The pixel cell rabbit is a little grotesque, though I find it so because of the glass beads, not the taxidermy. Skulls don't really bother me. I think it would be cool to have a saber tooth tiger bone, but I wouldn't because no one would possibly think it was real (and they'd be right).

I don't have stuff like this because it doesn't go with my aesthetic, but it doesn't bother me. What does bother me, though, is when people have real coral. Please don't deplete the coral reefs for decor! There is lots and lots of fake coral you can buy, and most people won't know the difference.

Yes, totally. When they're natural and perhaps added to artfully. Love skulls, bones and all the rest. What's the big deal. But I agree with Pi, please leave the coral reefs alone. And for that matter if in Greenland or Svalbard or somewhere similar please leave the caribou bones and antlers to feed the scant soil. There are places on earth where nature would be better left undisturbed.

I love skulls and bones (and I think that rabbit is really cool), but I cannot stand insects, even mounted and under glass.

As a Decorator and Product Merchandiser, I dont get to use them in other peoples homes as much as I would like, but in my own home, I Love Natural Curiosities!! Natural and found objects are the main theme on the Mantle over my fireplace. I have a Cow Skull, a mason jar filled with feathers found in the woods, Large Agate peices, Hand carved and found wood sculptures, and an antique Iron ( found at an abandoned house in the woods) as a book end.
Friends always comment on how they love the "Homey" and personal feel.

Although I love the television show BONES, I couldn't live with them. The rabbit wasn't bad. But, think of it as - beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

I've never been a fan of "natural curiosities". I've noticed a lot of fake taxidermy in recent house tours. Are plastic deer heads this year's Keep Calm and Carry On?

LOVED the collections. So Ralph Waldo.

Is it just me, or does that first skull look like its in a persistant state of panic? It makes me laugh.

As a biology major, I love love love it all. I have a whole collection of skulls and bones from around my woods (deer and other critters).

I have several skulls (bear, wolf, badger, beaver, fox), lots of minerals (selenite, iron pyrite, copper ore, quartz, etc.), and some fossils in my collection. I love every "weird" curiosity I have in my collection, and love all the comments (positive, negative, neutral) I get on them!

Just FYI- Real coral washes ashore naturally all the time. In some places you can find pieces that are quite large. I understand and agree with your concern about disturbing the coral reefs, but please don't assume that all coral decor was harvested from living reefs. I have a few cool pieces I picked up on the beach in Mexico a few years back and I'd hate to think that anyone would believe that I damaged living coral to get them.

As a vegetarian and general animal lover...it's odd that I like this type of "creepy stuff'. I love the look of anatomical hearts, and have quite a few art pieces featuring them, I also have a few pieces of bone, human skull prints and a Cardboard Safari deer head...

One Thanksgiving, while cleaning the cooked meat off the whole bird carcass, I discovered that the bone inside a turkey tail has an architectural beauty, with its delicate arches, seamless convergences, and symmetries. So I began to collect turkey tailbones and compare them. Larger birds have more complex tailbone structures, branching out from the same core. It's terribly interesting.

My knuckleheaded retriever discovered my bone collection. He found them terribly delicious. Oh well.

Happy thanksgiving, and may you also enjoy exploring familiar subjects in new ways.

Last month I read an article about the threat of extinction for the Nautilus, harvested and sold for around a dollar for the tropical divers who harvest them. On a trip to Edisto Beach I saw them in a beach souvenir shop, some broken.
We visited a very beautiful beach that enforces a large fine for removing any shells. Leave the beach as you find it for all to enjoy is the rule. People could still not resist the urge to 'collect' and the fallen trees were lined with gathered welk shells and they dangled from the branches of trees.
When any species faces extinction for a fad of fashion or decoration, we all lose.
I am always on the side of excess and originality in one's own home, but making a fad of relics of living things makes me sad.

I do taxidermy for a museum, and decorating with natural curiosities raises several issues for me. First, I got into taxidermy because I am a biology student and I love the cultural history of natural history (curiosity cabinets, etc.) and the design/crafts side of it. I definitely experience the urge to collect but I've also seen the harm it can do when these types of things become fashionable and people don't take a strong conservation perspective. The commodification of things that were once living will always be a tough issue, especially when the context isn't considered (environmental issues, the integrity of the organism, etc.). Sometimes I get sad to see how popular this has become because I wonder about the origins of the pieces. Also, from a quality standpoint, a lot of the taxidermy you see--and it goes for a lot of money!--is pretty rotten work. Not to sound like an elitist jerk with an "I was there first" attitude, but lately I've been wishing this fad would go away and be left to those who know what's up and can participate responsibly...okay, I guess I do sound like a jerk.

To add to my last comment, PLEASE KNOW THE ORIGINS OF ANYTHING YOU COLLECT! You can get into serious trouble if you're in possession of anything from a protected species and don't have proper documentation or the sample wasn't taken before the species became protected. Even if you collected something that was already dead, you can face major fines and jail time. If you have collected such pieces and just didn't know, avoid posting pictures on the internet because someone might report you!

I don't think you sound like a jerk, Katie, you sound like an educated, insightful person.
Thanks for the comments.