Interior Inspiration: The Ultimate Faux Fur Style Guide

Choosing the right space

In October, during our celebrations of Clan Buchanan we interviewed James from The Buchanan Interior (watch the interview here) and ever since we have been working with him to get his expert opinion on everything interior design. James loves to feature a splash of faux fur in his home, so of course we looked to his beautiful flat for inspiration for today's blog post. When it comes to faux fur, placement is everything, you put this texture in the wrong room and it will offset the whole balance, a big no-no when it comes to interior design! We think the best place to start styling your faux fur is in the bedroom, as this is naturally the cosiest room in the house, and it means you can play around with styling and placement without any of your guests seeing it, until you have it nailed of course. James is a big lover of a Faux Fur Throw and Tartan Throw in the bedroom:

Once you are comfortable with this luxurious texture and feeling confident that you can display it for all the world to see, in a captivating yet intimate way, then move your pieces through to the living room. A faux fur throw draped over the sofa is perfect for when you are snuggling up to watch a movie, you can just pull the throw over you and create instant comfort. Faux fur in a living space is also great, providing a natural centre piece that guests are drawn to when they visit, giving a subconscious desire to touch it due to the supersoft texture and warmth it creates. Talk about making your guests feel at home!

Then there is the decision of selecting where about in the room to position your Faux Fur? We would suggest adding the throw to any space that is particularly neat and more minimalistic than the rest of the room, as this will elevate the space and make it feel much more inviting.

Is there a thing as too much Faux Fur?

As much as we love Faux Fur and the vibe it brings to a home, there definitely is a limit to how much faux fur you should have in any one room. Erin Gates, Boston-based interior designer and author of Elements of Style, is a big fan of Faux Fur, but she does strongly believe that you can go overboard with the material:

Less is definitely more when it comes to Faux Fur, so why not stick to just the Faux Fur Throw, and pair it with a few Tartan Cushion Covers to break it up, while giving the room a dash of excitement? If you just can't get enough of the texture, then feel free to add key pieces to different rooms within the house! With over 500 tartans and tweeds to choose from you are spoilt for choice.

The perfect pairings

The final question you should be asking when styling your faux fur is, what is the perfect partner? As the pairing can really make or break your room, you definitely do not want to get this wrong. A good rule of thumb to follow is that opposites attract. So, Faux Fur is a very modern and glamorous fabric, which means it pairs perfectly with traditional tartan! However, if you would like to add even more excitement with textures, then Faux Fur also works incredibly well with silk and velvet. James loves pairing modern and traditional textures together in his home, so we looked to him for some advice:

In terms of design, that is completely up to your own personal style, however there are a few interior design styles that lend themselves very naturally to the Faux Fur and Tartan trend: Modern Glamour, Cosy Minimalism and Rustic Highland. We have picked out our favourite tartans that we think work best with each of these different trends, to make your decision making process that little bit easier.

Modern Glamour

Modern Glamour might not be everyone's go to interior design style, but we couldn't possibly miss it out, as The Buchanan Interior flat is the definition of Modern Glamour, plus this style works so well with our favourite bright tartans. When we think of glamorous rooms, we automatically associate them with faux fur, as if straight out of the 1920's. We suggest pairing your fur with tartans that feature emerald greens, deep pinks and sapphire blues to really get this trend right. Our favourites to make a bold statement are Buchanan Modern, Connaught and Anderson of Ardbrake.

Cosy Minimalism

If the bold tartans and colours isn't really your thing, then why not tone it down with a more subtle approach to the trend? Using more muted tartans such as the ancient and weathered variations are perfect for keeping a minimal yet comforting look for your home. Our recommendations would be the Douglas Weathered, Stewart Blue Dress or Patriot Weathered. Also, if you opt for a lighter fur and tartan colour, then it means you will be able to use your products all year round, as these colours lend themselves to winter and summer, whereas deeper colours can often be pigeonholed to winter and aren't as versatile.

Rustic Highland

The final style we thought we would touch on is that country, rustic interior feel, think castles, a cabin the woods or chalet in the mountains, perfect if you are more partial to the earthy tones of the Hunting and Weathered tartans and the brown furs. These colours work perfectly with furniture that use textured materials, such as wood or leather. If you combine all of these styling elements together you can create a lot of depth and warmth within a room, especially if you add in a lot of natural lighting. The tartans we would recommend to achieve this look would be Chisholm Hunting Modern, Campbell Old Weathered and Cairngorm Stewart Hunting Weathered. We looked to James' room for inspiration, where he draped his faux fur throw over his brown leather couch, a truly rustic feel.