Peacock motifs are making a statement in interior trends

When we think of the peacock in terms of interiors, subtle touches are key to avoid committing a decorative faux pas. Photos: AFP

It's subtle and elegant, but its colours can't simply be splashed about haphazardly. We're talking about the peacock.

Because bringing its 'strut' into our interiors can bring an exuberant touch, it doesn't take much for the pretty array to turn into kitsch. So, when we think of the peacock in terms of interiors, subtle touches are key to avoid committing a decorative faux pas.

The peacock got a moment in the spotlight in Paris when the Samaritaine reopened to the public on June 23, as an imposing fresco depicting the feathers of the bird, an emblem of the department store, right beneath the glass roof.

The restoration of the mosaic, originally dating from 1907, has attracted a lot of attention as it took four years of work to do justice to the masterpiece of the Art Nouveau department store.