Fall 09 Decorating Trend: Boho Chic with Purple and Gold

One of the trendy looks this fall is bohemian chic with purple and gold. Think of Moroccan nights, belly dancers in their colorful outfits and golden earrings, lanterns with warm light, and exotic mixtures of silks and woven fabrics. Think of a room that gives you the feeling you can escape to something magical and get inspired while surrounded by the deeps of the mystical purple.

I know what you’re thinking: “yeah right, you might as well promise me the magical carpet to fly with,” but you can get the bohemian chic look into your home with a few simple elements. Part of the look is mixing and matching fabrics and textures, and you can easily decorate with flea-market finds and paint.

WALLS

If you are painting the walls, be careful when picking the color and test the paint in a small area first. Purple is such a strong color that the same exact paint might look totally different in different lighting.  A color that you see in a picture of a magazine might look several shades lighter or darker in your room.  I recommend going towards the lighter shades rather than the darker ones, and maybe doing one wall with a darker shade – or better yet, adding wallpaper to one wall.  I like the Ferm Living wallpaper in the picture.

LIGHTING

You will need a hanging lamp. There are great chandeliers on the market that don’t cost that much, and usually you can find one from second-hand stores or flea markets that you can revamp. A golden chandelier adds luxury and the crystals will nicely reflect the light. If you are looking for a more Moroccan look - get a lantern instead.

You can also create your own “chandelier”

with a hanging iron candelabra, by adding a string of Christmas lights to it.  You can do the same with a lantern meant for candles – instead of a candle inside, put a short string of Christmas lights and drill a hole on the side and plug it into the wall – looks great on bookshelves or side tables, and gives just the right amount of mood lighting. You can also buy a lamp kit and turn a lantern into a hanging lamp easily.

FURNITURE

An upholstered purple couch and antique armchairs look the best with this look, but are not necessary. Think of flea market find furniture that you can paint purple (or gold!) and add a few colorful throws to your modern couch to get the look. 

PILLOWS, CURTAINS, RUGS AND OTHER FABRICS

The fabrics really bring this look together, use them in unexpected ways to get a nice layered look.  You can hang fabric wall coverings behind a bed our couch as well as use large scarves or saris as curtains, wall hangings or table clothes.

Pillows are essential to get the relaxing boho vibe. Since purple is trendy, you can find great accent pillows almost anywhere for this look. I found the <a bolster pillow, pictured, from Target, and there is always Pillows and Pillows to find almost any kind of pillow you want (like the purple and gold pillow pictured).   Large pillows on the floor give more seating, but Moroccan poufs go even better.

THE FINAL TOUCHES

Add an antique style golden mirror and a  sunburst clock on the wall, and hang lanterns or add them on the side tables. Some great modern finds that go well with this look are Iittala’s Maribowl and the Taika Dinner Plate with purple and gold.