Boho Bits & Pieces

So when someone says I'm decorating in Bohemian Style, what exactly are they using in their space? It's all well and good to throw that statement out there, but what kinds of items are they using? Here is a link to an excellent synopsis by Ryan Saghian of Bungalow 1a that says in part:
Boho Chic is 1 part natural, 1 part shiny metal, 1 part French/Ornate, 1 part Moroccan/Ethnic adding in 1 stand-out lighting fixture and a loose/casual layering of accessories. 

We've already looked at the sofa in a previous post (see my archives) but what else defines Bohemian/Boho Style? Well let's start by taking a look at the bottom layer of the room:

Oriental carpet dream

A shade of red is always right

Mix up the carpet patterns

Animal prints are chic

Boucherouites are all the rage

Start with a floral

All of these rugs have a Boho vibe in common. They have pattern and color to start the layering process. The point is not to be shy with the rug! The rug is were you determine the room colors to use too.Then add another layer in  throw/floor pillows:

Beautiful embroidered floor cushion

Knitted poufs are cutting edge

Knit a throw pillow, goes fast cuz the needles are super sized

Cut up some Pendleton blankets to stencil

Mix up some florals, add crochet and pom pom trim

Awesome Indian prints or crazy quilted pillows

Moroccan still works in pastels and neutrals

Mix and match patterns

The whole reason the movement was called Bohemian was the participants scrounged/re-purposed objects in their homes for a non-conventional look. It was the original recycling and hand-me-down style of home decorating. Now add a natural element to the mix:

Leather chairs and plants

Animal prints, grasscloth wallpaper and sisal carpet 

Real fur for pillows and throws with more plants

Animal prints again with some sea coral

Some branches for texture….

Books are a natural object to add in

The ubiquitous sheep skin 

Take a really close look at all the pictures of the rooms I've used as examples. They have neutral walls, wallpaper, bricks and trim work as their backgrounds. Loads of pictures and mirrors are used around the rooms as an additional layer. Remember shiny metal? All these rooms have wonderful uses of shiny and metal. How about that great lighting focal point? Check out these: 

A lamp nest is definitely Bohemian 

Add a floral shade to any style lamp, with fringe of course

Velvet shades on glass lamps are perfect

Quirky trims and flowers

Add chandelier in any Boho room

I always use vintage or vintage looking lamps in my clients homes. I add custom shades to what my husband refers to as butt-ugly lamps to make them beautiful again. Never underestimate the usefulness of a great lamp shade store or their employees!

Now for some ornate/formal details: 

Pottery, screens, draperies & chandelier

Lucite, artwork, velvet

Coffee table books & glassware

Topiaries, glassware, silver, porcelain and embroidery

To start, I would gather as many pictures of Bohemian styled rooms to get an idea of how I would like my room pulled together. I use a collage board to present to my client to give them the feel of the room and you can do the same. Don't forget there is no right or wrong way for the Boho/Bohemian style. Just do it!  

Post a comment and share some ideas with me of rooms you have pulled together or if you need help getting started.

All pictures used are via Pinterest 

Fall Sweep

Well, it's here again, the wonderfully warm days followed by chilly nights. In a word…Fall...Autumn…or no more summer! (OK, that's 3 words, but you get the idea!) The garden is giving up it's last efforts and we're feeling as if we need to start nesting.

Airedale at Work

So what's this to do with the current post? Well, I was looking out the window the other day, trying to anyway, the windows were filthy! So, I thought it may be an opportune time to bring up window cleaning. Not just any window cleaning…..GREEN window cleaning with just water.

Several, oh all right, about 15 years ago, I received a catalog in the mail for those clever organizing and storage products one just can't live without. So I ordered one of them. The sales lady on the order line (I know, on the telephone, right?) asked if I knew about the new Miracle Cloths. Of course, knowing I was about to get pitched a product, I said no thank you. The lady stopped me to tell me about these little gems. I bought them and have been hooked since!

