A Designer At Home

Week 3 of the “Get The Global Look” series is here. As Katie Gavigan Interiors, Casa Watkins Living and myself walk you through creating a global style space, we’ve tried to break it down into bite size layers. Now that we’ve set the foundation of the space with furniture and we’ve added texture and interest to the space with textiles, it’s time for us to start getting personal. And one of the most personal pieces you can put in a space is Art. Because everyone gravitates towards different styles and types of art, I cannot tell you exactly what to put in your space. But hopefully these ideas and all our ideas combined will help you find what speaks to you.

So we’re speaking of a global style which means encompassing some or all decor influenced and gathered from cultures around the world. There’s a ton of flexibility on how exactly you want to interpret that. And because the majority of the world’s population doesn’t have a lot of practical use for art, there’s a lot of different “art” to choose from other than the standard print in frame.

Here’s what I personally love, own versions of and recommend you start with:

Japanese Hand Painted Plates and Silk

Imari ceramics are my personal favorite, but I’ve also seen painted silk screens that would add a very interesting oriental vibe to any space.

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Chinoiserie Framed Mirrors

BAM BOO MIRRORS. They’re quite literally perfection and you need at least one in your life. Go as simple or as ornate as you can handle.

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Carved Sculptures

Think carved animal heads, masks, mostly wood but some clay pieces too.

Framed Fabrics

Remember all those incredible textiles we chatted about last week? Sometimes you can’t figure out how to use them as pillows, blankets, etc. So frame it (or free hang it) and you’ll have instant beautiful, rich art. You can read up more about my crush on textiles and ways to use them here.

AN INSPIRED, BOHEMIAN HOME IN THE CALIFORNIA DESERT | Design*Sponge

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Baskets

African baskets are the bees knees, but that’s not the only place to get baskets worthy of display on your walls. Mexico and South America have strong traditions in basket weaving techniques, too.

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Wall Hanging

I don’t know that there’s much I can say about weavings that would be all that different than what I’ve said about them before. They’re fun to DIY, they bring in a gorgeous element of texture and interest and their impact in limited only by your willingness to let them take over the space or let them stay understated.

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Art depicting landscapes, architecture and life abroad.

Do I need to elaborate on this one? Pick a pretty place abroad and stick it on your wall. I did this in my bedroom with a free photo of Morocco (or so it says, I don’t for sure) from pixabay that I had framed through Framebridge for my hallway and now bedroom.

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Try your hand at DIY and recreate techniques from around the world.

Think Shibori, Weavings or an abstract art using colors and patterns from your favorite culture.

I hope this little 101 on global boho art has given you some ideas for decorating your own global space.

Your Homework:

Want to get the global style look in your home? Make sure you’re following the weekly challenges to get you moving in the right direction! Week 1 and Week 2.

This Week: Explore the different options for global wall art. Check out everything we’ve shared and then some. Then pick a piece you normally wouldn’t gravitate towards and put it in your home. This is going to be the most challenging because it’s going to teach you to play with colors, patterns and balancing a space visually with different elements.