Not every phone call from the client is the same. When I spoke with this client for the first time, he wanted to make sure I was comfortable working with dead animals. Personally, I prefer dead animals to live ones, especially the exotic variety.
This particular client is an avid game hunter. After meeting with him I discovered he feels most at home in Africa on safari. So with this in mind, I decided to create an African game lodge for him in Tennessee. Of course, this is my romanticized version—complete with velvet sofa and mahogany cabinets.
How do you incorporate amazing Kudu and water buffalo into a sophisticated home? The starting point was the two-story great room with gothic style windows. It was a blank slate. A pair of French doors flanked the fireplace and had clerestory windows above and an empty space between that screamed for mounted trophies. The client had left and right-facing Kudu. These would fill the spot perfectly. I chose the color of the room from the skin of the game trophies.
Without a doubt the best feature of the room is the hand-painted mural depicting Victoria Falls and all the client’s favorite animals from safaris past. What made this so fun is that the client gave me photos of his favorite trips and we created this along with an artist from South Africa. The result was extraordinary.
There are few jobs that present me with the opportunity to fuse game trophy and silk. But, the juxtaposition of the rough skin of the animals and the fine texture of the draperies and pillows is a dramatic expression for the client and his family and friends to enjoy.