Cockatoos and Macaws Come Home to Roost, Gorgeously

By Marni Elyse Katz
September 27, 2010

Trend: It’s practically a parrot party. Interior designers, creative directors, and store merchandisers are infatuated with the colorful creatures incorporating them into home decors and commercial sets as more than mere props. Macaws and cockatoos seem especially beloved.

(Courtesy of Shoot Factory; Simon Upton/The Interior Archive,
designed by Hubert Zandberg)

Seen In: eBay shoppers! Sales of items in the home & garden category with the term "parrot" are up 24 percent in the past two weeks vs. a two week period almost one year ago.

Perhaps the most alluring use of the cockatoo is in this year’s Bvlgari “Eccentric Charisma” campaign starring Julianne Moore, baring all. The exotic peacock-color ads, fittingly, were shot at interior designer Tony Duquettes’s estate in Beverly Hills. While the print pieces are stunning, it was the behind-the-scenes video clip of Moore cavorting with the bird that had us mesmerized.

At Anthropologie, the jungle theme got play, with the cockatoo showing up on more than a few home accessories, including pillows, candles, and aprons (see photo). And, just the other day we spotted toucan-covered coffee canisters at Trader Joe’s (see photo).

Anthropologie & Trader Joe's

Anthropologie; Trader Joe's

Australian blogger and boutique owner Anna Spiro has offered amazing cockatoo lamps in her shop (and on her blog) more than once.

If tchotchkes aren’t your thing, opt for a parrot-covered cushion, or if you're daring, drapes. Our favorite fabric is “Polly” from Clarence House (see photo), which launched just last year. The pattern was developed from a painting done by the company’s V.P. of Design, Kazumi Yoshida. She cites her inspiration as “South American folklore, mixed with a touch of fantasy.” Another fun, crazy bird print is “Aviary” from Schumacher.

Clarence House

Clarence House "Polly" fabric; Kabinett & Kammer

Loved By: Sean Scherer, artist and owner of the distinctive upstate New York shop Kabinett and Kammer is fascinated by the creatures, and notices an increased interest from customers. He says, “I think it taps into the whole back to nature and early exploration craze (think Out of Africa). . . Attraction [lies in] a combination of their sublime beauty and our realization of the environmental limbo they exist in. It could also be a nostalgic feeling to a simpler time when nature and natural beauty was not so threatened.”

Sara Gilbane

Sara Gilbane

Interior designers love it too. Sara Gilbane, of Sara Gilbane Interiors in New York City, agrees that the bird trend is “everywhere,” though firmly believes the look to be a “classic.” The hand-drawn vintage print on the wall of a powder room she designed (see photo) reflects her client’s love for travel. She’s working on a guest room for another client, using an Asian-influenced parrot wallpaper by Bob Collins (see photo). Gilbane says, “I love the whimsy that comes along with birds, though they have a regal and glamorous quality as well.”

Exotic birds are just as beloved on the West Coast, says Molly Luetkemeyer of M. Design in Los Angeles. Like us, she sees the trend as an outgrowth of the larger jungle motif, but adds, “Really, birds are just so beautiful; each one has it’s own intense patterning and color. I could study different species for pattern and colorway ideas all day long. Maybe that will be the inspiration for my next fabric line!” As for the lamp on the sideboard (see photo), she says, “It is one of a pair that was given to my client by his grandmother. They were in a closet gathering dust when I discovered them. The house is very sleek, with mid-century furnishings; I love the juxtaposition of the more ornate ceramic with all the slick surfaces. It adds a layer of personality and quirkiness.”