tablesetting

Since starting this blog, every time I open a magazine or the mailbox there’s a reminder that Boho is back. In my head, it never left.

The latest sighting? A just-out Pier 1 Imports catalog anouncing “The Bohemian Revival” with the brilliant print, embroidered, appliqued and sequined throw pillows above on the front cover.

Today is National Mail Order Catalog Day (no kidding!), so limber up those fingers and get the credit card ready, because we’re going Bohéme shopping using my August Pier 1 catalog.

From whence Boho…

The literal Bohemians (gypsies, Romani peoples) came to France in the 1500s from the Czech province of Bohemia. But the literary Bohemian emerged in the post-French-revolution early 1800s when artists, writers, musicians and actors began moving into the lower-rent, lower-class areas of Paris populated by the relocated Romani.

Today we may describe as Bohemian someone with intellectual and creative leanings who lives and acts with no regard for convention. So it’s a state of mind, really, and not just bright colors and beads. However, the bright colors and beads are a good place to begin dissecting the look these creative types borrowed from their gypsy neighbors, and that’s what Pier 1 does, with lots of fun, embellished accessories that can be combined in umpteen ways.

If you go to the links at the bottom of the Pier 1 home page, you can opt to “Be Inspired” and shop by the look you want to achieve. We’ll follow the Boho thread, which breaks into three variations.

La belle bohème…

Thanks to the popularity of actress Audrey Hepburn and her 1954 movie Sabrina, we know that Paris is always a good idea. The saying works for home decor, too. The French aesthetic as represented in this collection is all about carefully curated style that only looks effortless–couture meets flea market, if you will. Kind of like Sabrina herself–the chauffeur’s daughter turned French bombe. My favorite piece in this grouping is the new Lorette chest…

…made of solid mango wood and lightly limed to accentuate hand-carved details. It looks très élégant with the collage of all-new mini-mirrors, from left to right, Golden Spur, Golden Diamond and Golden Wave. Spur and Wave are 16 inches across, while Diamond is 23.75 by 31 inches. Collecting the right mirrors for a wall collage is no mean feat. To have it curated for you at a reasonable price-point is tout le meilleur!

Shop the entire La Belle Bohème collection here.

Next up, the Modern Bohemian…

…This is closer to my signature look–less fussy, more of a modern (or mid-century modern) mix: Boho Meets Urban Loft. Once again the sofa and matching chair are neutral, allowing for an ever-evolving display of throw pillows. I love the simple lines of the tables, the bright geometrics of the pillows, and the mix of textured metal accessories.

But at the top of my wish list is the hand-carved mango wood Quatrefoil Tray on the coffee table. It adds the perfect Moroccan saveur…

Shop the entire Modern Bohemian collection here.

Boho Farmhouse or Shook-up Shaker?

Shaker furniture, to me, looks almost modern. And this furniture looks, well, almost Shaker. Its tapered lines blend well with other antique or reproduction furniture or a period home. The mix-and-match chairs can be yours in black and antique white, as well as the pecan brown, red and turquoise shown. Armchair versions are available for all finishes.

The table settings are the stars of this collection, though–four new dinnerware patterns from a brand known for its variety of colorful tableware–a solid and three geometrics, from left, Layla Tile, Ellie Peacock, Lily and Zoey.

Add in the Boho Paisley (aka “Persian Pickles”) runner and napkin set and the handcrafted mangowood Courtland Charger, and your Boho banquet will generate a chorus of bon, bon, bon.

Shop the entire Boho Farmhouse collection here.

And the pièce de résistance? All those Boho extras…

If the devil is in the details, this collection is très diabolique. Lighting, beds, bedding, draperies, area rugs, side tables, chests, poufs, stools, glassware, art, decorative drawer knobs, vases, tchotchkes and–we’re back where we started–