Go Boho // With Heirlooms!

Welcome, welcome! Today I’ll be sharing part five in my Go Boho series!

If you missed parts one through four, you can check them out HERE (color), HERE (pattern), HERE (texture), and HERE (lighting)!

Now, let’s learn how to use HEIRLOOMS to mix that personal touch in with your boho flair, shall we?

Go Boho with…

Mirrors & Artwork

In an ideal world, the heirlooms you bring into your space would be actual hand-me-down inheritances. But here’s the thing, they don’t have to be! You can totally inherit these pieces from a thrift store or a garage/estate sale (after handing over money for them, of course). The idea is that you’re mixing old and new, and giving your space a collected vibe. However you come to possess these items is of no real consequence from a design perspective. So give it a whirl!

The first tip is to incorporate vintage, slightly (or not so slightly) ornately framed mirrors and artwork into your decor. Or think outside the obvious and use every day items as art. Think tarnished silver platters and flatware. Vintage keys or doorknobs. Repurpose an old frame and breathe new life into it as jewelry storage. Use your imagination! There’s beauty in the ordinary objects of yesteryear, why not take advantage?

Browse through these spaces that have a touch of vintage charm with the use of antique mirrors and objects as art.

Image Sources: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9


Furniture

Of course, as with any of these suggestions, the easiest and most authentic way to incorporate heirloom furniture into your space is to actually have heirloom furniture to use in your space! But if you’re not so lucky, you can bring the look and feel into your home in several ways. If you can score vintage furniture at a thrift store or garage sale, awesome-sauce-a-roni! If not, you can buy new furniture that looks like it’s from a bygone era. Think credenzas and consoles designed to be a throwback to mid-century styles. Think wicker and rattan accent pieces that give a nod to the 70s, when their resurgence was at it’s peak. Or you can incorporate painted furniture, but not perfectly sanded, primed and painted furniture. I’m talking about furniture with visible history, worn areas where you can see the previous color(s) showing through. Or furniture with painted motifs, like florals or ethnic inspired patterns. The idea is to add in a pinch of old, worn character mixed in with all the newness of modern life.

Take a look at these rooms that feature pieces of furniture with history and how they add a special little spark to their design.

Image Sources: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9


Accessories & Textiles

As with furniture (or anything really), accessories and textiles can be purchased new, in styles that look to be throwbacks to the past. This is becoming more prevalent, especially with brands catering to the rise of the bohemian style that we see more and more today. But thrift stores (I know, I’m a broken record) can be a treasure trove for vintage glassware and ceramics, which are the perfect way to add the hand-me-down look into the mix of your bohemian decor. If your grandmother, or mom, or even you crocheted an afghan, perfect. If you come across doilies or remnants of lace, you can create a simple nod to the past. It can be as simple as a handkerchief draped over the edge of a basket or a bowl filled with random bibs and bobs from your everyday life. Or beautifully aged pitchers and tumblers being repurposed to house your makeup brushes or pens. Touches of heirlooms throughout your space create character and add aged beauty to the boho-ness of it all.

Have a peek at these spaces that mix doses of vintage accessories throughout their otherwise modern midst.

Image Sources: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9


It’s All In The Mix!

And of course, you can mix it all up! If you’ve been reading all the Go Boho posts I’ve published so far, you can’t tell me you didn’t see that one coming, lol…

With heirlooms you can either mix a bunch of different types together (mirrors, furniture and accessories) OR you can mix them with the more modern, high tech design and gadgets of today. OR, stay with me here, mix them all together. As I’ve said before, with bohemian design, there really are no rules. What feels right to you, is right for you. I love the juxtaposition of old and new. Something with history against something that’s squeaky clean. Mixing styles, mixing eras, bring it on.

What do you think of these spaces that mix the heirloom look into modern living and design?

Image Sources: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9


What heirlooms could you mix in to your decor to up the boho?

Many thanks and much love,
laf


Photo by Charisse Kenion on Unsplash

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