A lava lamp sets the mood in a bohemian bedroom.
Bohemian decor is a freewheeling style incorporating aspects of hippie, beatnik, gypsy and Moulin Rouge designs with a dash of shabby chic thrown in. A bohemian bedroom reflects this eccentric mix with lush fabrics, deep jewel tones and items you might find in an authentic Gypsy wagon, a bordello, a 1960s Greenwich Village loft or a starving artist's garret. Together, they combine in an eclectic, creative and often sumptuous manner that is both inviting and unconventional.
Instructions
1. Toss a madras throw on your bed, or hang one on the wall. Choose a pattern similar to an Indian sari. Add a gypsy touch with velvet throw pillows in purple or burgundy. Choose bedding in deep green or black. For hippie flair, eschew the bed frame and box springs and place your mattress on the floor. You might also consider a platform or water bed. Stack wooden crates next to the bed for bedside tables.
2. Dress the windows with floor-length brocade or velvet drapes layered under a valance crafted from a wool or satin crazy quilt and embellished with gold rope tassels. Install matchstick-style bamboo shades for privacy and a shadowy atmosphere. Drape colorful scarves over your lamps to enhance the mood.
3. Hang a beaded curtain in the doorway of your closet. Choose lampshades embellished with beads and small bells to continue the theme.
4. Scatter candles around the room. Couple them with incense burners and a lava lamp or two. Suspend a crystal chandelier from the ceiling above the bed for a dash of Moulin Rouge decadence.
5. Place a vintage love seat at the foot of your bed. Upholster it in orange velvet to pop against the other colors in the room. Cover it with throw pillows. Try to find some with tattered tapestry covers.
6. Create a conversation area with beanbag chairs or floor pillows surrounding a low leather-covered hassock resting on an animal print area rug.
7. Arrange a collection of album covers on the wall. Choose those with the most psychedelic patterns you can find. Scour used record stores, flea markets and garage sales to find them. Listen to the records on a vintage stereo system set up on a weathered dresser with peace sign decals.
8. Display a collection of fringed scarves or shawls on a vintage coat rack. Add long ropes of beads for sparkle.
Tags: bohemian bedroom, embellished with, lava lamp, , throw pillows
