Taking the bull by the horns...

I wanted to surprise Peter for his birthday with something unique. I decided to make him a pair of book ends using Bella's horns. I got several pieces of pine mouldings and glued them together, then cut them to length and stained and varnished them. I then cleaned and sanded the horns and varnished them before mounting them on the wooden mouldings...

Taxidermy: Tasteful or Just dead things...

"In the midst of life we are in death..." -Book of Common Prayer.

Although these words are meant for the graveside, they came to mind when I thought about writing this post on taxidermy, for in some rooms where row upon row of trophy are display in an almost vulgar fashion it is easy to feel surrounded by death, even a little morbid.

I think a few deer heads, in the right sort of room, look quite traditional and acceptable...

However, a full on collection of every piece of road kill one comes across, to me, is of questionable taste...

A single head in a hunting lodge makes a quiet statement...

However, for those who can't find, or don't wish to own the real thing, there are alternatives...

Like this moose head sconce, discovered by Apartment Therapy...

or the moose lamp...

or the moose mirror...

an antler chandelier perhaps?


or maybe matching moose chairs...



One place that specialises in blinging-up stuffed animals is the restaurant Les Trois Garcons.

Above: Les Trois Garcons, owners of Les Trois Garcons Restaurant.

Les Trois Garçons is one of my favourite restaurants in London. On a par with The Ivy when it comes to the food and service, but completely different in its atmosphere and decor. It has become legendary amongst food lovers in London. Inspired by decadence and executed with impeccable taste, it is a place to marvel. It was described by one London critic as "Baroque courtesan’s parlour meets Parisian antique market".

The decor includes stuffed bulldogs with wings...

stuffed monkeys and tigers wearing tiaras...

And swans, deers, and giraffes swathed in necklaces.

Gigantic wine glasses filled with bejeweled fruit, underneath an impressive collection of chandeliers...



Chef Jérôme Henry draws from his Swiss-French roots to create elaborate dishes packed with flavours, top ingredients juxtaposed to compliment each other. Say goodbye to the real world. True escapism awaits. Let Les Trois Garçons take you on a journey.

Some of the decor of Les Trois Garcons is captured in Stephen Calloway's book Divinely Decadent:

For more websites dedicated to the dubious art of taxidermy visit:

http://hollisterhovey.blogspot.com/

Above and Below: Hollister and Porter Hovey

or

http://www.deyrolle.com/magazine/

http://www.ravishingbeasts.com/

All this talk of stuffed animals reminded me of the moose head in Fawlty Towers...