The New Bohemians Handbook: Come Home to Good Vibes

by Justina Blakeney, Dabito (Photographer)

“Justina’s style is so warm and colorful . . . All her plants and pallets and prints are put together in ways that are beyond stylish. It is art.” —Drew BarrymoreThe New Bohemian Handbook guides readers in beautifully simple techniques for adding good vibes and style to living spaces. Packed with hundreds of ideas for bringing positive energy to your home, the book features exercises and activities for thinking about rooms in new ways. With Justina Blakeney’s expert guidance, learn how to rearrange, paint, prop, and plant your way to a home that’s fresh and inspiring. Uncover your “spirit environment” and learn how to use color and scent to enhance mood, productivity, and relaxation. Revel in Justina’s encouraging advice (“you got this!”), and easily and affordably turn any dwelling into a personal sanctuary.“An indispensable manual to living in a home that’s pretty, restful, groovy and 100% you. This is my spirit book! Finally a book that offers specific, helpful ways to make a home feel original, beautiful and, most importantly, like a haven for its homeowner.” —Sophie Donelson, Editor in Chief, House Beautiful“With Ms. Blakeney as guide, princes, plumbers and poets alike can readily replicate the charm and ease of these featured interiors—from tiny urban studios to suburban domiciles to rustic retreats.” —The Wall Street Journal“As vibrant, rule-breaking and out the box as she showed in her first book . . . It’s part book, part yoga lesson as Blakeney walks readers through finding clarity, flow, growth and harmony in our homes.” —The Detroit News“Full of ideas for bringing positive energy to your home.” —The Washington Post

Genres: Nonfiction, Design, Art, Interior Design, Reference, Lifestyle, How To

406 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 10, 2017

Reviews

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE. MUST OWN. REDOING ENTIRE HOME ON ZERO DOLLARS. PLANTS, PATTERNS & CRYSTALS EVERYWHERE.

[Elissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually learned things from this book as regards concepts and rules of decorating and making a space work and feel balanced. I don’t usually get a lot from specific lifestyle books like this.

I found it offensive though that one of Blakeney’s quick ideas was to display holy objects and deity statues because they make her feel “happy and relaxed.” And they bring “joy and calm.” I think this is a gross oversimplification of how objects affect a space and the people and more respect should be paid to the culture or tradition the objects come from. Just felt kind of flippant. Also, for a book published in 2017, it seems like she should know better than to use the term “spirit animal” and appropriate that to “spirit plant”, etc. Woof!

Towards the end of the book it was interesting to learn different types of textiles and their origins, as well as common symbols and what they mean. That felt more culturally sensitive.

[Annie ⚜️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, gorgeous book! I wanted to crawl into the pages. Simple, straightforward decorating advice. Nothing crazy or fancy. Things I could get up and do with (mostly) things I already had. Inspired me to rearrange my furniture, bring out some old favorites, rekindle my love of plants and sources of good energy. Not everything was my cup of tea but so much inspiration and fun.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whether or not you will like this book comes down to whether or not it's your aesthetic. It happens to be mine, so I enjoyed the pictures. The text was infinitely skippable; like most magazine articles, this book offers generic advice you've heard a thousand times from a thousand other places. It's not breaking any new ground. But the pictures are great! I will give her kudos for including a guide to some boho textiles that I otherwise would not have been able to give a name to. However, and this has been noted in other reviews as well, I have to deduct major points for her 'spirit animal' section, which went on to discuss your potential 'spirit plant', and then a quiz to determine your 'spirit environment'. She also advises the reader to display holy objects and deity statues for purely aesthetic reasons. That's pretty much cultural appropriation 101. This was published in 2017; she should have known better.

If you're into the bohemian style, I would recommend picking this up from your local library and flipping through to look at the pictures, and skimming whatever text catches your eye.

[Brianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a truly beautiful book - Blakeney's aesthetic is on point in so many ways and the book itself is just gorgeous to behold - BUT. BUT BUT BUT. I am o-v-e-r over interior designers (largely white ladies might I add) using "spirit animal" and using religious objects from marginalized people as home decor. It's garbage. It's also garbage that she took it one further and went into "spirit environment" and "spirit plant" (really?). You're not native. You don't have a fucking spirit animal. Period. Stop it. This is ignorant and embarrassing and gross.

This book would have been a five star with zero trepidation without that shit but naturally, here we are.

[Flavia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book. This book! Alright. So I found out about this book through an entirely different channel than I usually do. I signed up to receive emails from domino.com some months ago because they share some really inspiring photos of homes and home decor. Well, in early October, one of the emails from them contained a photo that was absolutely gorgeous and colourful, and I clicked the link below it. It took me to this article on domino.com, which features some photos of Justina’s work (which I find soothing to look at, and just overall inspiring). Her book, The New Bohemians Handbook was then show at the bottom, and I remember being really drawn to the cover and Justina’s style. So, I emailed the publishes, and was lucky enough to receive a copy of this beautiful book in the mail!

Cover to cover, this guide is of the highest quality. The paper is my favourite type of paper in a book like this, glossy and with the best colour pigmentation. The book is a hardcover, which is also something that I prefer, and it has rose gold accents on it! Ah! I mean, just look at it. The New Bohemians Handbook is perfection inside and out, and I enjoyed every minute that I spent flipping through the pages. The colour, and interior designs contained within the book are just pure perfection, and I definitely intend to implement some of the ideas shared by Justina once I have my own place to decorate!

I highly recommend this book to those who are looking to bring more positive vibes into their homes through home decor, and also those who simply enjoy looking at books like this! It was honestly soothing enough just to look at the photos of the homes featured in this book.

[Violet Laflamme · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hrm. I'm finding it hard to rate and review this book because on the one hand I did find things early on that were valuable and I wrote down to refer back to later. On the other hand, so much of this book was essentially unusable for me, which wouldn't warrant such a low rating on its own (especially given the usefulness of the early chapters) but the techniques to figure out "your style" as it were according to this book seemed culturally insensitive at best. For this reason, I would have to recommend to steer clear of this one.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm on a design kick these days and The New Bohemians Handbook fits the bill nicely . For a smallish book the pictures light up the text in a satisfying way. Lots of interesting ideas show off the color and texture and niave art and plants to good effect.

[Kinga (oazaksiazek) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bardzo przyjemna w odbiorze książka dla żółtodziobów w dziedzinie architektury wnętrz. Pokazuje wiele ciekawych i praktycznych rozwiązań nadających się nawet do małych mieszkań. Oczywiście obfitują w niej porady dotyczące stylu boho, ale uważny czytelnik będzie mógł wyciągnąć z tekstu czy zdjęć coś ponad to.

[Jaime · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm conflicted in adding this to the "Read" category because it's not Fancy Literature and I think the better verb (vs. "read") would be "skimmed"... But I'd like to keep track of the fact that I consumed the content. I ended up here after reading an article about Jessamyn Stanley and her family on Apartment Therapy, in which she referenced the style quiz. This book was rather disappointing for a few reasons, primarily the rampant borrowing and appropriation of culture and tradition without even a hat tip to a deeper understanding or appreciation. It reads as downright irresponsible... proper fodder for the ignorant crowd that just wants the cool crystal vibes without any of the context. I did appreciate the spread of content, but reading this book essentially felt like a quick scroll through related tags on instagram. Two stars because it wasn't complete garbage, but proceed with caution and a critical lens.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really loved the first book--whatever it was--I banished it from my mind after reading this one. But this was felt hollow. Of course the pictures were gorgeous, but was this a self help book or a decorating book? Seriously. And the cultural appropriation! Yuck. My spirit animal? I'm a white woman. I don't have a spirit animal. You want me to cleanse my house with sage? Because who cares how Indigenous people feel. Or display a buddha for decoration? Should I rub their belly too? Did you sleep through the last 5 years, Justina Blakeney, or are you just above it all? (I actually quit following her on Insta after this book.)

Also, just a pet peeve of mine with decorating books in general: I know that gorgeous stuff costs money, but how about some options for those of us who weren't born with global buying spree lifestyles?

