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candybuzz I would suggest you leave the antlers natural. If you want to break up the color between the antlers and buffet you may want to put a runner on the buffet -pick up a color from the artwork above.

wyndyacre What a great find! Yes...it would be blasphemy! :-)

What about getting a long rectangular peice of black slate to lay on the buffet and then lay the antlers on? Would pick up the other dark colours in your rooom (art, chairs etc), would provide contrast for the antlers and would also be something naturalistic, like the antlers.
You could put some small felt pads, like those that go on the bottom of furniture, on the bottom of the slate, to protect your buffet from scratches.

decoenthusiaste Like the slate idea, or some stone from the area the antlers came from.

eztia I agree that you should not paint the antlers. A runner or contrasting colored base (such as the slate suggestion above) will enhance the presence of the antlers.

elwillems I think leaving it natural would be nice. Mabey adding a nice like mat or rug underneath the antlers on the table

centaurita Both of the suggestions above sound like they would work nicely. If you go with a runner (perhaps while you search for something natural :) , play around with ideas of different colors taken from the rest of the room and the painting before commiting to a runner color. Maybe look at a few samples online, and imagine what colors would bring you the most enjoyment for showcasing the antlers.

Barnhart Gallery They're beautiful as is. Paint them? I'm thinking what? But then, I look at your adventurous style, and I'm reminded of an HGTV show with the Novogratz', where they took a simple birch log and dyed it blue, and it was just gorgeous. Now I'm wondering if you're on to something. But I'd dye and wipe it back to keep it textural rather than paint. Show us if you decide to try it -- hope it pays off if you take a gamble!

meowmeowkitty Thanks! I like all these ideas so far!

meowmeowkitty to: barnhartgallery, is this what you're talking about? That is really cool!
http://www.johnhoushmand.com/products/product.html?id=0200&cat=miscellaneous

debart1 If you paint them, just paint a color stripe around them. They are too beautiful to paint the whole thing.

Stanton Designs-online design services A pop of color would look great! I'd pull out the green from the painting.

centaurita I thought the dye sounded intriguing so I looked around and found a litle bit of info.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/384911-can-you-stain-deer-antler
http://www.penturners.org/forum/f28/dyeing-antler-6950/

bikini_chicken I love the natural look of your room. However I think a pop of color could be just what the room needs and wouldn't compromise the organic shape of the antlers that work so well with the decor. I think a turquoise, like the chandelier in this photo of a closet on houzz, would be perfect and unexpected. [houzz=
]

meowmeowkitty That's awesome bikini-chicken! I am so nervous to do that, but think it would be one of those "wow" pieces for sure! Everyone's ideas are great so far, thank you!

debart1 I forgot to mention this earlier but you could always buy some of that tape that comes in every color and design (Walmart even carries it in the art section) and wrap a strip around each one and see if you like it. Then if you don't you haven't messed up your antlers. It you're on Pinterest there are several for sale that you could look at to get ideas.

meowmeowkitty Great idea debart1! Or maybe wrap them with colorful yarn.

julz64 Why not colour the walls in a Duck Egg Blue, would go fabulously well with the naturals of your interior. Don't paint the antlers!!!

maggiemae0552 I agree! please don't paint the antlers! Maybe you can find a small blanket or runner in a colorful native American pattern!

Interiors International, Inc. If you want painted ones they make fake versions. Leave the real ones natural.

meowmeowkitty I live in Arizona, that's why I have a little Southwestern influence in my choices. I'm still trying to decide, thanks for the great comments so far!

meowmeowkitty maggiemae0552, that's an interesting idea about the native style blanket!

Welcome Home designs I like the natural look of the antlers but I agree that something is missing.
I would suggest leaning your painting instead of hanging it on the wall and then layering some accessories that complement the antlers and the colours in the painting.
See the attached photo to see what I mean.

meowmeowkitty Thanks Welcome Home Designs, love that photo! Maybe it does need a little styling.

Genevieve Leave Nature be natural or they will look fake

britt88 Leave them natural! That's the whole appeal of antlers, in my opinion.

sluggodog Another vote for natural. They are subtle, but still very visible - goes with the rest of your decor (from what I can see). What's throwing me off a bit, is the balance of the picture.. it is beautiful, just wish it was bigger/wider.

mmilos Leave them natural. I'd add a pop of color with a pair of buffet lamps.

loroca I'm all for painting things, but these particular antlers are gorgeous. Keep it natural. Btw, where did u get the buffet?

anitajoyce Leave them alone!. They are an art piece. Love what you've done to the room. Nice baskets. You could place blue or white candle or a vase in these colors with the antlers.

Lkristine I would paint them white! I know, not the common answer, but that's what I would do!

Christine leave them natural. If they are staying where they are then the painting above the sideboard is a wonderful pop of color. Also since in most design schemes you always want nature (or a natural element) I think you would have that by leaving them in their state. If you want fake white then West Elm and Z gallerie carry those.

lisboeta Indeed, they are "matchy, matchy". Do not use paint. If you can't bear changing their color, use them elsewhere and find something more suitable for the existing conditions. If those were mine, I would rub them with a wood stain to give them sort of a leather saddle look (reddish brown). Try first with a light coat of the stain on a clean piece of wood and let it dry; see if it moves you. If not, apply another coat or try another color. If need be, repeat until the finish color contrasts with the furniture. Make sure that the stain is not glossy (most have polyurethane to add gloss) at all and don't use "gel" stains. Putting gloss on will damage the "natural" look of the finish you seek. I'm confident you can make this work. You will be pleased how the antlers will catch your eye. Good luck.

-A very anal DIY

LM Designers Don't paint. If you paint them then they may not look real.

meowmeowkitty I got the sideboard/buffet here:
http://www.wayfair.com/Hooker-Furniture-Mirrored-Server-3013-85001-HKR4200.html
I took out the fretwork (they were too yellow gold) and sprayed them oil rubbed bronze, then replaced them and like it much better.

meowmeowkitty Thank you, love all these ideas! I think I'll stage the sideboard differently with the antlers before i do anything permanent to them. Maybe layer something in front of the art, maybe get some buffet lamps. I'll play around with it a little more. I love modern and I love rustic, so I'm trying to marry the two and it's tricky. I'll post more pics later for your feedback!

sluggodog Hey there.. i was on Pinterest and saw your table on there. If you don't go with lamps, two nice matching tall vases on either side would balance everything out..

JWinteriors The balance is off. You have large art, large antlers, large credenza...and then little twiggy stuff in the corner. Too much hardscape going on, too. Balance that by following the example the other designer provided with a picture from houzz, with the added softscape.

creativetkr Leave them natural. To blend items a little more consider spray painting the curly willow in the corner. How about orange to repeat the painting accent color? then maybe add a few Orange tiered vases with the antlers offset to one side of the server?

debart1 I've looked at this photo a ton of times. JWinteriors made me think. Why not take out the corkscrew willows in the corner, split the antlers and have a large low ceramic bowl in the center using one of the colors in the painting that you like. Have the bowl lower than the antlers so you don't take away from the art but still have variation in the height of the elements on the credenza. That would continue your horizontal lines but not be boring.