Bohemian Wedding Registry

Lately,I’ve been enamored

with the classic French song “La Bohème” by Charles Aznavour. It touches on some of my most profound longings: to create and consume art, take flaneurial walks through Paris, and be memorialized in verse or lyric by a poetic man.

The song fills me with the desire to be even more bohemian than I already am, embracing my unconventional sense of fashion, eclectic apartment, and devotion to art, music, literature. As I listen, I imagine the lilacs in Montmartre and Paris in a particular era, vibrant with art and love. I imagine the pain of having lived and then lost that fleeting, precious moment in time. The melancholy beauty of the verses fills me with a painful pleasure, with a sadness and beauty which rings true to the human experience.

Of course, this led me to my next entry in the Registry Edits: a curation for the quintessential bohemian. The ideal bohémienne would not even craft a conventional registry, it’s true. I imagine her in an apartment filled with mismatched china (bought at a flea market or given by a friend) and sweaters she knits herself. The walls would be filled with art created by her fiancé, including lovely pencil sketches of her—one of her lost in thought over a milky coffee, another with hair falling over her face as she reads. The bohemian couple’s wedding day would involve a spontaneous trip to the courthouse, followed by an elated run to a café for their “wedding cake,” a shared éclair. They would build their “registry” themselves, slowly, over time, at this or that antique fair or gallery opening. Many of the items in their home would be given to them by likeminded friends or created personally. They are broke, but (as it usually goes) have the best taste. They are happy, they are young, and beautiful, and have some genius. And, as in “La Bohème,” they’ll gladly skip a day of eating if it comes between that and a piece of art for the home.

“Her home is a brigthly feathered nest."

But there are those of us who have a bohemian style without the totally unconventional lifestyle; who are free-spirited in fashion and design even if we are traditional in our values and careers. One can channel unbridled artistry and expression, freedom and passion, through design, while still loving traditional values and being quite practical.

This bohemian registry is crafted for just this kind of person. A traditionalist at heart, she nevertheless has an expressive personal style. Her home is a brightly feathered nest, full of colors, patterns, and textures, brought together with an editorial eye. Hers is a library richly assembled with the Classics, and with works of poetry, philosophy, and faith. She may be quite disciplined, quite practical and regimented, in her everyday life. The sheer visual beauty of the bohemian aesthetic— the apartment brimming with botanicals and art; the wardrobe full of hand-embroidered pieces and free-flowing dresses, the fringe and tassels, layered necklaces and bangles— offer a kind of release. If, in art, we seek our opposite, little wonder that those who are drawn to the bohemian aesthetic may, in conduct, be rather ascetic. Perhaps it’s only those who have an intimate relationship with discipline who can fully appreciate the freedom and release of visual beauty: of an artful interiors, a beautiful objects, or passionate work of poetry.

With this character in mind, I assembled the Bohemian Registry— an Edit featuring gorgeous rattan and wicker pieces, pretty patterns, and unexpected colors.

Of the registry’s many stylish refrains, a love of rattan and wicker is among the most persistent. While gathering inspiration for this post, I fell in love with Amanda Lindroth’s wicker and rattan furniture and objects. Her work in this medium is masterful, and her blog posts, beautifully informative, as she explains the difference between wicker and rattan, and the creative approach she takes to these materials. From sweet side tables to pretty headboards, hand-crafted centerpieces to wicker-wrapped tumblers, Lindroth’s pieces are so elevated bohemian. She showcases them in personality-filled spaces, including her own homes in the Bahamas and Palm Beach, inviting us to imagine a life filled with beautiful objects. Some of her wicker masterpieces reveal her sense of humor; there are wicker dog sculptures called “Potcakes,” the pet name for Bahamian street dogs, and whimsical wicker flamingos (perhaps in honor of the residents at Palm Beach) whose plumage is hand-woven of fine rattan. Most breathtaking? Lindroth’s tropical take on the tulipiere, a tiered flower vessel traditionally made of porcelain, this time reimagined in her signature rattan. Pieces like these act like sculpture for the home, whether nestled beside a console, or, suggests Lindroth, “tucked into the entry hall to let lucky guests know they’re in for a fine island time.”

I like to think of the bohemiénne as just this kind of savvy and socially aware hostess, able to anticipate her guests’ needs. She uses design as a language that expresses welcome, humor, and joy; her décor choices act as a vehicle for conversation; her home and its objects have a way of lifting and lightening the mood.

Whether you opt for whimsical wicker and rattan pieces or more practical ones— like storage trunks, chests, serving trays, and lamps— these are wonderful materials to use as a base for bohemian designs. I love the idea of using wicker and rattan as a home or a room’s foundational element, the calm constant that grounds more adventurous choices. Wicker pairs beautifully with pastel and sorbet colors, as we can see with the punchy blue tumblers. And it’s fun to layer these materials— which remind one of tropical places— with unexpected and plush textiles like sherpa, boucle, and alpaca.

Working with a consistent, foundation element like this frees the bohemian to layer art, color, florals, and patterns. Identify your home’s essential ingredients, and into this context, introduce the creative pieces that spark you. Grounding elements— in this case, wicker and rattan— give the eye necessary rest, a soothing and predictable atmosphere where maximalist pieces may be more fully appreciated.

Some of the most beloved pieces in my own apartment, a small jewel box bursting with bohemian treasures, are the most economical. For this reason, with each new entry in the Registry Edits Series, I include an Amazon Edit. The essence of good taste, or perhaps ‘it factor,’ means, for me, that one is able to express that good taste on a budget. To choose even small purchases with exactitude and care. I appreciate hand-craftsmanship and beautiful fibers, beautiful textures— but I live in the real world. And while some items in the Registry Edit will be impeccably pure in make and quality, other purchases are fun and small. After all, having great taste on a budget is a quintessentially bohemian ability, so this part of the Edit feels especially appropriate.

“a space that encourages quietude, creativity, and abstract thought.”

“La bohème, la bohème / Ça voulait dire on est hereux…” So continues the chorus of the beautiful Aznavour song that so colors my dreams. “La bohème, la bohème / It meant we were happy.” And yes, one could be happy in a home filled with such meaning. A home that is an effortless extension of one’s interests: in art, music, verse.

The bohemian creates a space that is conducive to a very particular kind of living, a state of mind: one that facilitates creativity. Such a space vibrates with the passion and unpredictability—sometimes the friction—of the artistic process. This space allows for reflection: it’s designed in such a way that one could easily write or paint here, perhaps spending the occasional sleepless lost in the process (“De passer de nuits blanches.”). The bohemian space is not about co-opting a particular style or throwing a tapestry on top of something. It is rather about assembling a space that encourages quietude, creation, and abstract thought.

May this registry color your own home, and may you find even one item— an item that sparks an idea for an entire room, perhaps. Or perhaps an object which feels at home with an already lovingly established collection. Piece by piece, color by color, may you create your home— a home radiant with the beauty of your shared love. So much so, that you can look back one day on your very first home, on that tender beginning, and with wistfulness sing: “Fallait-il que l’on s’aime / et qu’on aime la vie.” How we must have loved one another, must have loved life.

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