46
|
SPRING
2016
There’s a good reason
inte-
rior
design
has
flirted
with
Bohemia since the19thcentury– it lets
you break all of the rules! TheAmeri-
canwriter, Laren Stover, author of Bo-
hemian Manifesto: a Field Guide to
Living on the Edge, has identified
five distinct Boho styles—nouveau
(Boho with money), gypsy or Roma,
beat, zen (more spiritual) and
dandy (thinkOscarWilde). The décor
styles that thesenames conjure upall fit
myownhome’sstyle– informal,eclec-
tic,colourful,whimsicalandsoon. My
early life was somewhat gypsy-like -
akaair forcebrat andactually started
in Prague - not just in Bohemia but a
citywhichcontinues topersonifyBoho.
So I findmyself totally at home and in
syncwith thisstyle (asapeek inmycloset
will alsoconfirm).
Ifyou feeldrawn to thisstylebuta little in-
timidatedby it, spring is theperfect time
to try it out.As colourful flowersemerge,
as summery clothes start to come out of
the closet, and as nature goes a little
crazy why not apply a little dash of joie de vivre to your
home too? All youneedaresplashesof colour,aplethoraofpat-
terns and layers, layers, layers! The one great thing
about BohoChic is that itmakesyou smile— just like springdoes!
Thequick,easyand inexpensiveway todoBohoChic iswith fab-
ric: somebrightlyhuedbedding;a few lively tosscushions; stems
of colourful silkplants (whicharenowmore realistic thaneverbe-
fore), a vibrant suzani, andperhapsaMoroccan-syle rugon the
floor. Even if your style isquite simpleormodern, colourandpat-
terncanenhance itbeautifullyandmake itmore fun. In fact, Idon’t
knowofany interior thatdoesn’tbenefit froma littlehitofBoho’swon-
derfulwhimsy.
Don’tworryaboutgetting itwrong.
I don’t think there’sawrongway to
doBohoChicwhich, by its veryna-
ture, is forgivingof everything style-
wise. You can apply some basic
design rules so it doesn’t get over
the top - like accessories in threes;
usingpatterns in small,mediumand
large scales; and using colours of
the same value. Boho generally
uses secondary colours — think of
tealblue,orange,greenandpink—
and often places them on a crisp,
white background to super-charge
the effect. But the whole point
of Boho Chic is that it breaks the
rules...
which
is
why
we
sometimes find it a little scary... so
just relaxandexperiment!
Of course, unconventional art has
always played a big role in Bo-
hemian style. In our storewe have
art by local artist Bill Franks.He’s a
great guywho has hada colourful
life from rowing A.Y. Jackson
around in a rowboat at age12 tobecomingadoctor who still
consultsonbrain injuries. Imentionhim in thisarticlebecausehis
latest seriesofoils,OctoberSnow,depictshis“neckof thewoods”
near the topof theescarpment close toDuntroon,wherehe found
deciduous trees lightly coated inwhite that were suddenly trans-
formed intopastel colours of turquoise, pink, blueand yellow—
not youraverage landscape.
This newandboldly different take on the traditional is the very
essence of Boho Chic and proves that everything, even your
décor, canbe re-imaginedand re-invented!
|E|
is back...
(if itwas evergone)
Boho
Words | Sharon Allan
