French interiors tips for the modern bohemian

I’ve always been drawn to vibrant colours and patterns. Although I’ve toned it down in recent years, I still tend to choose colour over neutral and print over plain. When I think of a bohemian home, this is what springs to mind. 

Not that every bohemian modern home has a vibrant colour palette – you will see in the case studies that some don’t – but very often it is a defining element. Whether they are introduced via textiles, paint, tiles or wallpaper, pattern and colour are great starting points for a room’s décor, and a foundation upon which to build a strong look.

This may not be groundbreaking information, but it’s worth remembering that choosing a colour story and trying to stick to it can make or break a room. A stripe, an ikat print and a chevron can live side by side if they are all in complementary shades of blue, grey and green, for example, but if each individual pattern is also in a different colour, it can feel too chaotic. You can mix together as many patterns as you want, as long as they share a similar group of colours.

But here’s where I contradict myself, because the flip side of this so-called
rule is that ‘every colour in the rainbow’ is also a perfectly acceptable colour story in the bohemian modern home. Sometimes it works to go over the top, but be prepared for a lively home. If you can get the balance right, multi-coloured craziness can work. 

Because I’m drawn to colour and pattern mostly through textiles, I prefer to keep my walls white or a very soft off-white shade. It means that I can alter the whole look of a room just by changing the cushions or curtains or bedding. But you may prefer to bathe yourself in every imaginable shade of blue, green, pink and yellow, in which case forgo the neutral base altogether and paint your walls in clashing colours. 

If coating your walls in vivid colours feels like a step too far, try painting one piece of furniture in a dramatic shade, and preferably in a high-gloss or lacquer finish, to keep it modern.

Bring the outdoors in

There is something about plants that brings a room to life. They are wondrous things that can make the difference between a space that is ordinary and one that wows. If you were to look at photos of a room before and after plants were added, you would swear that more had changed. They have a truly transformative power when it comes to interiors. 

Houseplants have definitely made a comeback in recent years, and they are a vital part of the bohemian modern home. I know, I know, I can hear it now: ‘I don’t have green fingers’...‘I forget to water them’. Fear not, there are ways around it.

For as long as I have had my own home, I have filled it with greenery. Even in my university dorm room, I had a huge potted plant that I somehow managed not to kill in between studying and partying. 

When my husband and I moved into our first apartment together, it was a tiny place above a garage in a Spanish-style building in Burbank, California. The apartment was small but it had a huge covered patio that was more like another room. I was heavily pregnant, working at a job I didn’t like and feeling a bit down in the dumps when I woke one morning to find the whole space filled with plants and flowers. My husband had got up at dawn and gone to LA’s flower district to surprise me and cheer me up. 

Since then I have always had plants at home, and my children have grown up knowing that when I’m away they have to keep them alive. I’m not going to lie, there have been a few casualties.

No rules for plants

There are so many easy-to-maintain options, from the waxy-leafed fig tree to cacti to a rosemary cutting from your neighbour’s garden (shh, don’t tell!) that anyone can enjoy a bit of indoor gardening. In the bohemian modern home, there are no rules when it comes to plants.

A spiky aloe vera can sit next to trailing ivy and glossy ficus. I tend to go for the more-is-more approach, lining windowsills, mantelpieces and the tops of cabinets with pots. But one big sculptural potted tree works just as well. Succulents and cacti are good options if you won’t remember to water them as often as you should. I had them in always-hot LA and I have them in usually-cold London, and they have survived in both places. And if you really feel that you are an incurable plant killer, there are some very convincing fakes available nowadays – not the cheesy silk flowers or unnaturally green ‘ferns’ that probably come to mind.

Almost as important as the plants are the containers in which they sit. You can’t go wrong with simple terracotta, which suits a boho home really well, but for a more modern look go for concrete planters or colourful woven baskets in geometric patterns. Or try your hand at a macramé hanging basket, giving it an update by using neon or black string instead of twine. In all honesty, anything can become a vessel for plants. 

One of the homeowners I’ve featured uses everything from seaside buckets to plastic drinks bottles to large vegetable oil drums in which to plant his cuttings. Once you start looking, you will find original plant pot ideas everywhere. Whatever you choose, whether real or artificial plants, macramé or concrete pots, I promise you that plants will be the icing on your home, that final layer that makes it feel complete and alive (and delicious).

Bohemian modern: creatve and free-spirited contemporary homes, by Emily Henson.
Published by Ryland, Peters & Small (£25). Photography by Katya de Grunwald