Sure ~ we wear leather shoes and coats, don't we? if it suits your style, I see nothing wrong with sheep skin or a cowhide.

I believe that if an animal is well treated during its life, it is a responsible act to utilize as much of it as possible. That said, I just discovered a box of antlers in my garage and my first thought was -- these are not going up in my house! This should make an interesting discussion this evening.

I felt a bit of guilt over buying an IKEA sheepskin a few months ago until my friend told me that mostly those come from old animals,as you mention above.

I still get twinges (& hide it when my vegan niece visits!), but my cat loves it SO much, she spends all day lounging around and basically making out with it: I call it her boyfriend.

I felt like it was a non-ugly (no dayglo pink fleece!), affordable daytime cat bed that keeps my cat warm in my chilly apartment!

With a four year old and a dog, furs are a no go and leather is a luxury. When they get older I'd love a nice leather hide to go on the back of my couch and possibly a leather topped table. Fur is still weird to me, though. Mostly that's a texture thing, though. I keep imagining getting hair stuck in my throat when I see it.

The real question no one is asking: How do you feel about ladders in the middle of a room?

This is a regular discussion in our place. I grew up on a farm, and it ruined me... I have very few qualms about killing animals because of my experience growing up with them. You raised it, loved it, and then killed it. That's the way it goes, and you knew from day one that none of them would be any different.

My roomie grew up in a major city, and feels that a constant lingering reminder of animal death is depressing. Every time he sees me looking at sheepskin rugs or throws he asks me not to bring them into the apartment.

There was even one time he was on a "no animal skins" tirade and I couldn't resist making a joke about adopting bunnies from the animal shelter in order to make their fur into a blanket and then using their bones to make necklaces and little sculptures. [I know it's not funny, but his face sure was when I said it...]

I've owned one of those Ikea rugs before and felt guilty about them. I don't buy the argument that they only use old or dying animals. I just don't see how that alone fulfills our reckless consumer demand. In any case I think using animal parts for decor is barbaric. I was never a fan of the antlers rage. However I did suppress my desires for those zebra rugs. I didn't even support the faux zebra rugs either because in my mind I didn't like what they stood for: consumer-fueled death. I guess I could understand fur use for those living in frozen tundras back in the day. But we've advanced as a society and I think we have a responsibilty to speak for the voiceless and choose non-cruel alternatives like animal skins to furnish homes and wardrobes.

I meant to type we should NOT choose animal skins for our decor or wardrobe.

I'm 50-50. On the animal welfare side, I would only want one that I knew had come from an animal that was raised well - echoing most of the comments from other readers.

However ... let's be honest ... sometimes animal skins just look tacky tacky tacky tacky. So from an aesthetic perspective, I'm meh on the whole idea.

You realize antlers fall out every year right? Depending on the animal buying fur can support your aboriginal population that rely on this income to support themselves.

I think they look better on the animal.

I'm not vegan, or even vegetarian. I love eating meat. But I think the skins look hideous. I hate those cowhide rugs. They're beyond ugly. And antlers on the wall? Burning my eyes.

"The real question no one is asking: How do you feel about ladders in the middle of a room?"

:)

I probably wouldn't have them in my home but I don't have a problem with them. As long as the whole animal was used and not just raised for it's pelt then fine.

hi - thanks for the reference, re-nest!

i can't speak to the IKEA sheepskins - but i can speak to the sheepskins my little webshop sells:

the skins we sell are harvested from Icelandic sheep that are raised via 'traditional' methods. in brief, the sheep are set free to graze the Icelandic hillside until they are rounded-up in the fall for birthing and slaughter.

the primary reason for raising these sheep is for their meat (a traditional Icelandic delicacy). As opposed to simply disposing of the remains, the skins are set aside for re-use thus reducing the waste by-products of the animal.

the skins are then tanned using strictly controlled EU directives concerning 
environmental preservation and protection. no harmful chemicals such as chromium are used in the tanning process.

we also believe in social sustainability (aside from just environmental sustainability) - Black Sheep (white light) donates $5 of every sheepskin sold to helping the homeless here in Toronto:
http://blacksheepwhitelight.com/info

while i have mis-givings about the treatment of animals for human's benefit in some circumstances - i am proud that we've done our due-diligence.

if anyone would like any further information, head over to the site and drop me a line from the contact form.

thanks!
Bryce
Black Sheep (white light)
Purveyors of 'eco-friendly' Icelandic Sheepskins

Great post, thank you. The first question should be, what proof do you have that the company (*cough* Ikea) is telling the truth about where the animal came from? Cruelly treated animal products are cheap. And companies use them - then lie. Period.

