Roger Martin is one of the most gifted innovators in taxidermy. His creativity in developing new products that solve problems and open up new marketing possibilities for taxidermists is unequalled. Year after year he continues to amaze the industry with his original ideas that quickly become new standards. With the introduction of the McKenzie line of African ottomans, he has now merged taxidermy with fine furniture, opening up an entirely new market for taxidermists using existing or discarded trophy skins.

These ottoman kits create a great opportunity to utilize back skins to create a piece of fine furniture. If your client has been to Africa more than a few times, he probably has some additional tanned skins that he doesn’t know what to do with. These ottomans are an elegant solution for offering another way to display safari trophies, even in a trophy room with no additional wall space, and one which will be appreciated by all family members, hunters and interior decorators alike.

Roger has designed these ottomans to be easily assembled by taxidermists. They feature elegant large bun feet and a rich ebony-stained dark walnut molding which complements the color of any African skin. The specially manufactured foam cushion includes an innovative corner tucking slot which allows a taxidermist to easily create upholstery-quality corners without the need for specialized expensive upholstery tools. In fact, all you need is a stapler and a knife! The custom-designed foam cushion also includes an integrated full wooden framework for stapling the skin and anchoring decorative nails if desired.

Available in three sizes, these ottomans can be used on any sized skin. The large ottoman works well for zebra, blue wildebeest, kudu and giraffe, and requires a minimum skin size of 39″ x 51″. The medium size is ideal for red hartebeest size game, and needs a piece of skin at least 28″ x 34″. The small ottoman kit works for impala, blesbok, blackbuck, etc, and can be covered with a skin as small as 20″ x 20″.

Putting together an ottoman kit is a simple project that can be accomplished is a matter of hours. This can be a real money maker, as well as a way to utilize and sell any African skins that taxidermists may have gathering dust in their collections. Below is a short three-minute introductory video in which Roger explains the concept and benefits of these ottoman kits.

In the following half-hour video, Roger give a complete demonstration of all the steps necessary to assemble an ottoman kit, including his easy procedure for tucking the corners in the foam slots. By following the steps Roger shows in this video, you can easily convert any old tanned African skin that you might have lying around into a beautiful and functional piece of high-end furniture. Here is the procedure:

To order, or for more information on the African ottoman kits, you can find them on page 791 of McKenzie Catalog #40, or online at http://www.mckenziesp.com/African-Ottomans-C6064.aspx.