Okay, so it feels like time for a domestic arts post. I love that phrase, “domestic arts.” It sounds so much fancier then saying “homemaker”. Funny story, a couple Saturday’s ago the kids and I were watching one of my all time favorites, Benny and Joon. We had so much fun laughing to that show. I thought the kids would fall of their chairs a couple times! I think one of their favorite parts was when Benny was describing his job as a housekeeper and he called it “domestic engineer”. So that’s what we say now when it’s time to tidy up the house. “Time for some domestic engineering!”
Before I forget, I’ve got a more recent post featuring a winter edition of our living room, as well as a super fun video on how I created our boho style on a dime. It includes some easy plants for beginners too!
Here it is…
Lifestyle {Our Eclectic Boho Main Floor}
When we moved from the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest late summer 2018, one of the things I was excited to do was start over with our home interior. I’m a little bit of a nut about interior decor-I could seriously spend all day making rooms beautiful. It’s one of my favorite things! Once I get a room just right I have to be careful though, because if I’m not then it’s only a matter of months before I want to do it all over again! I keep saying I need to find some friends that will let me do interior decorating for them so that I won’t be tempted to keep doing my own house over and over!
So backing up a few months. When we moved, I sold out most of our decor, and a ton of furniture. It ended up being a good thing too because even though I already had been on a minimalist journey we still packed a 25ft. Penske van to the brim! Even though we sold as much as we could everything still didn’t fit and we had to give a way some things!
When we got our new home, despite the fact I had a spending budget I had so much fun starting over. Probably too much! This was the first time I’ve ever got to do anything like this (shop for new). I was 39, and it was the first time in my life I picked out things like a new sofa. In the Midwest, the majority of what we had were hand me overs. Although I was so thankful for what we had, the majority of it was not what I would have picked.
As I planned each room in our new home, I had a definite look in mind I was going for, especially for the main floor. I wanted a relaxed, clean yet inviting look. Boho was my favorite style before I moved to the Midwest in 2004, so I decided to return to my roots and incorporate some boho vibes.
I also leaned that way because to me, boho says, “let’s hang out and shoot the breeze”, and I wanted to create an environment my family could feel like they could lounge around, recline, get on the floor, curl up with lots of pillows, blankets and books, you know, really hang out in.
At the same time I didn’t want cluttered, I wanted something that could be tidied up in five minutes. Practicality was important to me as well. I wanted the room to work for us.
Number one on the list was a recliner for my husband. For many years he wanted one but we didn’t have space for one in Missouri. Finally, we had space, and a couple years ago someone gave one to us. So my husband finally had a recliner. Sadly, there was zero room for it in the moving van! We had to give it away. My husband didn’t complain at all, but I felt horrible for him!
So a recliner for my man was the very first most important thing on my list. I wanted to replace the one we left behind that he had waited so long for. The man works so hard and is the most self sacrificing guy, so I wanted the recliner to be one that made him feel like a king!
I strategically placed it in the corner where he could look out the window over the town or look across and see the entire main floor. I was really working this whole “king looking over his kingdom thing”.
Number two on my list were hanging plants for clean air and of course looks. I wanted hanging so they would be out of reach for little fingers. And of course for beauty! Later I learned plants help reduce noise. I may or may not be bordering “jungle vibe” now.
John and I are crazy over industrial decor as well as lighting. He likes it for the looks. I like it for the look, but also because I love history and all things vintage that remind me of “olden days gone by”.
I see the industrial furniture, vintage lamps and Edison bulbs, then I think of what it would have been like in the 1900’s. From there my mind wanders to stories my grandma told, and before you know it I’m telling the kids about when their great great grandma was a cotton picker in Arkansas….or was it Oklahoma…shoot, I can’t remember.
Here’s a shot of our kitchen before we started remodeling it-you can see the remodel HERE.
The dining area has been one of my favorite spaces!
I’ve always wanted to travel the world. Things like archaeology and anthropology fascinate me, plus being homeschoolers I’m always looking for ways to bring nature, education and history into decor.
So this is where the global touches come in. I’m currently trying to figure out how to add more of an ancient global flare in areas-the kids and I have been studying ancient civilizations in depth this year, and so we’ve decided to paint some geometric designs on some of the terracotta planters eventually.
Nearly every piece I bring in has a purpose, and if it doesn’t then it at least has a really great story.
Below I’ll link to some of the favorite items I’ve found in case you would like to look at getting anything you’ve seen here. You can also visit OUR AMAZON STOREFRONT to shop items throughout our home as well as other things I find beautiful.
The industrial chairs (above) came with us from Missouri. I think we really outsmarted the kids on them. They seem indestructible, and you can get 4 for under 90 bucks! I felt like that was a good deal considering they will last forever! Anything that is a need, looks cool, and that I won’t have to replace is a major win for this big family mama!
Okay, pouf is a funny word, I admit, but my pouf (above) is my favorite piece and I would like to get more! These things are so versatile and if you get the goat skin ones they seem tough! You can get them stuffed or unstuffed. I’ve thought about getting some unstuffed so I can stuff them with blankets when cold weather season is finished (so apparently that’s like for two weeks in August here in the north). I forgot about how cold the Pacific Northwest gets, and stays, lol! I think what I love most about the pouf is that I spend so much time on the floor because of the little ones, and these are easier to sit on then floor (and get up off of).
Ever since I was a child, hanging plants, especially ferns, make me want to curl up with a history book and start reading about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. I don’t know why, but that’s something I think it would be neat to have seen!
Love the geometric shapes in decor! Did you know geometric decor dates back to early Egyptian and Sumerian times? Little things like that get me!
Edison bulbs everywhere here. Beyond looking neat, I hope every time my kids see these they remember the story of how Edison had 1000 attempts before he succeeded making the light bulb, and that it encourages them to never give up.
Lastly, and for the sake of being real; now that I’ve shown you all the pretty and perfect pictures that I have I feel obliged to share with you how it looks a big portion of the time! As you will see from the pictures, I very clearly achieved my goal of creating an environment everyone feels like chilling in. Even if it’s a disaster. We call this the eclectic migraine look. Ya picking up the vibe?
Oh look, a kid leaping through the air! Not only does it say “Let’s chill,” it also says “Let’s go wild”! Bonus score!
Be sure to check out my other LIFESTYLE POSTS HERE.
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