Im willing to admit that animal prints dont come naturally to me. I have to contemplate all the ways to make it work before I can even consider bringing it into my home, whether that be in the form of a coat or a cushion. But when I saw a zebra-print sofa in the media room of Paloma Elsessers town house, it stopped me in my tracks. Unlike the tacky zebra prints that I was exposed to throughout my childhood (Im having neon-tinted flashbacks of the AG Minis Groovy Room as I type), this version from Schumacher reads grown, sexy, and sophisticatedfit for a supermodel. It jumps out against the warm backdrop of cork wallpaper and a ruby red rug, an alluring combination that casts a sultry vibe in the vein of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berges iconic grand salon.While some may think of it as a sort of 1970s trope, the historical roots of animal print in design are incredibly rich, Gregory Rockwell and Hester Hodde of Gregory Rockwell Interiors explain in an email. We looked to those greats like Sister Parish, Diana Vreeland, Elsie de Wolfe and Mario Buatta for guidance on how to use zebra print to create a really sexy and elevated room.The designers landed on Zebre Epingle for the nearly 10-foot-long sofa because of its likeness to a tapestry, noting that the pattern is woven into the fabric, not printed which adds to the richness of it all. As Rockwell further explains, We loved this fabric because it felt like a sophisticated and worldly version of a typically louder pattern. The brown and tan tones of the print allow for the strong lines to feel more palatable, rather than the high contrast of a black-and-white zebra print.We channeled Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berges grand salon, which is famously filled with treasures from travels, museum-worthy paintings and sculptures, and of course, animal print, Gregory Rockwell says about the design inspiration behind Paloma Elsessers media room.Photo: Frank Frances