Leopard print, the animal print that acts like a neutral

Designers like to say that leopard print is a neutral, and on a rug it often behaves like one: its warm golds, browns and blacks sit comfortably with almost any color, from navy and emerald to blush pink and plain white. Our leopard and cheetah rugs are printed edge to edge on soft velvet rather than made from fur or hide, so no animal is involved, the spots can come in any colors, and the whole rug goes in your washing machine. Choose a rectangle, a round rug or a shaped rug cut to the outline of a hide.

Leopard or cheetah?

The two prints are often confused, and both are searched for constantly, so here's the difference:

Print	The markings	The look
Leopard	Rosettes, irregular rings of dark spots around a lighter center	Richer, more complex, the classic glamorous print
Cheetah	Solid, round black spots scattered evenly	Simpler, sportier, more graphic
Snow leopard	Large dark rosettes on pale grey and cream	Cool, soft and understated
Jaguar	Large rosettes with small spots inside them	Bold and dramatic

Leopard spots are rosettes with a darker center, while cheetah spots are simple solid dots, which is why a cheetah rug looks sportier and a leopard rug more glamorous.

We make all of them. If you're not sure which you want, leopard is the more classic choice for a living room; cheetah's simpler spots suit a bedroom, a dorm or a playful space.

A short history of leopard print

Leopard print has been a symbol of glamour for most of the last century. Christian Dior showed it in his first collection in 1947, and in the early 1960s, a leopard coat worn by Jacqueline Kennedy caused a worldwide rush on the print. It has since moved through 1970s rock style, 1980s power dressing and 1990s and 2000s pop culture, and in interiors it has gone from Hollywood Regency glamour to a confident accent in modern, minimal homes. On the floor, it's a way to add personality to a room in a single move.

Choosing the colors

• Gold and black: the classic, warm and glamorous, with brass, velvet and dark wood.
• Cream and brown: softer and more natural, easy to live with, lovely with linen and rattan.
• Pink leopard: playful and fun, a favorite for bedrooms, dorms and dressing areas.
• Grey snow leopard: cool and calm, ideal for grey, white and Scandinavian rooms.
• Black on black or charcoal: moody and subtle, the pattern revealed only up close.
• Unexpected colors: green, blue or red leopard, through our custom rugs.

In the living room

A leopard print area rug under a coffee table brings warmth and confidence to a living room. It looks especially good with a velvet sofa in a rich solid color, emerald, navy, rust or camel, brass or gold lamps and a few plain cushions. A 5×7 ft rug is our largest standard size and suits most coffee table areas; a custom size up to 5′11″ × 10′ covers a longer seating area. For the softest feel underfoot, choose Premium, 7 mm plush velvet on a bamboo and cotton back, about 700 g/m². Our living room rugs page has more layouts.

In the bedroom

A leopard rug at the foot of a bed, or a shaped leopard rug beside it, adds a touch of glamour to a bedroom without overwhelming it. Pink leopard suits a playful room; cream and brown suits a calm one; gold and black suits a dramatic one, especially with dark walls. Our bedroom rugs page has more ideas.

Hallways and runners

A leopard runner is a classic way to use the print: it turns a plain hallway into something memorable and makes a narrow space feel more lively. Our standard sizes are rectangular, but a custom size lets you order a long, narrow leopard rug, up to 10 ft long, to fit your hallway exactly. Choose Standard: 5 mm crushed velvet on a non-slip faux leather back, about 500 g/m², which stays put as people walk by.

In the bathroom

A small leopard rug in front of the vanity is a fun, glamorous touch in a bathroom. One honest note: our rugs are printed velvet, not thick, quick-drying bath mats. Place one by the vanity or the door, rather than right where you step out of the shower, and choose Standard for its non-slip back on tiles.

Hide-shaped, round or rectangular

A hide-shaped leopard rug, cut to the irregular outline of a pelt, is the most dramatic option and a classic for layering over a larger plain rug. Our shaped rugs come in sizes from 2.6×2.6 up to 5.2×5.9 ft (80×80 to 160×180 cm), printed rather than made from a hide. Rectangular rugs are cleaner and easier to place under furniture. Round leopard rugs, from 2.6 to 5.9 ft (80 to 180 cm), are lovely in a reading corner, under a round table or in a dressing area. Our round rugs page shows each size in a room.

About 8×10 rugs

We don't make 8×10 rugs. Our largest standard size is 5×7 ft, and custom sizes go up to 5′11″ × 10′. For a large room, a hide-shaped leopard rug layered at an angle over a larger plain rug is a stylish way to bring in the print without covering the whole floor.

