Maybe it's the clamor for all things Alexander McQueen since the Savage Beauty exhibit. Maybe it's the dark mood about the economy. Maybe it's a reaction to the twee trends of the past few years. Whatever the reason, skulls abound lately in both fashion and home design. If you've been looking to add a bit of goth chic to your home, now's the time — between their popularity and Halloween's imminence, skull decor is readily available.
If you think skulls are too punk or goth for you, you may need to reconsider. From glittery bookends to modern chairs, they're on the way to becoming a design classic. Even mainstream retailers like Nieman Marcus now stock skull decor, and you can find plenty of vintage skull items on 1stDibs and Ebay. Buy one now, wait until Halloween passes, and set it out for some nonchalant drama.
- Skulls cascade across wallpaper that would be perfect in a cozy library. $155 at Graham and Brown.
- Glittery, oversized skulls can add a bit of glitz to a tablescape. $9.99 (originally $19) at West Elm.
- A set of mini skull candles are an unexpected, on-trend hostess gift. $35 at Unica Home.
- Damien Hirst's famous Diamond Skull stares out from a signed coffee table book about its history. $335 at Amazon.
- Pool's creepy, modern "Remember That You Will Die" stacking chair was designed for for Milan Design Week 2011. (Not yet on the market.)
- Printed cotton towels for Halloween that could work easily throughout the year. $20 for four at AlwaysCoco's Etsy.
- Place this skull on that modern, neutral-hued dresser you just bought for a dose of color. $50 at Nieman Marcus.
- A miniature skull perches on a mantel-ready candle snuffer. $35 at Barneys.
- 1970's-era lucite skulls can turn that stack of untended books in your living room into a chic statement. Available at 1stDibs.
- Update your bed by adding these skull-and-crossbone sheets. $69-$129 at Sin In Linen.
Images: As linked above.
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The wallpaper and the towels are awesome! The rest...not so much.
A single skull evokes Damien Hirst. A whole wall is Pol Pot.
Check out this incredible skull sculpture on kickstarter:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/joshharker/crania-anatomica-filigre-me-to-you
Ugh. Not for me.
I love it all. I would die for the skull wallpaper.
If your a vodka drinker... Buy yourself some crystal head vodka (http://crystalheadvodka.com/welcome)
and when empty, fill with water and food coloring and your have got yourself some funky skulls in whatever color you like. We have this and a tequila gun (for "shots" of tequila of course) on display on our TV stand. Always a conversation starter.
Can't get enough skulls!
Jamie Herzlinger
I've been trying to find a nice, anatomically correct (but not necessarily to scale) skull for Halloween decor but all I can find are gruesome ones or glittery ones (which are also sometimes gruesome).
Don't get the appeal of skulls outside Halloween.
The wallpaper and towels are ok
I don't really love the McQueen skull revival, the goth scene seemed so over in 1998.
No thank you
RocketScientist, a student recently complained to his principal that "that goth teacher" (me) was giving him a hard time. I don't know how he knew what I used to wear in high school, but I informed him that I didn't think goths were around any more. At least not since I graduated in '98!
Cool stuff here, I'll always have a little goth in my heart. And apparently one can still find traces in my appearance.
I actually have the chrystal skull votive holder, though not colored but clear. I sits on top of a stack of books on my dresser holding my collar stays.
I like the printed cotton towels (# 6) and the wallpaper is ok but I really don't see the appeal of skulls (and other creepies) except at Halloween.
My husband loves the wallpaper. :)
@ ebarrett3 I saw a nearly life sized skull piggy bank at Urban Outfitters.
Not usually a fan of the skulls as year round decor, but I love that blue glass one.
Not me, but I still love it.
And the props SLAY ME! So funny to see super white tennis shoes, a tennis racket and ball. Nothing says "skull" to me more than tennis.
"If you think skulls are too punk or goth for you, you may need to reconsider. From glittery bookends to modern chairs, they're on the way to becoming a design classic. ...." ".... Buy one now, wait until Halloween passes, and set it out for some nonchalant drama."
Skulls?? where did this trend come from?? :S
Sorry, I don't NEED to reconsider. I have a mind and am not a sheep to have a buyer tell me what I need to buy or do. Who comes UP with this stuff!?
JMHO.
I don't get the repulsion some people have to skulls, we all have one though some are more numb than others. Love the chair!
@ploefff Thanks for the lead but I just looked at the website and it doesn't seem to be there any more. They have a silver skull cookie jar which looked interesting, but ultimately not what I'm after.
I love the dishtowels and the wallpaper!