Last night I was on the phone with my dad for a nice long chat and at one point he says “You know, I had an idea for your The Estate of Things.”
Oh, I was piqued and just loved the conversation that ensued. His idea was for Sarah and me to please illustrate for him just what exactly bohemian versus traditional would look like in the same space. His suggestion was to design a room using all of the necessary elements that could illustrate how one might lean toward tradition with elements of the eclectic. He wanted to see us style it Sarah’s way, Betsy’s way and the together way. Sweet Daddy.
We’ll work on that for you.
Meanwhile, it made me think of this image that Sarah snapped for me as she was cruising through the most recent Williams-Sonoma Home Catalog.
Sarah had asked: “Betsy do you see flashes of your *boho tomboy luxe vision in WS Home?”
A fun conversation ensued. Indeed, this room is quite traditional, so we set to picking it apart.
BETSY: It’s a little tough for me to picture Frank Zappa kicking up his feet in that room – without some ol white lady comin by with a disapproving glare.
SARAH: Agree, I don’t think Frank would lounge there, pajama people would not be comfortable on that sofa. It’s too buttoned up. Are you wondering where the peacock blue is?
BETSY: Haha. Yes. Needs more jewel tone
We find this room to be well articulated. The shelves have been styled impeccably. The bones of the room feature a nice warm rustic quality that does bring in some SoCal canyon architectural reference. What do you guys think?
In theory, this image is very much in the vein of a Southern Traditional Sarah / So Cal Casual Betsy mash-up, but it leans just a little too heavy on the formality for either of us to find it comfortable. Sarah says if you swap that sofa/chair combo for a PJ friendly, low slung sectional, it would make a huge difference. She might choose an extra deep English roll arm to keep it classic.
I think we need to swap out all of the patterns and accessories for something a bit more earthy, global and/or handmade. This room would sing with a little more personalization. That almost always happens in the final layer of accessories. It’s an opportunity to showcase who you are as the body that vacates the premises. The items you’ve collected from your travels and the sentimental mementos that make your shelves a showcase for your family are what gives your home that bohemian twist.
*boho tomboy luxe
trying to define my style
