The New Bohemians: Cool and Collected Homes
Reviews (214)
a.k.a. "The Lifestyles of the Rich and Vaguely Famous Bourgie-Bohemians"
I had such high hopes for this book based on the fact that sooooo many people I follow on Instagram rave about it. It's good, but it's also got some problems--at least if you're a budget-conscious shopper. The good: 1. The pictures are beautiful, and that's great since most of the people checking out this book are likely more interested in design inspiration than lifestyle philosophy.There are many ideas to be gained from seeing the way other folks combine patterns, for instance. 2. The projects at the end of each section are the best part of the book, IMO. They are super cute, clearly explained and, for the most part, pretty easy. 3. Lots of wealthy people featured in this book (see below), but occasionally there's a middle school teacher or some such thing, and those are the best parts of the book for those of us who don't live in the lap of luxury. The not great: 1. This is the WORST part of the book. There's some cognitive dissonance between the way the writer describes early bohemians who lived the way they lived because of a lack of income and the "bohemians" in this book, who are clearly not what I would call "broke." What I want to know is how a single mom with only $200 (or less) a month of disposable income is able to decorate her home in bohemian fashion, not how a couple of trust fund kids living in Portland or a cosmetics brand mogul in LA are able to style their homes. The latter is not bohemian--it's folks who can afford to spend a lot of money decorating. It's what I call bourgie-boheme, AT BEST. These people are not the parallels of those south-of-France bohemians described in the front pages of the book. 2. This is related to the first con. I like all the tips about scouring eBay and Craigslist for textiles, but so much of what's in the book is off-limits to those of us on a tight budget. (student loans, anyone?) Why yes, let me just put some custom wood-paneling on my refrigerator! I hope a more budget-savvy designer scopes Blakeney's book and gets the idea to do a truly budget-friendly sister to this book that is for those of us who live a bohemian lifestyle more akin to the one Blakeney sets out in her introduction! In the meantime, I'll busy myself with some of these cute projects--Blakeney should do a book full of those!
Beautiful and inspirational book.
Wow, what a gorgeous book. The description says author Blakeney features her favorite homes from "across the country"...but really most of the homes are in California and New York, with a small handful from Oregon, Texas, and New Mexico. No matter, though, because all of the homes here are phenomenal. The book is divided into six parts, each part covering a different bohemian style: modern, earthy, folksy, nomadic, romantic, and maximal. But, really, all the homes have a lot in common. They are playful, colorful, whimsical, and chock full of personality. Some lean toward minimalism and others are stuffed to the gills, but I loved each and every one. It helps, too, that the book quality and photo spreads are stunning--really vibrant and inspirational. (After reading this book, I've decided our house needs about twice the number of plants it currently has...) But I especially love how this book made me feel affirmed in our decision to decorate, furnish, and design our new home slowly. It takes time to build layers that are meaningful and reflect who we are. Sometimes I feel pressure to rush that process, since, hello, after a year in this house, we still don't have a coffee table in our living room... But now I'm feeling a little bit more calm and confident. I'm glad we are taking our time to find pieces that we love. At any rate, I loved this book. It is beautiful to look at and helpful to read. I know I'll be returning to it again and again.
Inspiration for Seniors who fear that downsizing means letting go of what you love and who you are
My New Bohemians came right n tme. This book is not just for creative singles, couples and families with kids. It's also inspirational for us seniors. With all the kids grown and gone We are downsizing from a wonderful funky old tumble down house to a smaller kinda sterile condo. Next week. The new bohemians came right on time to inspire me (and even spouse) to take "us" with us, to make the place our own with color and plants, textiles and textures...to take the old worn leather sofa whose every stain comes with a story, and to spark the sterile with DIY bling. Even old bohemians can be reignited by this new bohemians book. Blakeney is a genius, and Dabitos fotos are super inviting. Justina's descriptions are a joy to read, and easy Adopt an idea notions give all of us hope, at every stage of life.
Great book for ideas.
I bought this book because I've been working on decorating our home and I love bohemia. While it does give some great ideas to use and beautiful pictures for further inspiration, most everything seemed to be on the costly side. For those of us who don't have a lot of disposable income this is discouraging. I'll be keeping an eye out for a book with more affordable ideas.
Excellent 2020 Modern Boho book! Great price! Must buy!
