Papertrophy Deer Heads

As part of the still-going-strong Western chic and vintage folk art trends, interior design boutiques have been selling out of animal skulls and antlers, from deer to steers and beyond. We buck the trend by going the paper route. Cue Papertrophy.

Papertrophy Unicorn

The mastermind behind this iconoclastic company, Dr. Holger Hoffmann from Berlin, was inspired by classic animal trophies (author Ernest Hemingway in Africa comes to mind), but rest assured these gorgeous minimalist creatures were never alive. They are “just” paper, color and glue – and a whole lot of stunning cubist design to impress the home decorating enthusiast looking for something offbeat. Papertrophy wall trophies include lions, rhinos, elephants, elks, and unicorns. The standing figures feature a gorilla and penguin. There’s also a mini piggy.

Papertrophy giant gorilla

The only ever so slight issue? You have to have some glue. That is because you need to assemble your critter at home. The cubic pieces arrive pre-cut and with pre-creased folding patterns. The montage is on you, but Hoffmann says he made it his mission to study every cut line and corner, every polygon and flap. So the rhinos and unicorns and gorillas virtually build themselves without complicated IKEA-style instructions and without you even needing a blueprint as to which animal you are building – theoretically (Of course, you know that you ordered the pink unicorn.). You just glue together the numbered pieces.

Papertrophy Pink Elk

You can choose the white version of your desired animal or a pre-colored one. In all, there are 90 color choices per trophy. Every single craft is checked manually before being shipped, to make sure everything lines up perfectly once you hold the eco-friendly, heavy-weight paper in your hand to assemble your animal buddy with your long-forgotten childhood gluing skills. But fret not. It will be like riding a bike.

Papertrophy assembly

A way to style the Papertrophy unicorn

For more information, shipping info and prices (a wall trophy is circa $65), visit papertrophy.com.