The Fifth Room
Why Outdoor Living Space Is the Design Move You Can't Ignore
Why Outdoor Living Space Is the Design Move You Can't Ignore
BOHEME DESIGN HOUSE · SUMMEr 2026 · JOURNAL NO. 08
There is a room in your home you may not yet have designed. It has no ceiling — or perhaps the sky is its ceiling. It breathes, shifts with the light, and holds the kind of quiet that no interior wall can quite replicate. It is your outdoor space, and it is arguably the most powerful room you have.
At Boheme Design House, we believe the boundary between inside and out was never meant to be a hard line. The most considered homes dissolve that edge — intentionally, beautifully — extending the language of the interior into the landscape beyond it.
More than a patio
Outdoor living space is not an afterthought or a seasonal bonus. When designed with the same intention as your interiors, it becomes a true extension of how you live — a place to gather, to retreat, to exhale. Research consistently shows that time spent outdoors reduces stress, sharpens focus, and lifts mood. Good design can make that access effortless, weaving the outside into the rhythm of your daily life rather than leaving it underused behind a sliding door.
The question is not whether you have outdoor space. The question is whether it is working for you.
Designing the Space With Intention
The principles that govern a well-designed interior apply equally outside. Layering, scale, material, light — these are not indoor concepts. They are design fundamentals.
Anchor it. Every outdoor room needs a focal point — a dining table built for long evenings, a fire element that draws people inward, a daybed positioned toward a view. Without an anchor, the space drifts.
Layer texture and material. Teak and linen. Stone and woven rattan. Concrete softened with trailing botanicals. The richness of an outdoor space comes from the same layering that makes an interior feel considered rather than decorated.
Treat the light. A pergola with draped fabric. A canopy of mature trees. String lighting that shifts the mood after dark. Outdoor spaces live across hours — design for all of them.
Blur the threshold. Consistent flooring materials that run from inside to out, retractable glass walls, matching or complementary color palettes — these are the details that make a home feel seamless rather than segmented.
An outdoor living space isn't a luxury — it's a return to something essential. And when it's designed with the same care and conviction as the rooms inside, it becomes, quietly, your favorite place in the house.
About This Post
Part of the Boheme Design House Summer 2026 Journal — a seasonal series exploring the ideas shaping how we design, expand, and inhabit homes and outdoor spaces in Southwest Colorado.
Where to Begin
Start with one zone
Pick a single purpose — morning coffee, evening dining — and design around that before expanding.
Define your edges
A rug, raised planters, or a simple pergola creates enclosure. Enclosure creates a room.
Invest in seating first
Comfort drives use. If sitting outside feels good, you'll actually do it. Everything else follows.
Add a light source
Lanterns, string lights, or a single floor lamp extend the space into evening — and change everything.
Bring in one indoor element
A side table, a ceramic, a throw. It signals intention and bridges inside to out.
Choose plants with purpose
Fragrant herbs near seating, tall grasses for screening, low ground cover for softness. Let plants do the work.
Don't rush the edit
Live in the space first. The best additions reveal themselves over time — not in one shopping trip.
“Your home doesn’t end at the threshold. The most transformative — and often most overlooked — room in the house has no ceiling.”
The ROI — Emotional and Otherwise
Designers and real estate professionals alike will tell you: outdoor living space consistently ranks among the highest-return investments a homeowner can make. But beyond market value, there is something harder to quantify — the way a beautifully designed exterior changes how you feel about coming home.
It signals that the whole of your environment has been considered. That rest and beauty and gathering are not reserved for indoors. That living, fully, happens everywhere.
Ready to extend your home beyond its walls? The Boheme team designs outdoor spaces with the same depth and intention we bring to every interior. Let's talk about what your fifth room could become.
Maker Spotlight Series
MAKER SPOTLIGHT SERIES
GEORGE SCHMIDT
Multi-Discipline Artst
Artist George Schmidt at work at his home studio he built.
Tell us about yourself – what’s your story in a nutshell?
My name is George Schmidt. I've been making paintings, sculptures, furniture and buildings – and all kinds of stuff for as long as I can remember.
I went to an art magnet school for my BFA (Parsons School of Design) and MFA (School of the Art Institute of Chicago)… the whole shebang. I've been a working artist with an active studio practice for 25 years. I've never found anything better to do with myself and I feel very lucky that I’ve been able to follow my creative compulsions wherever they lead me over the years.
What drives your art?
What inspires?