Miracle Cloths source 

So now mircofiber cloths are all the rage and all of them will do the job, but I still prefer my colorful Miracles (no paid endorsement either!) So how to use them effectively?

Confused lady via Google

This is the best part! I'm a cheapskate of the biggest type. I don't keep rags around the house and I hate using paper towels for cleaning. Newspaper never seemed clean enough. I mean, who uses paper with black printing that comes off when you hold it in your hand? I also can't stand using window cleaner that is so caustic it has a whole label of just warnings. 

The cloths just use water. Wait, I'll say it again, THE CLOTHS JUST USE WATER! I'll wet one, wring it out and use it to wash the window. I then use the dry one to polish it up, even in full sunlight! I use the wax on, wax off method from The Karate Kid movie. (In case you've never seen the movie, one hand has the damp one, the other hand has the dry one, polish back and forth like a windmill.) Voila! Sparkly windows inside & out! Works great on mirrors too with no cleaners.

Now that's just too much work!

I use them with the greener disinfectant cleaners in areas that need sanitizing, throw them in the wash and they're good to go again. Of note, the fibers that make up these cloths are teeny, tiny spun polyester fibers woven together into fabric. You know what happens when polyester comes into contact with heat. Fizzz! Instant plastic, so keep them out of the dryer and air dry them. To be completely honest, a few have made it into the dryer on occasion,they still work, but they are not as absorbent. I keep a couple in the car which BTW work beautifully to clean it as well!

So there you have it, my green window cleaning secret using just water. Good for the environment, good for time management, a win-win if there ever was one! 

Sounds like a plan!

Let me know your Fall cleaning tips and we'll compare notes!

(All photos via Pinterest)

Sofa Bohemian Style

Quite a few of my clients don't realize their Boho proclivities until we are working together and the ideas start to click. When I'm working on a living room project, the first thing they rightly worry about is the sofa. 

Doesn't Bohemian mean vintage (used) furniture? Can I get  a comfortable new sofa with the same feel? Does it always have to be velvet (high maintenance?)

Trust your instincts

The answers are not always, yes and no. Your sofa is the 

largest upholstered piece in a room and is a good place to start when decorating in any style. Use it as the jumping off point for color selection, adding more pattern and choosing the rug and accessories. Let's look at some examples that you could use to give the Boho feel:

Fabulous contemporary use of steel and velvet

Traditional velvet

OMG linen draped sofa

OTT patent leather traditional

Nice fabric choices for a Bohemian sofa

Each of these awesome upholstered pieces give the basic feel we are looking for and give us a range of Bohemian directions to pursue. Now don't get the panicked notion you have to chuck your existing serviceable piece, remember Boho style started with use-what-you-have or hand-me-downs. I love to reupholster or slipcover seat and back cushions with Bohemian feeling fabrics or just use throw pillows. Here is my own leather sofa last year:

Photo via author

My husband complained of a cold bum in the winter, so this was the solution! Love the look and when I'm tired of it, I'll just change the fabric to suit my mood. Here's another fab idea:

Jewel-toned Boho design

Simple denim sofa (maybe a bit worn) covered with cozy, fuzzy throws. Mis-matched throw pillows complete the casual well loved feeling of this informal Bohemian design. 

The point is that starting with the sofa either as a new purchase or re-purposing your existing piece is sometimes a good starting point for your Bohemian inspired living room. From there choosing paint colors, adding side chairs, tables, rugs and lighting should be a little easier to deal with.

Have any design questions regarding adding Boho design to your space? Make a comment and we'll get you started!

(Pix via Pinterest)

Can You Recognize Bohemian Decor?

There is a frequent customer that comes into the consignment shop where I work part-time. She is one of those homeowners that cannot make a decision unless everybody, their brother and their dog weigh in with   opinions on her choices. Her ideas, she said, were all over the place. She thought she lacked a defined style. What this customer lacked was decorating self-esteem. I wrote a previous blog on self-esteem and decorating (see archives). The gist of it is that you need to trust your own taste. 

