Snakes in the Home!
It's their year, so let them slither into your decor.
"SNAKE IN THE GRASS." "That snake!" The serpent of Garden of Eden fame! Why would we cheerfully celebrate the Year of the Snake?
But the ancient Chinese zodiac has a whole menagerie of problematic animals to contend with. The Year of the Rat? Yuck. Of the Pig? Hmmm. What about the Goat and the Dog (though goats are pretty cute, and dogs are, well, dogs).
While traditional Chinese belief is that the animal of your birth year can influence your personality, I propose that they can influence the personality of your . . . living room. Being suddenly snake-aware, I've found some charming, some disarming, ways serpents can slither into the house. Take a look.
This sinewy Serpent Accent Table makes an impression without taking up a lot of space. The table is 18 inches wide, and I think it might even be a while before a guest notices what those squiggly legs are. The table glows gold but is made of cast aluminum. It's made by Currey & Company, but you can find it at 2Modern.
Wisdom of the Snake Room Candle
Snake wisdom (one of the creature's attributes) here in the form of a hefty orange blossom and mulberry wood soy candle. Weighing in at 13½ ounces, Wisdom of the Snake promises up to 80 hours of fragrant burn. It's from Glasshouse Fragrances.
Jonathan Adler Lacquer ‘Eden’ Box
Jonathan Adler's aesthetic is often too jokey for me, but these handsome lacquer boxes are an exception. Can every room use a pop of orange? Maybe not—but a lot can (I can see it on my coffee table already. I just have to decide on one of the three sizes, 8, 10 or 12 inches long).
Once you get past the idea of buying jewelry for your candles(!), this 5-inch-tall Snake Candle Charm is a hands-down winner in the home décor department. If it turns out snakes aren't your thing, there's also an Evil Eye charm, a Heart charm (complete with a "Love" banner and a Cupid's arrow), and a Monogram charm (each initial comes with little stars and crescent moons to further dress up the candle). They're all from Anthropologie. Face it: Your unadorned pillar candles are simply going to look naked now (these 6-inch-tall fluted candles come in navy, ivory, and the light green shown).
It turns out that solid brass snakes make excellent coat hooks. They're unlacquered so will age over time.
Set a provocative table with gold-tone pewter Snake Napkin Rings. A set of four is $38.97, on sale at Z Gallerie.
John Derian’s ‘Snake XXXIV’
Trust artisan/retailer John Derian to produce the classiest snake in town: an antique print collaged onto a hand-blown glass tray. The is Snake XXXIV, about a foot long $120, and made to order.
From designer Brett Beldock comes this steel-and-resin accent lamp with an antique brass finish (she also created the snake coat hook above). The lamp stands 27 inches tall and a space-saving 10 inches wide. (If you're wondering, the max it takes is a 60 watt bulb, or a 9W LED.)
Vista Alegre Porcelain Year of the Snake Box
Portuguese porcelain maker Vista Alegre hasn't been around as long as the Chinese zodiac, but they have been making their festive china for 201 years. Their porcelain china snake box, like the other zodiac images they produce, lists birth years all around the outside so you can decide if you want to stay with the snake or go with your own birth-year animal. I should definitely spring for my Year of the Dog box.
L'Objet makes a small but nice selection of home accessories, including this brass Snake Magnifying Glass. Horchow has it in the large 8½-inch-long size ($195). For the small 4½-inch-long one ($65), you can go directly to L'Objet.
Judith Leiber Couture Spiral Snake Crystal Minaudière
One last item. Not a home accessory, but it would definitely dress up your closet! From Judith Leiber Couture comes this Spiral Snake Crystal Minaudière, aluminum body covered in crystals ($4,195, and it also comes in all silver crystal, with a silvery crustal serpent spiraling around the body of the bag). There's a less-expensive Leiber clutch with a serpent slithering across the front of a vegan-leather clutch, $1,295.
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I’m a sucker for anything John Derian but I’m also eying those boxes!