The term “Bohemian” became popular in the early 19th century to describe the untraditional lifestyles of marginalized and impoverished artists, writers, musicians, and actors in major European cities – especially in Paris, where the creative class began to concentrate in the lower-rent, lower-class “gypsy” neighborhoods.

Anyone who’s ever enjoyed Puccini’s beloved opera, “La Boheme,” or perused the collections of such fashion designers as Matthew Williams, understands that a romantic bohemian panache will always be more in vogue than, say, a titan-of-industry bravura.

Authentic bohemians know how to create style on a shoestring, recycling cast-off furnishings, scrounging Salvation Army stores, and assembling their own chic persona, Phoenix like, from the ashes of other people’s lives.

Bohemian interiors flourish once more. Of course, the best bohemian looks are carefully crafted by interior designers who appraise their customers’ most cherished items, discard the rest, and create a new montage of colors, textures, and objet d’art from various periods and ethnic origins. Walls are dense with art, ephemera, and artifacts from various cultures. More is more.

The trick to pulling it together is to lay the right foundation with wallcoverings and, depending on the room, upholstery or window treatments. Layering old against new or western against occidental can create just the right tone – in which a room becomes a gypsy shadow box festooned with a world of funky treasures.

If you’re tackling a fun project, let us show you some vintage papers or damask fabrics that could provide just the right contrast for your “primary layer.”

Here’s just one example. Brewster Home Fashions offers a Damask Collection that we think even Oscar Wilde would approve of. The over-the-top intricacy of these giant flowers, especially in the black-and-white scheme (there are five more hues), is reminiscent of Aubrey Beardsley. And it’s pre-pasted, washable, and strippable – in keeping with the devil-may-care lifestyle of the most temperamental artiste.

Perfect for your next bohemian rhapsody.

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KMD Showroom