True advice

The reason I bring this up again is that after speaking at length to this lovely lady it turns out that she has a long line of maternal ancestors who had a Romany background. Say what? Her hot mess of OTT decorating (according to well-meaning friends) was a true gut-feeling of the Bohemian decorating vibe!

Lovely pink Boho room

So how does one recognize that look in a room? Let's dissect a couple types of Bohemian decor starting with the example room above. 
In this case the FORMAL velvet furniture upholstered in hot pink is against a CASUAL concrete wall. The wall is decorated with a FORMAL grouping of plates and a FORMAL French mirror. An disparate group of FORMAL lights are hanging in the corner over a FORMAL end table but there is one CASUAL end table as well. Everything sits on CASUAL distressed wood floors and CASUAL sheepskin rugs are thrown around. The overall balance of formal and casual ingredients is the modern Bohemian/Eclectic look. Here's another:

Boho perfection

Lovely soft colors. Modern Bohemian does not necessarily mean loud and garish, it is the feeling or mood of the space. The FORMAL velvet sofa is made more CASUAL by having the seat and back cushions upholstered in a print/solid mixture. FORMAL chairs, tables with FORMAL accessories and lamps are sitting atop a CASUAL sisal carpet. I think I may have thrown in an area rug under the coffee table for a stronger Boho vibe.The draperies are FORMAL while the artwork is decidedly more CASUAL with the wrapped canvas edge showing. The content is ethnic with a nod to Man Ray, very CONTEMPORARY. What is the more traditional Bohemian look? Check this out:

Traditional Bohemian Decor

CASUAL slipcovered or worn velvet sofas rule here to balance the FORMAL architecture and case goods,  sometimes just a throw is used over the worn upholstery. Loads of pillows in a mixture of patterns is the posh factor. English country houses have a more formal Bohemian vibe, but everything is well used, worn and from another time. Books, plates, plants and clutter define the idea. Here is another: 

Bohemian x 10!

This is Bohemian at it's best. FORMAL wood paneled walls, FORMAL chaise and chairs, plants, FORMAL but quirky lamps and shades on FORMAL end tables. I love the CASUAL distressed painted floors without carpets, CASUAL wood roll up shades, CASUAL use of embroidered and burn-out velvet shawls thrown over the furniture and fussy lace edged pillows to lean against. Adore the little low Asian table used for tea! Here is a casual example:

Hippie Boho

Wow, this brings back memories of college days! Definitely based on hippie Bohemian brought about by students with small/non-existent budgets, old houses cut up into lower priced apartments and non-conformity. Thrift store shopping and cast offs from others defined the look originally, sometimes it wasn't pretty! This example is lovely, plants everywhere, throws over furniture and pillows galore. Love the Indian garden umbrella (source) and the peacock chairs. We used to throw scarves over the lampshades, but watch your lightbulb wattage. Fires can and did happen!

Beautiful Bohemian-styled room

 Another wonderful example of a FORMAL rug and sofa with CASUAL tables and side chair against a CASUAL brick wall. Classic mixed accessories of a FORMAL mirror and CASUAL vintage fan complete the idea.
  
So do you think you can recognize a Bohemian room and utilize some of the principles in your space? Let me know your comments and about your projects in the works!

(All pix re-printed from Pinterest)

The Vanity Fair

During the week I see clients and work part-time at an antique/consignment store. I love reselling the vintage pieces and accessories brought in for consignment and re-purposing the items I bring home myself. Recently I have noticed a frequent request. Mothers are asking if we have any vanities for their daughters. The few we had in the store sold within a one month period. What is going on here? Seems there's a resurgence in the popularity of the bedroom vanity aka the dressing table! 

Makeup lady at a contemporary vanity

I had one when I was first married a hundred years ago, but they were out of favor soon afterward with the carefree, un-made up makeup of the late 60's and early 70's. They languished around the bedroom, neglected before they were sold, put in the attic or just thrown away. Today you will sometimes see them in antique and secondhand stores labeled "Ladies Desks". One way to sell them I guess!

