Bohemian, fun and unrepeatable
The Bohemian Chic style, or just Boho Chic, results from the risky and – I feel like saying it – cinematographic harmony between multiple textures, different patterns, an infinity of objects and accessories from different origins and even different styles, with a visible hippie and 'childish' identity hippie that combines rustic, vintage romantic, ethnic and artistic elements. Boho Chic depends on that and from a rich and exuberant color and influences palette. It is not enough to mix or shuffle, you have to know the rules of the game to be successful in this style, one of the most in vogue, which refers both to elegant Parisian apartments and to lively new yorker lofts and that has a lot, not to say everything, to do with our Light It Be lamps.
This is probably the style with the most personality and charisma, the one that does not depend on the good taste of a decorator, and that is only fulfilled when it results from tastes, preferences, experiences, trips and personal episodes, which translate into decor. Pieces that have been with us forever, others that we brought from travels, others that we fell in love with, an aesthetic and a color scale that, inadvertently – or just because they reflect a more personal taste – end up being replicated in everything that is acquired.
The result is not an amalgamation of random overlays, but rather the magic touch of the perfect and affective mix'n'match , where rich textures and various patterns fit together as if they were part of a single canvas. That's why there are as many variants of this style as there are personalities behind each house. What remains is an elegant yet relaxed touch, refined yet very cool, stylized, but blasé. Books can accumulate around the house, next to the floor, or serve as a support 'table'. Leather and straw, silk and rough ceramics, jute and cashmere are just some of the unlikely but accurate pairings. The paintings can dispense nails and even with walls, and minimalism is not included in this dictionary, which is more oriented towards maximalism, even if it is that of possibilities. Everything is rich, comfortable, inviting and very harmonious.
Finding the balance between everything you like will be the most interesting challenge. It is certain and well-known that, when it is genuine, and imposes itself on a house as a reflection of a way of life, nothing is very thought about. The result simply emerges, reveals itself naturally and, despite the excess of information typical of this style, in the end, everything fits together and everything communicates in a balanced and attractive way. The result is the same as a patchwork quilt, where all the colors, patterns, textures and different fibers are balanced, both in terms of color and scale, and help each other to create a broader, brighter but delicate picture, complex but harmonious.
Freedom and Nature
These are two expensive and unavoidable concepts of bohemian style. Freedom to do, to mix, to dare and to take risks. Freedom to appreciate the essence of things without false judgment or pedantry, weighing value with the pendulum of feelings. It is the appreciation for Nature and for bringing flowers and plants into the house, making them spectacular and indispensable in interior decoration. It is still love for the purity and for the honesty of things. It is the praise of the simple, provided that it is beautiful or, even if it is not, that tells us something, that conveys a feeling to us. A precious rarity. Boho Chic is, also for all that, the art turning elegant, charming and delicate the marriage between improbable decorative partners, charming and delicate, the art of making creative, attractive and interesting the fusion of styles, colors, vintage references, vintagecountry aromas country, hippie spirit hippie, ethnic passion and that oriental touch, or any other exoticism. A fun and very personal exercise, which replicates the DNA of rich experiences, curious minds and democratic spirits, where an old piece of furniture, a superb silver service, an exotic pure silk bedspread or just rattan handcrafted have equal aesthetic value. Where brass equals gold and where a rough log of wood entertains itself with the ability of giving light, as do the Light It Be wooden lamps, shaped, too, in this free and bohemian spirit.
It can also be said that Boho is a sentimentalist, clinging to everything with the heart, attaching itself to everything affectively. A grandma's stool, the uncle's watches and DB collections, the first typewriter, the third camera, that kilim that came from Africa, a papyrus from the Orient and children's paintings... Because a biographical decoration is much more than fiction, it is a documentary and talks about real things, of those that tear involuntary smiles. Living in a bohemian house is a privilege, as it is a space that organizes our personal adventure with taste and refinement. It is, at the same time, our ID and our passport.
The color in Boho
Starting from a neutral or brighter palette – perhaps this late one is the most expressive and histrionic Boho Chic variant – it is important that there is a base code from which patterns, textures and other information are added. Bet on a palette with just two or three shades – some risk four – that you like to see together and let this one serve as a magnet for everything else. Things communicate with each other – we are not talking about the internet of things, but that other language that seems to unite what mutually belongs to each other – through grammars of sharing. Invest in different nuances, in walls painted in unexpected colors, or in unusual wallpaper, or white backgrounds that are adorned with a multitude of pictures, hats, baskets or other accessories that you like. The basic principle is just one: if you like it, then find a harmonious way to insert this piece into your decor. If it has color, print and an identity of its own, then it will fit.
Color scheme
Beige, khaki, olive green, brown and black can be used as background colors. On top of these, an infinity of varieties and combinations of tones can be created, which can be based on mustard, orange and red, or cobalt, purple and yellow, or progressing with sapphire tones. Any color is welcome and there are no restrictions on its use. The only golden rule in the Boho Chic style is that everything must work out in a harmonious way, hence the use of 'families' of colors that go well together, even if they are apparently stuck to antagonistic patterns or come from different influences.
Patterns
In a bi- or trichromatic register, it is very easy to fit different patterns, as they will all harmonize because of the color and around it, especially if there is a balance of scales between the different prints. Then add one or two more tones that complement them and add new graphics. There is a language of its own, well known from folklore, which makes things 'fit' together, despite different patterns, or intricate chromatic games. Ethnic, floral, tropical, geometric… create avenues of communication between all of this. Do you think they talk too much already? Is there noise, making balance impossible? So, turn to neutral tones and natural fibers in one color and let them oxygenate the space and give the area more air. Mixing is in the genesis of Boho, but you have to achieve elegance and harmony, without these there is no true Bohemian Chic.
Textures
Yes, it must also wander from flat to downy, from the silky surface to the rough and textured touch of sisal. From polished or orientally lacquered wood, to logs that still smell like forest. The final grand pattern of your Boho is the sum of all the small additions you make and many of them are textile in nature. Bedspreads, blankets, covers, cushions, rugs, curtains, poufs, upholstery and sofa and chair coverings. Create contrasts. Place the velvet and coarse cottons of wide weave side by side and see how beautifully it can work.
Vintage&Rustic
Inherited pieces, travel memorabilia and memories of the past. New and old, refurbished or 'damaged'. Everything fits and everything is dear to Boho, which owes its enormous vivacity and appealing vibration to the elements mixture, to the styles agglutination, in essence, to the refusal of labels. An unparalleled freedom that allows you to make everything possible and permitted.
Fingerprint
Permissive, colorful, fun, creative, artistic, inclusive and multicultural, this style is one of the rare ones that allows each of us to tell our story through decoration. Step by step. In it exhibiting photos and objects brought from other places, from other times, mixing past and present, affections and aesthetics, rare pieces and artefacts that we once dedicated ourselves to, mixing everything as in an exotic and exquisite cooking, well seasoned. That's why it's so personal, so welcoming, and so attractive.
Key elements
– Rugs
– Textiles
– Lamps
- Accessories
– A story to tell (preferably a GOOD one)
Photography – Light It Be and Pinterest
0