Egypt is a land rich in art and tradition, so the person who decides to furnish a home with Egyptian decor has a wide variety of cultural themes and design elements to choose from. Furniture, statuary, bookends, wall hangings, and throws can be found with an Egyptian theme, enabling a decorator to adorn any room or an entire house with Egyptian decor. Gods and goddesses, desert scenes, and animals such as camels, jackals, and cats are common themes in Egyptian home decorations. Other popular choices for Egyptian decor include pyramids, pharaohs, sphinxes, and hieroglyphics.
The ancient Egyptians favored furniture with legs shaped like a lion’s paws and other animals, and reproductions of these pieces are available today. Egyptian furniture often features heavy, solid woods with dark finishes. Marble is often used on tabletops, and furniture and statues are often embellished with metallic bronze or gold paint.
Large chairs resembling thrones are popular pieces of Egyptian furniture which can be quite pricey. Besides using furniture, there are ways to beautify the home with Egyptian decor that isn’t expensive. Accessories can add Egyptian flavor to a home without breaking the budget.
King Tutankhamen and Queen Nefertiti are popular icons in Egyptian artwork and statuary. They can be seen on wall plaques, coffee mugs, throws, and other common household items. A bust of either royal personage set into a wall niche or placed on a pedestal will make an elegant statement, and adding lighting to illuminate the piece at night will make a simple bust the focal point of a room.
Symbols commonly used to represent Egyptian deities are popular elements in Egyptian decor. The eye of Horus and the winged Isis are two of the most common symbols. One of these symbols framed and hung on a wall will add a touch of the exotic to any room.
Adorning the home with sand-colored accents that reflect the hues of the desert and interspersing them with a statue or two of Egyptian deities is a stylish way to display Egyptian decor. Wallpaper with patterns and colors that resemble the stone blocks used to build pyramids and burial chambers will impart a casual elegance to a bathroom or hallway. Fabrics patterned with animal prints, statues of wild animals, and artwork featuring jungle animals can be used as Egyptian decor. Although lions, hippos, and giraffes no longer populate Egypt, they work very well when combining Egyptian and African elements in a home’s interior design.