‘BoHo Home By Susan’ Debuts on Etsy & You Can Win a Shopping Discount

www.bohohome.com @bohosusan and https://www.etsy.com/shop/BoHoHomebySusan

BoHo Home now has a presence on Etsy. My store, BoHo Home By Susan, opened its “doors” on Saturday, June 17, offering a curated selection of vintage finds and a few items handcrafted by me.

Right now the selection is small, but we aim to grow.

A “curated selection” means this is what there is until I go thrifting again, which, I’m hoping, will be soon. And as I include DIY projects on the blog, you may be able to buy the results in the Etsy shop, depending on how a project turns out.

One thing I know I’m really good at is shopping, and with my new-found fondness for digging through other people’s home edits, I’m sure to find some fun, funky and fabulous finds for the homes of my boho friends, readers, and any other aging hippies who stumble across my shop through the magic of the Internet.

Would you believe, it all started with this box?

Yep, that’s the first thing I found for the store. But beyond being a cute and functional storage box, I don’t know anything about it, like where it came from, when and how it was made, or by whom. And knowing me, you know I want to learn the story behind EVERYTHING. Right now, the mystery that is this box is keeping me awake at night, and y’all gotta help me get some sleep!

The tag at the flea market said “old,” and the booth owner was nowhere to be found, of course. I searched the Internet for something even remotely similar, but came up with zip, even when searching with the actual image in place of keywords.

Impossible to label = boho, right?

It COULD also mean it IS old and its siblings haven’t survived. But then why did this one survive so well? Both my husband (a woodworker) and I found its construction fascinating. Not a tack nail is loose or missing, not a reed end is unsecured. The structural wood pieces are a layered veneer product, similar to lauan. And the ribbing on the corners and edges, as well as crisscrosses on the lid top and underside fittings, are some sort of split reed. Or maybe bamboo?

I’m no expert, that’s for sure.

I asked an expert. Or at least an aficionado—a friend who runs an antiques business. She identified it as Asian, which she was quick to say wasn’t one of her areas of expertise, but she didn’t think it was old. That knob on top, for instance, looks manufactured and common. You could probably find one exactly like it in any home-improvement or woodcraft store. Might it have been added later?

That the structural wood used is a type of plywood may seem to make it more modern, but common plywood has been around since the late 19th century. Lauan plywood, on the other hand, which is also called “Philippine mahogany” (even though it’s meranti wood and not mahogany), was first manufactured in Japan in the mid-20th century.

So maybe it’s old in the midcentury-modern sense. But is it Phillipine? Or Japanese? Or??

Anyone else care to weigh in?

And then there are those embossed panels…

This is an up-close-and-personal look at each of the four side panels. They’re well-adhered, not bubbling or peeling, and not scratched, scuffed or torn. They don’t feel like plastic, paper or leather to me—though all those are possibilities.

They do remind me of Lincrusta, a type of wallcovering also invented in the late 19th century and made, like linoleum, from linseed oil. It was meant to be painted or stained, as this is, but most examples I’ve seen are more deeply textured.

Whatever it is or isn’t, it IS, decidedly, a sweet box.

And it’s in pristine condition, just waiting to lend its one-of-a-kind look to someone’s one-of-a-kind boho home. Yours, perhaps?

I hope you’ll take a few minutes to browse my shop.

“Heart” the items you love and give me a follow to make it easier for yourself to check back in frequently. I’ve added a linked tab just under the blog nameplate, as well as a shop logo link in the sidebar, for easy access anytime.

So go see what’s there quick before I sell out!!

And if you can lend any insight on how, where and when this box was made, I’ll issue you a coupon for a store discount off one item. Tell me what you know in the comments, and be sure to add any Internet links you find to relevant info. Also be sure to leave your email address so I can send you your coupon.

Know that I remain very truly yours,

BoHo Susan

XOXO

If you want more…

Stay tuned: There’s also an eBay store in the offing. Why? Because stuff has to be vintage or handmade to sell on Etsy, and I have some neat finds I want to pass along that don’t meet either criteria.
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