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Holy cultural appropriation, Batman! Telling people to smudge with white sage and find their spirit animals. The editor, and everyone at Abrams Press, should be ashamed (and so should the author obvs but it's fundamentally the role of editors & publishers to gatekeep this kind of nonsense.)

This was otherwise fine house fluff, it wouldn't actually be that difficult to release a second edition that does a find and replace on "spirit environment", but yikes.

[Abby Bruce]

Of Justina Blackeney’s three books, I found this one to be the most instructional and helpful for someone interested in learning more about design principals and being inspired to create their own space. While her Jungalo Decorate Wild definitely has larger and beautiful images, there is less text generally on how to achieve a similar vibe yourself.

[Brenda Smoak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book with wonderful ideas, some of which I’ve already implemented. I’m giving 4 stars instead of 5 because the book looks and feels like a school textbook. With such heady information this should have been a soft cover with ragged edge pages - that would have sealed the deal for me. But aesthetics aside, read this book, you’ll be happy you did!

[Marissa Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noisy aesthetic, nice plants.

[Meggin Dail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed everything this had to offer. Beautiful photos, ideas and references.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for inspiration to improve the decor in my home to feel funkier and happier, this gave me some great ideas and inspiration. Based on ‘good vibes’, it discusses the different elements that go together to create a home that works well and reflects your personality. Also touching on Feng Shui, Astrology, Crystals and Flower Therapy. Great book

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that this book encourages you to make use of what you already have in your home to make each room a space you enjoy. I enjoyed the simple design tips and new ways to think about decorating!

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I checked out after she suggested that you install a new window or door to get more natural light. Sure. That would be the solution for a dark room but....money?

This is a formula for the individual who doesn't have a personal style. It reminds me of what you might see in an Airbnb or new restaurant. And honestly, I'm drawn to it too. It's the reason why I'm seeing a bunch of rattan on Facebook marketplace. People try out ALL the boho things and then realize the one-size-fits-all approach doesn't quite work for their actual daily life.

I believe the author is multi-racial but the spirit animal bit is what makes people roll their eyes at the term "boho," and why it tends to attract girls in crop tops who take selfies at Coachella.

Another reviewer nailed this book: it reads like a magazine article, where you skip across the half-hearted paragraphs and look at the pretty pictures.

[Valerie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish the author were conscious of the environmental damage and child labor that has accelerated as a result of every modern American being sold the idea that they simply must acquire a cache of boho mystical crystals. Before you get too caught up in the romance of moon-charging your crystals in Himalayan salt, consider that someone (quite possibly a child) in Madagascar is living in poverty, developing lung cancer, and scoring irreparable scars in Mother Earth through unregulated mining practices - just so that you can place it on your bookshelf. Is it worth it? Maybe instead, go buy a plant, or support your local artists.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandst...

[Liv · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book! But, if you are not into plants, crystals, aromatherapy and a bit of feng shui.. this book may not be of interest to you. However, for this closet ' hippy' , I devoured not only the easy to read and inspiring suggestions, but all of the glorious photography too. I loved the idea of creating a sanctuary that is customized to you and I know that this is a book that I will refer back to regularly when seeking lifestyle and interior inspiration.

[Nernwon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book, visually. And a lot of her tips in the beginning are really useful and thoughtful, but as with most “bohemian” things, her use of spirit animals and cultures reduced to color pelleted was really unsettling. Other than using the term spirit animal she makes references to a lot of different cultural artifacts and symbols with little to no cultural context, and that’s simply so.... American. I would recommend this book, but with clear disclaimers.

[Dale Cousins · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book made me laugh aloud! Don’t get me wrong; I mean no offense; the book is beautifully done. I often joke about having a red neck latent hippie decorating style and this book is the California version of that!! Lots of rafia, rattan, flea market, futon, pillow etc touches with many many plants. It was fun to browse through.