ExcelleNt book! Great price for a hard cover! Awesome compilation of inspirational boho decor design ideas for 2020! The stories included in this book were written beautifully. Each home has a different boho flair. The author has a excellent “Boho” perspective is on point and makes the book an educational. In the book the author specifically highlights “boho” descriptions of different homes across the country including people who are living a modern bohemian life. She also has DIYs that will help you with your own ideas for your own modern boho style that rock! I really do love this book! It’s a go to excellent reference guide that I will be grateful to use for my own home. If you want to go boho or already have your own place decorated with your own ever evolving bohemian style then this book is for you! It gives you a great history of bohemian home decor art and style that teaches you how to incorporate it into your life today. Easy read includes great images and great ideas for a modern bohemian style. The author has written this book in a way that is that is educational and fun! Can’t wait to use the inspiration I received from this book for my own 2020 farmhouse boho styled home. I plan to return to this book as an artist myself as a reference for projects in my own home. Especially the absolutely darling and easy DIYS! Definitely a great buy for anyone who loves to decorate their home themselves. Thank you for reading my review! I hope it helps you decide to purchase or not.
Fun and Eco - Friendly Funky Style
Very colorful and well laid out book illustrating how simple or complicated boho decor can be - from homes with tons of natural materials and funky design elements like plants hanging in an almost outdoor shower, to serene white panels and fabric strewn rooms on walls, floors, and furniture - this book can be overwhelming for some - or like me a TON of ideas and color scheme madness. I like how each home has such unique characteristics - and how you can design some simple items to pull some boho into your current design based on a freedom and willingness to let your true spirit be shown in how you chose to live in your "playhouse." I will have to check out more of Ms. Blakeney's style in other books...very fun and eco-friendly..
This book delivered but doesn’t lie flat
Awesome book. Great layout and wonderful ideas. I’d love to see her do another book for those of us who are not wealthy so we can see what this style looks like with lower priced items more generally available than from world travel. But the book is beautiful, and inspirational, and I do love it. My one pet peeve is that you cannot open this book and have it lay flat. So it’s always a struggle to study the pages or read them without one or both hands on the book itself to keep it open. After awhile, it gets tiring. But don’t let that stop you from buying it. It’s a good book.
OH MY GOODNESS...
This book takes me back to the 70s...when I was young and decorating my first apartment! It was a time of the "hippie" generation and I recall plenty of color, plants, wicker and casual comfort. I had very limited funds back then and this bohemian style was easy to achieve on a budget. It would still be a great way to decorate without breaking the bank. I have more money to spend on home decor these days, but I still love this look and have mixed it in with more pricey pieces...it really makes my house less serious and more fun for me and everyone that visits. This book is chock full of quirky, fun ideas that will lead open minded people to mix things up a little bit. This look is great if you love flea markets, auctions or estate sales. It also gives the collector plenty of ideas to creatively display their treasures. I can't recommend this book enough...this is one that I will display prominently on my coffee table and refer to often. So glad I purchased this...it was money well spent!
Justina Blakeney's style is perfect and it shows through her book
Firstly I love Justina, if you've ever seen or follow her blog the Jungalow it is so great! The book is a great look into tons of real homes of real people and is great to inspire some ideas. I though that it may have more writing in the book, a little bit more details on how to affectively create your own Jungalow but the photo's are amazing, they're done by Dabito, who's insta is also great to look at and scan through. That's the main reason why I bought this book. I love Dabito's photos and I love Justina's style. A great addition to the book is a plant guide in the back of the book. Like of course you need that, you're trying to create a jungalow! I thought that was a nice addition. I don't think it's a book you'll keep coming back to for reference but it is nice to sit quietly and look at all the photos for some time.
A beautiful inspiration board for creatives.
We recently bought a farmhouse in upstate NY so we needed inspiration for decorating it. After some Internet search I purchased about 4 great books on home decor, and this one (The New Bohemians) has become a favorite. Through the book I got to find Justina Blakeney's blog. What I like about the book, which is a reflexion of Justina's personality, is that it has a self-confident and unique voice. This book is not only about houses and how they look, but about the people who live in them. That makes it special because houses are nothing without people. The New Bohemians is some sort of inspiration board for creatives. It's an invitation to be yourself and be fearless when it comes to making of your home an extension of who you truly are. Here is a line from the Introduction that I enjoyed: "It is my strong belief that wealth is not the key to having an amazing home and an incredible lifestyle - the key is inside you; it's your own creativity and being in an environment in which you're allowed to openly express it." I want to add that the book itself is a beautiful object. It feels nice and heavy in your hands (it weights about 3 lb) and it is about 8 3/4 wide, 10 3/4 tall and a little bit over 1 inch thick. The photographs (by Dabito) are gorgeous, as well as the endpaper design (by Monica Ramos). I recommend this book to the free-spirited type or person who appreciates beauty and creative expression. But I also recommended it to the uptight person who's a little bit afraid of expressing her/his own personality. You will feel inspired by the families featured by Justina. Thanks, Justina, for putting together this beautiful book and thanks a lot also to the people who shared their spaces.
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