaxing and elegant room. I'd leave them natural tho. My DH and family have been avid hunters (as most men are in this part of the country) for years and our large rustic, lodge type den has 7 deer heads, two full bobcat mounts, a cowhide on the wall, cowhide pillows and even the wall to wall carpet is a axis (type of deer) print, antler lamps. Oh, bull horns over one door and an European mount over another. So, yes, I think antlers are fine :)
Monica

Monica: Would love to see pictures of your den, got any?? I also have deer mounts in my den and antler chandy

I like them - with restraint and no fur or eyes.

Late but love the idea. beautiful inspiration pics here.

Great vision, scooby, I think they'd be right at home; as would all of us in your wonderful space.

I've been catching up on my magazines and so I'm going to mention Better Homes and Gardens in just one more post here (hope this doesn't get me in trouble!), but this deer head caught my eye because I'd never seen one like it before. It's made of wood and is rather modern looking. It's in the October issue, p. 66. The shopping guide says it's from Patina stores.

In this link it looks more golden on my monitor than it does in the magazine, where it just looks like natural light wood. It may be a little large for you but might be another idea, hope it helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wood deer head

Scoby, it would be wonderful in your beautigul LR.
We've had antlers in our family room for years.
Heck, we even have long horns over our FP.

You can take small to medium size ones and put a fat
candle in the middle, or nail a decorative small
holder to an antler for a tea light. Hubby made this one for me for the wash stand in front of our bed.

Ferlcity, I love, love your bathroom. Unique and lovely.
Joann

Scooby, here's the chandelier that my dad made for me. I think it has a very organic quality about it, which I really like!
{{!gwi}}

What a wonderful piece Jen! And a wonderful room too.

My3dogs, I had the same idea for this year! I won an auction for a natural looking resin deer head on ebay for $29, and when it comes, I'm going to paint it a solid color, either to look like old terra cotta or bronze...can't decide which. I've bought a bunch of pheasant feathers and a garland to drape around it, some small pinecone ornaments, etc, to go in the garland. I got some big bronze colored jingle bells to go on the bow. Also, I found some bronze looking deer ornaments at WalMart. And I ordered a deer cookie cutter and am going to make some deer gingerbread cookies, too. My inspiration is in the BHG Chritmas Ideas mag that just came out. Some of the stuff will go over the mantle, and some on the mantle. I just hope that real life will look as good as it does in my mind's eye!

joann, I have a barley twisted stand that has a large candle on top. We placed small antlers (tines) all around the candle.
auntjen, love your chandy! Maybe DH would consider making one of those since we're about out of room on the walls for his trophies :o
gagesgranny, I do have (ever changing) photos of my den but not of the latest furniture and decor. I say ever changing because we're on our 3rd set of furniture in 7 years :o DH has finally let ME furnish and decorate "his" cowboy chic den :) and we finally have the comfortable, cozy, lodge look he wanted. Unfortunately, many on this forum won't practice "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything" and the conversation would quickly go south and get snarky due to the stuffed animals, skins and horns and I don't want someone else's thread to get snarky.
Monica

Here is a pic of my den with both kinds. We have always had a green den with a deer mount.{{!gwi}}

auntjen, love your chandy, too. I would have loved to have one in my formal dining room that is opened up to our den, but they were out of my price range!

I have an acquaintance who has a big basket of deer antlers she has picked up in her rambles through the woods, on the floor tucked partway under an end table. They have such a wonderfully tactile quality, it's hard to keep from picking one up out of the basket to touch and she says that's what they're there for. (She also has baskets of stones and shells and such natural objects, intended to be handled and played with. She's ALL about texture!) She did luck into an enormous rack (of antlers, people) from a roadkilled buck - not a chip on the antlers! - that she had mounted on a rough slab of bark-on tree trunk. It actually looks amazing. Last time I checked she had it in that "dead space" in the top of a stairwell.

Here's one showing how they can work beautifully even in the most feminine of rooms....can we say CHINTZ??? I've had this pix for ages and ages lol. The room carries a lot of weight and great texture though with the beams, table, dark cupboard and paneling. Wonderful interplay of materials...

{{!gwi}}

We actually have elk antlers over our fireplace. I love them.

Here are some pics:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b281/angelainmt/005-12.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b281/angelainmt/006-13.jpg

We also have two mounted deer and two European mounts in our office. The room is elegant and beautiful, with BM dry sage on the walls. The mounts look beautiful in there too.

Just to clarify; a pair of antlers on the wall are simply called an "Antler Mount". The small piece of skull they're attached to can be covered with fabric, leather, or a plastic form, but it's usually not seen in a modern antler mount because the point is to emphasize the antlers. OTOH, I have an antique set that still has hide and hair covering the skull, and, while they may look a too "wooly" for some people, I like them.

A European mount has the antlers firmly attached to the easily identifiable skull. Alot of places will saw the skull from back to front through the eye sockets, removing the 1st vertebrae, the teeth and upper palate so it will sit flat on the wall. I don't care for the look myself, and prefer an entire, intact upper skull or even traditional taxidermy.

