When it comes to decorating my home, I’m all over the map. But today, I want to look at one specific style, Boho or Bohemian, and how I work that style into my farmhouse.
I’m drawn to lots of different styles and looks. And I know I can’t have them all. So, how do I make those styles work for us in our old farm house? And not drive my family batty in the process? Well, I’m not sure about that last bit but that’s a whole other blog post!
Because I love decorating and spend so much of my time emersed in design, I see so many wonderful things that I love. And some I don’t love…at all… And gradually over time, I watched my own style changing from very primitive country that I used to decorate with to a more electic look that embraces some modern country, some retro and some bohemian. But combining all those to make it work on my budget can be a challenge. But fulling your home with what you love seems to work, design rules are meant to be broken, not followed to a T because that would make for a boring home.
To start with, let’s look at the Boho style to see the elements that tend to make up that look. When I see a photo that screams boho to me, it usually has the same elements in the space – great texture, lots of colours, plants, a collected and causal feel. Think old, worn-in leather furniture with simple lines, wicker or rattan pieces, rugs with loads of brightly mixed colours like reds, oranges and turquoises and then plants everywhere. The overall look doesn’t look like you just went out to the closest box-store and bought it all new. It has the look of pieces being thrifted or passed down and collected over time. Pillows don’t match but are vibrant with colour and layered onto the furniture. The woods are natural and earthy, not perfect but time-worn and weathered. It’s warm and inviting. You want to put your feet up and have a long conversation with someone dear to you with a hot mug in your hand.
That’s the kind of space I want to create in my home – where guests feel comfortable, where nothing feels too precious to use and it is always changing as the perfect pieces find their way into the space. I want my family to be able to live in our space.
Here’s what I’m doing to create that feel in my house. I’m using rugs with lots of colour. I have a few Persian rugs that I fell in love with years ago and have been moving from house to house with me. Real wool rugs weather and age very well and are timeless. They survived my children, guys. The other rug I have in my dining room was a Winner’s score – the colours are great, the pattern hides almost everything that may fall under the table, so in other words – perfect!
I’m trying to collect some more pillows for the couch, but honestly, it’s hard when I know they’ll just end up on the floor anyway. Am I alone in that? Yeah, that’s what I thought. I scored some good ones at our local Value Village { you can read about that HERE } but I still need more. More colour, more pattern, just more pillows. IKEA has some lovely ones that I want…like THIS ONE or even THESE.
There are houseplants everywhere in my house and yet, I feel like I want more yet. But, I’m getting a good collection and they all seem to be settling in and starting to thrive. I’m on the hunt for a few different kinds to round out my collection. And I finally { 3 or 4 years later } potted my fiddlehead fiscus, just in time for them to be deemed ‘not cool’ anymore….but whatever, I still like it so that’s all that counts, right? You can read about my plant fetish HERE.
One of the things I love about Boho style is the woven textures of wicker or rattan. I don’t have any furniture made out of it, I’m not sure it would be durable enough for our house. But I do have a few things hung on the wall that add that texture to the space. And that is a huge part of Boho style.
All together, it adds some great character to our home. I love that there’s nothing ordinary about it, it’s filled with interesting items that seem to have been collected over time and each item has a great back story…remember when we stopped at the yard sale on our way to….that one came from that sweet little thrift shop in…could you believe someone was throwing that out…you get the idea. Basically how I collect anything.
Our home isn’t going to grace the cover of any magazine anytime soon. But it’s home to us. It’s cozy, inviting and I know my friends and family feel the same way. I love when people walk in and feel at home here. { Also I love people’s reactions who have only seen the space online and then get to see it in person!! } Our home is a reflection of us.
Tell me – do you love the Boho look? What would you call your style? Do you incorporate any of these elements into your space?
To be continued,
Lori
