The idea is to die young as late as possible. — Ashley Montagu — Friday June 5th — —

I love listening. It is one of the only spaces where you can be still and moved at the same time. — Nayyirah Waheed — Friday June 5th — —

“What art does — maybe what it does most completely — is tell us, make us feel that what we think we know, we don’t. There are whole worlds around us that we’ve never glimpsed.” Greil Marcus — Friday June 5th — —

The New Bohemians

In ‘The New Bohemians’, the Los Angeles-based designer Justina Blakeney defines the New Bohemians as creative individuals who are boutique owners and bloggers, entrepreneurs and ex-pats, artists and urban farmers. They embrace free-spirited, no-rules lifestyles and apply that attitude to all areas of their existence, including their homes. With little distinction between work and play, the new boho home often includes an office, art gallery, showroom, photography studio, restaurant, or even a pop-up shop. ‘The New Bohemians’ explores 20 homes located primarily on the East and West coasts. Exclusive interviews with the owners, 12 DIY projects created by Blakeney and inspired by objects found in the homes, and a “Plant-O-Pedia” offer insight into achieving this aesthetic. In addition, each home is accompanied by an Adopt-an-Idea section that offers general decor, styling, and shopping tips for easy duplication in your own home.

California designer Justina Blakeney traces her own bohemian roots back to her childhood in multicultural, counterculture Berkeley. These days, Justina’s advocacy extends beyond her own “jungalow” home creations and her own design business. In The New Bohemians, she creates platforms for 20 free-spirited DIY projects, providing both interviews and photo spreads of their no-holds-barred creativity.

Obsessed with color, plants, travel, creative reuse and thrifting, Justina Blakeney is a designer and design blogger with a bohemian heart. Domino Magazine, Better Homes and Gardens, Marie Claire Magazine and Refinery29 all agree that Justina’s blog is one of the best design blogs on the web! Harper’s Bazaar recently named Justina a top designer to follow on Instagram and Justina is one of the world’s leading curators on Pinterest with over 1 million followers. She has worked with brands such as Anthropologie, 1st Dibs, OneKingsLane, eBay, CB2, AirBnB and Joss & Main.

Justina’s bohemian aesthetic emerged out of her multicultural upbringing in Berkeley, California. The convergence of cultures in her childhood home gave her an appreciation for mixing things up when it came to home décor. Her degree from UCLA in World Arts and Cultures, as well as extensive international travels also informed her aesthetic. It was this creative spirit and a love of sharing that compelled her to start a design blog when she returned to the US after living and designing in Italy for seven years. For Justina, decorating is about feeling free, having fun and getting a little bit wild. Justina currently lives in Los Angeles in her ‘jungalow’ with her husband and young daughter, Ida.

Order the beautiful book here.