In addition to a large taxidermy mount in the living room, we have several intact, bleached skulls around of various species, some hanging on the wall, others sitting flat. I call those an "O'Keefe" mount. ;^)

Here is a link that might be useful: European Mounts

Ohhhhh I'm just loving all of your pics!!
Auntjen, what a beautiful!! chandelier. It is soooo perfect in your room - just lovin' the new paint color & the way you moved your rug to the LR.
Joann - what a great idea about the candleholder. I love your big horns over your FP.
Furletcity - your bathroom is beautiful - I love the rustic beams in there.
Koidom - your horns are beautiful & look great with the feathers! I have been using pheasant feathers for years since DH takes a trip every year to SD.
Littledog - beautiful den - green is my fave & your drapes are beautiful. I like the head mounts, too.
Angeliaintx - nice rack!! LOL
Jant - that pic reminds me so of my MIL's. She love blue/white import & has tons in her den - all painted white with lots of woodwork & big fp. She has a big ole deer head above the FP with blue/white import vases on each side. Blue damask club chairs - toile - Chinese rug - a total mix but it works!

Thank you all for your input so much!!
I will get some this week. I'm thinking I may use some on my Turkey day table with some natural cuttings - bought some mixed nuts for some lanterns and some burlap for the runner. We'll see - alot of times I am not able to reproduce what's in my head!!

It's funny how receiving something like antlers is getting me excited about decorating my table for Thanksgiving.

Let's see, someone asked about the print behind the chair - it's Leon Danchin, french - 1800s & I just love his work!! You can buy copies at art.com but I collect the # lithographs or engravings (I look for the plate marks, not sure what it is, thou). If anyone runs across them - please let me know!! Below is a google image search of Leon Danchin.

Smiles:)

Here is a link that might be useful: danchin google images

Scooby, thanks for the info on Danchin, I can see why you like his work. I need to let you know that's not my beautiful green den, it's olliesmom's.

Oliesmon: Love your room, would you mind sharing the color of the paint on the walls. It looks great with your furniture and the mounts.

I also like the feminime room with the mount---who would have thought

Since my father hunted for years, and I see nothing wrong with hunting (as long as the meat is eaten), I feel I am allowed to give my opinion. The antlers were mounted as a trophy. When my father passed away, my mother asked one of his hunting buddies if he wanted them. His response was, "no, those really only had meaning to him". I guess it would be like me acquiring someone's trophies for a sport and displaying them in my house as if they were mine.

If there is no real connection to the antlers, I really can't see having them on display. I was quite saddened the other day while driving home from work, I saw a buck that was killed along the road by a car or truck, the next morning I saw that someone came along and cut off his antlers. I just don't understand that.

If I'm in a big lodge and they have rustic pieces on display, that seems different to me, than if displayed in a personal home. Maybe I don't seem to mind them when they are used in a chandelier--but just not mounted and hung on the wall.

This is just my opinion.

gagesgranny, thank you so very much! The rest of our house is light and bright, but, we always want a darker den.

The color is BM Hampshire Grey. I took that pic at night so it is really a little lighter than I wanted and than what it looks in the picture. I had the BEST green color in our previous house and for the life of me couldn't find the name of it for this house!

{{!gwi}}

My3dogs, be careful when you start putting your deer head up. I had mine up and was careful to not put the antlers on until after I was all done floofing and arranging and all. Then I just HAD to take a feather out and move it a tad, and my arm or hand somehow hit an antler just right and knocked it off the deer head. It broke into 9 pieces! I've tried super glue and E6000 to no avail. Now I'm going to try dipping the pieces in acetone. If that doesn't work, I'm going to try super glue gel. One antler was broken when I got it, and super glue worked on it, but that piece was very small. This time I have some very big pieces to try to put back together.

jeane, Funny you should mention this now. I put it up yesterday and am now working around him, carefully. I was careful to put the antlers on after I had the wreath around his neck, as I'd feel terrible if he got 'hurt'.

Is yours like mine? Mine has square holes in the head when the corresponding square pegged end on the antler sides in, and can only go in one way. I feel they are pretty secure, but you never know.

I'd be using 2 part epoxy, which is what I use on all of my projects. The kind you buy that has 2 'plungers' and you squeeze it out on a plate and mix it up with a plastic 'stick' provided. It hasn't failed me yet, on any material.

Just last night, I used it to attach these old bronze dog head sconces to a stoneware plate. I am going to hang these on either side of my deer head.

I've now tried crazy glue, liquid nails, super glue gel, gorilla glue, and contact cement. Some of the smaller pieces have held together. I have a bigger section setting up right now. I used gorilla glue on it. I also have plumbers epoxy clay, waiting to try as a last resort. Yes, mine is made the same way, square pegs. I was done when I knocked the antler off, and was just going back to fix 'one more thing'. I guess I hit it just right. I saw the 2-part epoxy at Home Depot this morning. I may end up going back and getting it. They had several to pick from. I saw your deer on the Holiday forum, and he is gorgeous.

I feel that antlers belong on the animal and not mounted as a trophy for killing an animal...don't get me started on the rest of the corpse mounted...

Now that I have that out... LOL....

I don't think it would work in your room...your room is traditional but there is something still clean about it...I think that the antlers may take it over the edge to a more country look...that would be fine, of course, if that's where you wanted to take the look...

but I think it's really nice as it is!