Whether you like it or loathe it, the aesthetic of a stag head mounted on a wall is undeniably a quintessential symbol of ‘country life’ interior style the world over; effortlessly evoking weekends spent in the great outdoors at the hunting lodge, chalet, homestead or manor. Whilst some fellow Countryphiles can’t get enough of the style of REAL taxidermy, for others the idea of hanging the mounted head of a real animal on their wall is challenging – even disagreeable.
Well, if you love the look, but can’t quite love the reality, then you’ll LOVE today’s story!
Last year, I had the pleasure of ‘chatting’ to the ultra talented + creative husband and wife team behind White Faux Taxidermy in Utah, America. Marcos + Paislea make bespoke ‘ceramic taxidermy’ pieces that range from wolves, rams, stags, sharks, lions, tigers and zebras to unicorns, antelopes and legendary jackalopes. The duo love what they do and adopt an environmentally and animal-friendly approach to their creativity. So what’s not to LOVE!
With a little tongue in cheek, Marcos + Paislea smile at the fact that the acronym for White Faux Taxidermy (WFT) is only a one letter rearrangement of that other acronym WTF – a fact they think echoes the playful & unexpected elements they introduce to their designs!
Marcos described Paislea as the ‘super artistic one’ and explained that he spends more time on the business side of things. However, he also confided that the couple have turned their hobby and passion into something so enjoyable that he is becoming more involved in the artistic aspects. While the team work hard in the studio, their gorgeous pooch, Wynn, hangs about happily soaking up the creative vibe too!
You will be thrilled to know that White Faux Taxidermy has an online store that ships WORDLWIDE. Yay! AND, just in time for St. Valentine’s Day, WFT are offering 10% off your entire order. Just enter the code WFTLOVE14 upon checkout (exclusively on Etsy) to receive your discount. But, before you race off to their Etsy store to discover the joys of WFT, The Countryphiles has CURATED a look book of a few of our favourite pieces (sans the HUNT of course). Enjoy! x
Tell us about White Faux Taxidermy. How did your wonderful online store come about?
We love the idea of bringing outdoor life, inside. We wanted our company to exude our playful side and we are so happy that others agree.
What inspired the name?
We actually just came up with it one day as a joke. We switched around the last two letters and laughed out loud! We wanted to convey that it was Faux (fake). Our motto is “no animals were hurt during the process”.
For our Countryphiles audience, who is the ‘behind the scenes’ team at White Faux Taxidermy?
We are a young, eclectic husband and wife team that are passionate about animals. We find inspiration in all of our pets on a daily basis :)
The mounted wild animal aesthetic (real and faux) is hugely popular. What makes you so passionate about it?
Great question! We plain and simply love animals and nature. We spend our days giving back, whether it is to local charities, traveling or going to the aquarium (when we can get away from work) which is getting harder these days. We are hugely inspired by aesthetics in nature and we are also inspired by form and function, pop culture and design. As a husband and wife team, we each bring our own sense of spirit to a project. We inspire each other to create on a daily basis.
Also known as ‘ceramic taxidermy’ your range of resin animal heads is incredibly popular worldwide! Can you give us a little insight into your creative processes?
We personally make sure that each piece is customized to order. We are so selective and hands-on and have implemented many quality assurance processes. We will only sell a piece we would personally hang up in our home.
You are based in Orem in Utah in the USA at the base of Mount Timpanogos in the mouth of the beautiful Provo Canyon – phew! Do the mountains influence your creativity?
We do live in a beautiful part of the country. It’s really tranquil. The simplicity of our landscape is what gives birth to many of our most popular pieces.
Where or who or what do you draw your inspiration from?
We love art and we feel that it is a reflection of one’s soul. However, we want WFT to be fun and not serious. Real taxidermy is serious. How fun is it to turn that on its ear and create a faux piece in pink with glitter antlers. It’s ridiculous and wonderful!
You have an online store and an Etsy shop. Do you ship to Australia?
We ship anywhere and everywhere. We have many collectors from around the world and are proud to say that we are on six of the seven continents.
Where are some of the most interesting places/homes/clients where your ceramic taxidermy resides?
We are so lucky to say that we have had pieces in the windows at Macy’s, Coachella, and many fashion shows – but honestly our fans send us pictures of the interiors of their homes and we are blown away by the creative ways they display their WFT pieces. We have some VERY stylish, cool customers. We can’t emphasize that enough. We love pictures and enjoy displayong them on our website.
You do bespoke pieces. What is the most interesting piece you’ve been commissioned to create?
We created a huge glitter piece for a sheik, yes a sheik! The designer told us it was hanging in his foyer. We can’t wait to see the pictures!
Do you consider yourselves to be ‘Countryphile/s’ in anyway? That is, do you love country life?
We love the country life. There wouldn’t be a WTF if we didn’t love animals and wildlife. There is an alternative to putting a real animal on your wall. Many of our free days are spent exploring the countryside. We respect nature and all living things.
What can we expect NEXT from you/your business in the future?
We have so many exciting plans for the future. We are launching a furniture line and a home goods line. The possibilities are endless.
What would be your dream project?
We are living our dream. The feedback that we get is amazing. We started off with an idea and now it’s blossomed into a business. We are having a really great time creating our WFT products and getting to know our clients.
Marcos + Paislea
White Faux Taxidermy