Multi-layered girly vanity 

The above example is probably what most of us think of when we are thinking dressing table or vanity. It seems narcissistic and old worldly but vanities were actually at the height of popularity in the 1920's, think Hollywood glam actresses. 

Bohemian designed vanity 

I think one of the the reasons for the re-popularity is that modern ladies use a lot of make up products and shared space in the bathroom is at a premium. The mall has several specialty shops that on weekends are filled with  girly-girls and party-goers getting their face done. The theatrics and drama of the modern make-up artist is something to behold! 

Hollywood Regency style dressing table

To have the choices in beauty products available today would have been unheard-of back in the day for me, but surprisingly was there for my Mother and my Nana before her. Figures! 

Beautiful re-purposing of a vintage vanity and office chair

Another reason for their re-popularity has to do with the return interest in mid-century modern interior design a la Grace Kelly, Doris Day and Gidget! 
Vanities are basically 2 types, bedroom furniture and bathroom built-in. The above examples were furniture, let's see a lovely built-in feature….

Well planned built-in vanity

Beautifully planned ahead and executed design in a bathroom, a luxury I would love to put in my home. The side lamps are important for full facial lighting. I went to several blogs and sites to find the ideal tips for adding a vanity and found a concise list here

for lighting, comfort and storage. Here are a few more vanity designs:

Overhead lighting is key in this bathroom vanity area

Space saving wall mounted vanity area, a little dark though

A vanity area can be made out of spaces other than furniture as seen in the example above. One client's daughter used a wall hung laptop desk for hers. Here is a wonderful example of a space carved out of a bedroom corner: 

Add a table to make a vanity

 Love the simplicity of the table/vanity. The extension mirror makes it practical as well as functional. Overhead lighting is important in this soothingly dark bedroom.

Feminine fantasy room  

Under the window is especially practical, the lighting reflects onto the face and it can be used as a desk for other times of the day.

OTT bedroom fantasy

Wow, what a vanity in this fantasy room of opulence and luxury. I'd never leave!

Have fun designing your perfect vanity/dressing table. Don't forget to keep it neat and clear off the clutter between uses. Wallow in your femininity! 
Leave your pix and comments below, love to see them!
(All pictures reprinted from Pinterest.)

Macrame Revisited

I was a child of the late 60's & early 70's so I grew up with macrame everything. In California where I lived it was prevalent in clothing, jewelry, hair ornaments, ubiquitous plant hangers and of course home decor. There was not one area of life where macrame was not used. Well maybe it wasn't used in food, but just about everywhere else. Towards the end of the trend, it was getting pretty ticky-tacky.

Picture of man-crame via here

Xmas tat via Google

Lately, I noticed a resurgence which makes me very nostalgic. There are loads of new artisans (young blood) that practice the art, so the ideas are fresh and not your Gramma's tat. Simple is usually best with macrame, such as the hangers below:

Simple hanging pot holders via here

There are obvious exceptions though. I found this pic of a beautiful room divider by macrame artist Sally England:

Beautiful Divider by SallyEngland.com

Macrame is of course the art of knotting in a set pattern to achieve a type of woven fabric or project that is open or closed weave. The above pots demonstrate the most open of patterns, the Christmas Tree is a very closed pattern. I love the look of natural materials used in the macrame process, wood, shells, rocks, beads and in a more natural color as well. I remember acrylic/nylon ropes and yarns used in the past. The colors were horrendous and the fuzzy ends were not the best look either! Here are some pix of contemporary pieces:

Headboard via Bee of Design

Hangers via Pinterest

Fabulous Furniture via here

And there are beautiful designs in jewelry as well:

Gorgeous necklace via here

DIY necklace via here

Macrame is a must in Bohemian/Boho decor and also works well in nautically designed spaces. There are loads of books through Amazon (some of the best are vintage) as well as tutorials on Youtube and Pinterest that will get you started on a project. Once you do start though, be prepared to have a new obsession! Have any projects you'd like to share? Make a comment and let me know!