Bohemian style is associated, on the one hand, with the French meaning of the word “bohemian,” which appeared in the late 19th century and was used to refer to creative individuals and people of art. And on the other hand – with Bohemia, a historical area in the Czech Republic, where a long time ago settled gypsies with their own rather specific artistic tastes and traditions. But we are still closer to the artistic component of the bourgeois Bohemian style.
Style outside of styles
Any kind of interior style can be bohemian – even loft, if its interiors add timeless antiques and give equal rights to the classic leather armchair, brutal finish walls and romantic light. Bourgeois aesthetic is a way of life, a way of thinking, not a classic interior canon.
The main attribute is the temporary layers. It seems as if the interior was created step by step, each generation has brought something of their own into it: from grandmother – a solid library and retro camera, from my mother was a classic sofa and a chair of a famous designer, and her daughter painted the wall in the shade of turquoise and hung a trendy lamp.
In reality, of course, it’s all about appearances: bohemian interiors are a favorite subject for professional interior decorators. To create an interior with history – even if it is in a new building – is considered the highest degree of skill.
Who is suitable for it?
First and foremost, of course, for creative people who have an uncommon view on life and the space around them; for eccentrics and artists who are in an endless creative search; for lovers of outrage; for supporters of controversial interior solutions; for avid travelers and all those for whom creative disorder is in their blood.
A very correct definition for such bohemian interiors is highly artistic chaos. In fact it is an unexpected and very powerful mix of the energy of an antique shop and a bourgeois French apartment in one single space.
Rules of the genre
Layering, as in designer casual, a combination of tones and textures, as on the paintings by Gauguin or Matisse, and a mix of colors, things and styles are the main distinctive signs of this trend in decor.
But you should never forget the sense of proportion in everything you create your own bohemian style from. First of all, the mix of colors is built on dusty, muted shades. An abundance of bright colors and their unexpected combinations will turn your bourgeois chic into gypsy kitsch pretty quickly.
Something from minimalism
Artists know how to be content with small things and see beauty in ordinary things. It would never occur to an ordinary person to paint over a loose piece of plaster on the wall, or to save up money for a new repair with perfect smoothing of the walls.
A representative of the new bourgeoisie will simply take a roller and a can of water-based emulsion and roll everything in white. As it was, with all the cracks and chips. Because peeling wallpaper, unformed concrete, and loose plaster also have their own beauty and aesthetic appeal. Art, in a word.
Something of fusion
Bohemia lives by impressions and emotions, that’s why houses and interiors perfectly combine decorative objects of different epochs and styles, as if offering a long journey through time and space.
Upholstered sofas may be “strewn” with bright decorative pillows of all colors and sizes, next door are cozy grandmother’s chest of drawers, on the floor adorned with woven Mexican rugs or Moroccan kilims, walls are decorated with African masks mixed with vintage mirrors in forged frames, dining table is covered not just a tablecloth, and the real scarf, and the ceiling with the solemn crowning of a classical multi-strand crystal chandelier. At the same time there is also a place for antique Chinese vases and statuettes in the form of the god Shiva.
The main thing is that behind this collection of seemingly random things one can guess some aristocratic sophistication: so masterly is everything mixed!
Something in complex colors
Spaces made in the bohemian style gravitate to a rich and dusty color scheme – there is no place for “a bright flower meadow”. It’s boho-chic interiors on the saturation of colors are ready to overpower the carnival procession in Rio de Janeiro, and the bourgeois style accepts only saturated and simultaneously muted in brightness shades. If it’s blue, it’s a far cry from turquoise and sea wave – more like stormy skies or stormy oceans. Many bohemian interiors gravitate toward dark and even black hues.
The treasure box is how many bourgeois interiors are described. Individual pieces will look especially striking against the deep hue of the walls.
Something filled with art
Aesthetic interiors are unthinkable without competently selected artistic paintings. They are often the basis of the bourgeois and bohemian style. They add a noticeable intellectual flair to the interior and, importantly, allow you not to think about color – art works best against a background of monochrome walls.
The beauty of bourgeois collecting is also in the fact that these very paintings can have the most diverse artistic value – from drawings of your children to canvases purchased at auctions or flea markets, and random gifts. It’s your pride and your collection – and it has every right to be on display.
Something that evokes emotion
Some people like strictly functional, German-style practical solutions, some crazy about roses and plenty of textiles. And someone likes creative chaos and an interior that leaves no one indifferent – it invigorates, like a breath of frosty air, and makes you criticize, discuss and consider. Bohemian interiors are full of details, they are revealed layer by layer – the more you peer into the photos, the more unusual elements you see. And the more you fall in love with this controversial style.