How To Decorate Global Boho

Hello there! Today is the start of a fun 4 weeks. Stephanie from Casa Watkins Living, Katie from Katie Gavigan Interiors and myself are bringing you everything we know about the Global Boho style. If you’ve ever wanted to explore adding a well-traveled look to your home or already do have one and want to refine your style a bit, these next 4 weeks are all about you.

This first week, let’s go over the bones of a space. The Global boho look is for people of all budgets. In fact, it’s a look that works most easily with a thrifted, mix matched, gathered over time collection of furniture. But we can make this work and look fabulous with a big box basic sofa set.

I am continuously buying and reselling the furniture in my home because my preference changes often. But it’s also because I’m always on the hunt for the perfect mix of different furniture. The perfect mix of different furniture is a great basis for building a space that is comfortable, homey, and is inspired by other cultures of the world.

Get The Global Boho Look:

There are two aspects of Global Boho. 1. The inclusion of pieces that originate from other countries and cultures and pieces that are made with details that originate from other countries and cultures. 2. A mix match of furniture from different periods of time.

The Foundation For A Global Room Design:

For the global part, you’ll want to look for pieces that have ornate weave or carvings. Inlays are also a furniture detail that originates from another culture: specifically, the Udaipur region of India. You could have your sofa reupholstered in a textile from Turkey. Or buy a hand painted cabinet made in Asia. It’ll help if you take some time to sit down and explore the furniture that comes out of various different cultures. But here’s a few of my favorites:

• Morrocan Pouf
• Turkish Daybed
• Mexico hand carved tables
• Chinese Hand Painted Cabinets
• Phillipines woven chairs
• African Mud Cloth upholstered sofa

The Foundation For A Boho Room Design:

Boho itself does not have to have a collection of furnishings from other cultures. In fact, there are lots of boho interiors that have little to no influence from other cultures. They have more of a gypsy vibe to them and they’re still fabulous. What boho lends itself well to in a Global Boho room is that boho is all about mixing, collecting and layering.

Give free furniture a chance knowing having a bit of fun with paint, new knobs or a new purpose can give an interesting look to your space. We’ll get into more specifics of the space. Having furniture in space is important, but it’s what we’re going to do around and on those pieces that will really bring the global and boho out in the space.

My Picks:

In order to give you an idea of the furniture you can collect to build the foundation for your own boho global spaces, I’m going to share the pieces from my own Living Room, Dining Room and Bedroom. There isn’t a direct source for a lot of pieces but I’ve done my best to find a similar one just in case you want to buy one.

My Living Room: (tour the most recent reveal of this space)

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My Dining Room: (tour the most recent reveal of this space)

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My Bedroom: (tour the most recent tour of this space here)

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The Challenge:

I promise we’re really lovely ladies with best intentions. But yes, you have homework! The best way possible we could think to help you create a beautifully global space is by giving you an exercise to work on while waiting for the next weeks information.

Revamp A Piece Of Furniture. Here’s a couple of ideas to get you started. But don’t let these limit you. Grab a piece of furniture in your house you just aren’t happy with, or pick up an inexpensive piece from the thrift store. And give it global flavor.

Add bone inlaid inspired knobs. It’s not exactly the easiest thing to hand paint or better yet actually hand carved and inlay bone or mother of pearl so the next best way to get that look is by adding knobs that nod to the style.

Reupholster a bench in a shibori fabric. Or a turkish kilim fabric, or african mudcloth or mexican serape. There are so, so many good textiles to choose from right now.

Add Dimensional Wood Detail. An especially boring piece can get a new lease on life with a little dimensional treatment. Make and add tassels to a piece. Tassels have a long history that spreads throughout the entire globe but still brings an unusual and exciting detail.

Add an Indian inspired stencil. Stencils in a pattern from your favorite culture (here’s a tutorial using an inidan ikat inspired stencil) is an inexpensive way to add big or little impact.

Add a little Mid Century inspired detail to piece of furniture. Like this headboard treatment inspired by vintage wood slat benches.

And that’s going to wrap up today’s basis for a global boho look. I hope you have fun working on revamping a piece to have a bit of global flair. Maybe you’ll even get lucky and come across a truly unique and ornate piece. Having a global boho look is a lot of fun. It’s carefree because it lends itself well to any budget, so pinch those pennies and explore craigslist and thrift stores and estate sales.

Check Out Katie Gavigan Interiors & Casa Watkins Living Next. They’re the real pros when it comes to getting a global look!

Here’s More Furniture Help From A Designer At Home:

How To Save Buying Furniture Online

All About Used Living Room Furniture

Guidelines: Budgeting for Home Decor and DIY