[Artemisia Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

As decorating books go, anything that features a Bohemian approach really grabs hold of my heart. I don’t know where this began for me, but probably in my paternal grandparents’ early 20th century LA area bungalow, where vivid colors, kitschy antiques and lots of textiles seemed to create a cozy kind of clutter that felt natural, uncontrived and quite homey. And a home that perfectly expressed the personalities and passions of my free-spirited grandparents themselves. This is the same decorating philosophy that Justina Blakeney describes in The New Bohemian Handbook where she builds on the ideas of her earlier book, The New Bohemians, guiding the reader to find their own spirited style by surrounding themselves with the colors, patterns, textures and special objects that really speak to their own individual heart and soul. With lots of attractive pictures, practical advice on color choices, creating balance in a space and even sections on using flower elixirs and crystals to affect the ambience and energy in a home, this lovely book is a real treasure and a great guide for anyone who wants to create a home that is wonderfully cozy and beautifully soulful.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt viscerally drawn to this book. I have a thing for Bohemian style, although I tend to have a more traditional home, but this book gave me so many ideas for ways I could enrich my space, add more color and texture, and adapt what I currently have to a more free spirited style. It's beautifully produced, with so many pictures from which to draw inspiration. And that tended to be a slight drawback ... some of the pictures were so small that it wasn't always easy to pick out the distinctive details. However, there were plenty of double page spreads to make up for that slight limitation. I also loved the guest contributions and the sources lists at the back of the book.

I'm just embarking on turning an upstairs room, which has been a very large storage closet for the past three years into a meditation/yoga room, a place to escape and relax, and I know I'll be dipping into Blakeney's book over and over again for inspiration.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A “coffee table” book of sorts, but I did read it cover to cover! Provides a plethora of inspirational photos of people’s homes, plants, textiles, etc that have now overwhelmed me with ideas on how to decorate our new house. I say overwhelming because the “eclectic/bohemian” design style is by nature a mish-mash of trinkets, rugs, pillows, furniture, wallpaper, decor, etc that is supposed to be collected from all over the globe/online, to make your home unique and full of items that have personal meaning to you. I dig it. It will just take a long time to go from an empty/new house with white walls and echoing hallways, to a finished & furnished room. Takes longer to curate than just going to Ikea or Target and picking up everything you need. Regardless, I will try to take it 1 small step at a time (starting small with the hall bath, or the mudroom) and see where this creative inspiration takes me!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun book with gorgeous pictures. I was moving to a new place, and it gave me some ideas. Like most decorating books, it features homes with outstanding architectural details that just aren't realistic for most of us. But it's easy to recreate the general vibe at a low cost, because boho is everywhere right now. I've always envisioned living like this, so it wasn't a trend for me. It seemed to me a thoughtful book, not something thrown together to capitalize on a current decorating style. For me. it will be a long-term favorite way of living, so "The New Bohemians Handbook" was a good investment. I'll enjoy looking through it again and again, and there's so much there that it will be fresh and new each time.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am decorating a house from scratch, and this was a great aspirational guide. I felt at times torn: On the one hand, I find the people who think (and decorate) this way to be insufferable, but at the same time, I love the colors and designs... so I decided to read this cover to cover and take what is useful.

Some things that will stick with me:
-If you're not sure how to liven a place up, add a lot of plants
-Environments, not just colors, can be good guides to building a room vibe
-Start designing a room based on how you want it to make you feel

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED THIS. I’m a very spiritual person and it felt like the entirety of the book was geared towards me and making my home a place of recharge and relaxation.

The book flowed perfectly with lots of little things to check how you were feeling about your own place while looking at others.

It was also wonderful to see other cultures meshed into the book and astrology, spirit animals, and cultural symbols guiding your design.

As an artist that works with those three things in her own art: it was awesome to see that I can transfer that tradition and ideology to my own home.

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish it had been 50% more photos and 70% less words.

Aside from multiple instances of the cringey use of "spirit animal/twin/plant", this is a beautiful design book. Nothing but full color photographs for this book and they were lovely to look at. Kudos for whoever got this group of immaculately decorated homes together. I was inspired and I plan on coming back to this book when it's time to decorate my new home