Some people decorate their homes with French paintings. Others add life to their walls with the mounted heads and stuffed carcases of dead animals. Long associated with hunting lodges and ski cabins, taxidermy is increasingly popping up in surprising new places. From hipster bars in New York and Seattle to palatial Hollywood homes and Dallas-area mansions, a mounted antelope head or a zebra-skin rug is seemingly all the rage. Here are 23 photos of taxidermy-filled homes for sale found on Estately's real estate search site:
23 Real Estate Listings Heavy On the Taxidermy
While many people love the aesthetics of a mounted deer head or stuffed mallard, many others find using a dead animal for decoration to be extremely upsetting. No doubt, a stuffed wildebeest by the fireplace really makes the room pop, but it may not be the best feature if your'e trying to sell the home. AOL Real Estate recently published an article called, "Don't Let Dead Animals Kill Your Home Sale," arguing, "If it's dead, it won't help you sell your home."
Even some taxidermy-loving realtors advise home sellers to hide their taxidermy to avoid turning off potential buyers. But while many balk at a stuffed cougar by the fireplace, that feeling isn't universal and may even be the minority in some parts of the country. While taxidermy appears most commonly in America's rural areas, it seems to be absolutely everywhere in Texas and West Virginia. Homes in progressive places like San Francisco and Miami Beach don't typically feature elk antlers or stuffed bears, but they're strangely awash in zebra-skin rugs.
While people may differ in their perception of mounted hunting trophies on walls, it seems nearly everyone in this country has finally gotten away from stuffing the family dog to sit obediently beside its master's easy chair. And by and large, most of the taxidermy that appears in real estate listings is of a high quality, although it can go horribly wrong. So, if you're perusing Estately's online real estate listings in search of a home, be prepared for the occasional unexpected bobcat pelt or mounted buffalo head. And be warned: Somewhere amidst Estately's hundreds of thousands of homes is a listing featuring a photo of Ted Nugent cradling a dead deer in his arms.