Mixing leopard with other patterns

Because it behaves like a neutral, leopard mixes surprisingly well: with stripes, checks, florals and other animal prints, as long as one color ties them together. A leopard rug with a black and white striped cushion, or a cream leopard with a brown zebra throw, feels layered and intentional. For more animal designs, see our zebra rugs, tiger rugs, cow print rugs, snake rugs and the full range of animal print rugs. For other bold, glamorous patterns, our art deco rugs are a natural companion.

Leopards in the wild, and black panthers

Leopards are the most adaptable of the big cats, living across much of Africa and parts of Asia, from savannas and forests to mountains, and they famously haul their prey up into trees to keep it safe. Some leopards are born with a very dark coat, and these are what most people call black panthers. Look closely in the right light, though, and their rosettes are still there, faintly visible beneath the black. That subtle effect is the inspiration for our black-on-charcoal leopard rug: from across the room it reads as a dark, solid rug, and up close the pattern appears.

Snow leopards

The snow leopard lives high in the mountains of Central Asia, from the Himalayas to the Altai, and is one of the most elusive big cats in the world. Its thick grey and cream coat with large dark rosettes is softer and cooler than a classic leopard's. A snow leopard print rug suits grey, white and blue rooms, Scandinavian interiors and winter cabins, and it brings the pattern into spaces where golden tones would feel too warm.

Cheetahs

Cheetahs are the fastest land animals on earth, and their spots are simpler than a leopard's: solid, round and evenly scattered. A cheetah print rug feels lighter and sportier, and it's a favorite for teens' bedrooms, dorm rooms and playful living spaces. Pink cheetah is especially popular for a fun, early-2000s look; for more sweet, pastel designs, see our cute rugs.

Printed versus fur and hide

Real leopard and cheetah fur come from protected species, and real hides are expensive and can't be washed. A printed velvet rug gives you the look without any of that: it's soft, light, machine washable and available in any color and any of our sizes, and no animal is involved. The trade-off is a smoother texture than real fur. If you love the print and want something practical for everyday life, printed velvet is the better fit.

Standard or Premium

Standard is best for hallways, bathrooms, entryways, under desk chairs and anywhere with a hard or slippery floor, because its non-slip back stays put. Premium is softer and warmer, best in living rooms and bedrooms where you walk barefoot or sit on the floor. Both are printed the same way, so the rosettes stay crisp, and both go in the washing machine.

Sizes

Rectangles come in 2×3, 2.6×3.9, 3.3×5, 4×6 and 5×7 ft. Round rugs come from 2.6 to 5.9 ft (80 to 180 cm) across. Hide-shaped rugs come from 2.6×2.6 up to 5.2×5.9 ft (80×80 to 160×180 cm). Custom sizes go up to 5′11″ × 10′, including long, narrow runners.

Shipping and returns

Every rug is printed to order in 1–3 business days and ships from Turkey; US delivery usually takes 2–5 business days after that. Unused rugs can be returned within 30 days on US orders. Custom colors and sizes are made just for you and can't be returned.

Care

Machine wash on a gentle, cold cycle and let it air dry flat. Vacuum on a low setting between washes, and blot spills with cold water right away. The design is printed into the fibers, so the spots stay sharp and the golds stay warm, wash after wash, season after season.

Rosettes, spots and other big cat patterns

Leopard print is built on rosettes: rose-like rings of black around a slightly darker tan center, without a dot inside. The jaguar, its American cousin, has larger rosettes that usually do have one or more small dots in the middle. Cheetahs, by contrast, have solid, round black spots and two dark tear lines that run from the inner corners of their eyes down to the mouth.

Other wild cats bring their own patterns. The ocelot of Central and South America wears chain-like blotches and stripes in warm gold and black. The clouded leopard of Southeast Asia has large, cloud-shaped patches with dark edges, almost like a watercolor, and the serval of Africa is covered in neat, scattered black spots on a long-legged golden body.

Those differences give animal print rugs real variety. A classic leopard rosette in camel, chocolate and black works as a neutral almost anywhere. A jaguar print, bolder and more graphic, suits a dramatic living room. A cheetah's simple spots feel lighter and more playful in a bedroom, and a clouded leopard pattern in smoky gray and brown is a sophisticated, unusual choice for a study or a dressing room.

For wildlife lovers, a rug that identifies the cat by its coat is a small lesson as well as a design, and it's an easy way to tell guests the difference between a leopard and a cheetah.

A clouded leopard design also looks wonderful with green velvet.

Warm brass and walnut also make leopard and clouded leopard prints look rich rather than loud.