Animal print decor can go one of two ways: chic and timeless or gaudy and garish. If you’re worried about falling into the latter category, here are a few simple tips for taming your wild side:

• Pick one statement piece. Isolate animal print to one stand-alone accent. It could be a small item, like a throw blanket, pillow, or upholstered stool, or a large item, like an area rug or stair runner. Either way, you can’t go wrong with a single animal print statement.

• Pair with solids and simple geometrics. Animal prints go best with solid colors or simple geometric patterns. This Scalamandré Tigre pillow, for example, would pop against emerald green walls (Benjamin Moore’s Seaweed).

• Low contrast color combinations. Unlike the real animals, you are not restricted by the laws of nature! Your animal print accents can come in any color combinations you like. Zebra is one of the trickier patterns because the high contrast black and white is so dramatic. If traditional zebra prints don’t work in your space, try a subtler color combination, like grey and white.

• Choose the right pattern. Leopard is the most commonly used animal print in home decor, but it is by no means your only option. There are also tiger, cheetah, antelope, giraffe, zebra, and dalmatian, to name a few. If leopard and zebra are too bold for your taste, try a simpler pattern like antelope or dalmatian.

An antelope runner (and leopard shoes to boot!) via La Petite Tasse.

A zebra hide rug and leopard pillow blend seamlessly into this room’s overall design. Via Architectural Digest.

Simple antique chair with leopard throw pillow via Plush Palate and Diane Von Furstenberg climbing leopard rug via The Rug Co.

A pair of leopard armchairs on a black and white striped floor via Luella & June.

Leopard chaise via Savvy Home.

Antelope stair runner via Cote de Texas.

Dark teal walls are the perfect balance to a cheetah print rug via Design Crisis. Tiger print ottoman in a traditional wood-paneled sitting room via New England Home.

Dalmatian chair with small pink throw pillow via Style Me Pretty Living.

Leopard x-stools via Brit + Co.