I agree that all parts of an animal should be used. However in light of all the greenwashing, lying and especially the atrocious conditions animals are often kept under (tiny cages, filth, starvation, mutilation, torture), I think it's distatesful and offensive.

I need sheepskins to lie on & put over chair backs - they are gentler & help with pressure related pain.
It would be good if they were more eco-resourced though.
Others, I like but worry, even when told they're green. Mind you, a kangaroo skin rug would be cool.
Was it AP or D*S that had rugs made out of teddy bears the other day? That was SO WRONG.

I don't care what Pamela Anderson says! I see no problem with fur, skins and leather when ethically treated or used.

Less damage and more ethical than chemical, petroleum based synthetics.

I have a rule of thumb: If i would put it in my stomach I would put it in my home.

I have reindeer, cow, sheep and rabbit as part of my home decor. I see no problem with this because it is all locally sourced (I live in Denmark) The reindeer comes from my mom who lives in Greenland where it's the equivelent of beef or pork in the U.S.

Lamb's meat is delicous and we farm and eat it in my country so I think your worry of farming sheep for their hides exclusivly can be put to rest. It would make no economic sense throwing out the meat when there is markets for it. Also Iceland, Greenland and New Zealand are big on sheeps as farm animals because they can take care of themselves for longer periodes of times. In the spring the are put to grass in the mountains over the summer and brought back in in the winter.

My point is fur and hides that comes from animals like mink (farmed only from their fur) and endangered species is an absolute no-go but "edible" animals which will vary from one part of the world to the next is ok if you you like it. You should be more worried about the CO2 damage the transport of the sheep skins between continents inflicts.

I'm a vegetarian and I have a cowhide and bull's horns in my apartment. The hide I picked up at a flea market, the horns were a gift. I had stuffed animals in my room while I was a student. As long as these are secondhand I really don't mind. Killing animals for follies like decorating one's apartment is not OK in my book.

I'm a lifelong vegetarian and all around animal love and while I cannot stand the idea of fur clothing -really, really makes me think "dead animal", I can't help but like the pelt/hide rugs that have become so popular. I couldn't do the cowhide and opted for a synthetic alternative which is not nearly as beautiful. I do have a couple of the IKEA sheepskins and my dogs and cat love them. What I think I could be ok with is a guaranteed old animal cow hide but where would you find such a thing? I actually was just perusing a few sites the other day because I do wonder if I could ever be convinced to go for one, they are sooo beautiful. I know it must sound kind of backward for a vegetarian and animal lover but I love the natural aesthetic.

I've always wondered about flokati rugs: are they hides or shorn wool?

Whenever I see these all I can think is, "dead animal" and feel sad.

Rk3 - glad I'm not alone! I'm a card-carrying vegan of 5 years. I can't help but like the natural aesthetic of a sheepskin, but then my morals/ self control step in. I mean its not like we went vegan initially because we just hated the taste of bacon. I'm against animal and human exploitation, but I have secondhand leather in my closet, and on a chair. I know PETA would probably drum me out of their club for that. I also have a beautiful faux cowhide rug under my coffee table from Z Gallerie (it sounds terrible, but it's pretty great). If the right secondhand sheepskin came along, I would snag it. I don't have time to worry about what other vegans think of me, or whose compass I'm following other than my own. As for IKEA's source, I have a hard time believing that such a high volume of a consistent product comes from a bunch of old sheep. It costs more to wait for a sheep to get old (all the while keeping his/her skin healthy and youthful) than to turn and burn yearlings.

All in all, responsible production practices are important to me- respect for animals, people, and the environment, so I usually end up sticking with secondhand to be safe.

So refreshing to have a friendly discussion on something like this! Love to all!