Inspiration for me comes from multiple sources. It's more of a synthesis of interests: visual, spacial, musical, psychological. Mostly at this point I'm drawing from ideas that I’ve had for years and recycling them and mashing them into new forms – trying to see if I can see something new all the time.
Its a process that is always changing, collaging, building on itself, but returning again and again to my core interests, color interactions, spacial interactions, our perceptual process, the way seeing some combination of parts in new or unexpected ways can simply put people in a novel headspace, where a different perspective emerges. You know, art!
What’s new? Where are you in your current evolution?
Lately I've been working on a series of sculptures using shaped painted and carved blocks of wood assembled in towers that are roughly human sized. The trees are all cut down on my land, milled here, seasoned here, and utimately made into sculptures right here. The components of each sculpture are assembled in a way that is reminiscent of the process of collage. Sometimes I will carve a part, and it will hang around the studio for years before it finds a home in a finished sculpture. The final pieces are painted and shaped to emphasize optical color effects that create an unusual visual experience. My attempts to manifest this kind of visual dynamism is currently playing out in an additional way in a series of kinetic mobiles, where the various parts move and interact in a state of constant flux. Living with art is a way of inviting a kind of visual and intellectual novelty into our experience. I myself collect Navajo rugs. I'm always inspired by their geometry, color, texture and history. Art can always help us see ourselves and the world in new ways.
The lowdown
Favorite travel destination? My wife and I love to travel and are currently obsessed with long boarding. We have been going to Mexico and Costa Rica at least four times a year now for a while, and the stoke just keeps growing. Speaking of an aesthetic experience in a state of constant flux, Surfing is one of the most challenging, fulfilling, and wonderful things anyone can do. Surfing is all about drawing lines on the wave, in a moment where everything else slips away in an ephemeral instant. Hearing surfers talk about surfing is almost as bad or maybe worse than hearing artists talk about art!
Favorite book and/or movie? Japanese surf videos, any surf video with nat young, ryan burch, harrison roach, alex knost, kelis kaleopaa, kristy murphy. There are so many beautiful and inspiring surfers out there. These are my favorite movies. And books - probably shouldn't get me started. I mostly read natural history. I read a lot. This winter I read and re-read Stephen Jay Gould's book Wonderful Life, which is all about early evolution. It's a fascinating account of early and bizarre diversity in a precambrian fossil formation called the Burgess Shale. It seems strange but I couldn't put it down. The new Michael Pollan book 'A World Appears' is quite good. A super fun dive into what consciousness is. There is a book by a guy named Zak Podmore, who lives in Bluff, Utah. It's called "Life After Deadpool" which is all about lake powell and its future in a time of increasing aridity and climate change. "Metazoa" by Peter Godfrey Smith, is a book I can highly recommend. It's about biodiversity, and the diversity of and evolution of consciousness. Ties into Michael Pollan’s book in a lot of interesting ways. I could go on and on.
Favorite artist(s), designer(s), architect(s)? This is an almost impossible question for me, not because I don’t have any, but because i like a lot of disparate artists, designers, and architects for what to me feel like personally nuanced and obviously utterly subjective reasons. It'd be easier and maybe more informative to ask what I hate! Maybe.
What's always playing in your studio — music, podcast, silence? Right now - today - I'm on a mission to listen to weird Japanese psychedelic jam bands. Upupayama is at least a name I can spell. Yuma Abe is another. Tomorrow i might listen to The Commodores or Solange Knowles all day. But music is almost always on in my studio, in my life. Lots of 20th century American jazz. Lee Morgan, Herbie Hancock, Ahmad Jamal, John Coltrane, Sun Ra, Wayne Shorter..... on and on....
Finish this sentence: "Making things…”
… has taught me to always be curious, and to expect happy accidents, especially when you think you have no idea what you're doing. One should always cultivate a perspective of "not knowing". That's ultimately the only way to learn or do anything new.
Maker Spotlight Series
MAKER SPOTLIGHT SERIES
KATHLEEN KEENE JONES
Ceramic Artist
Artist Kathleen Jones at work in Smiley’s Art Room Collective
THE QUICK + FUN LOWDOWN:
Favorite travel destination or past trip? Zanzibar
Favorite book and/or movie? Book: Less; Movie: The Usual Suspects
Favorite artist(s), designer(s), architect(s)? Georgia O'Keefe!
What's always playing in your studio — music, podcast, silence? Music, ideally from the 70s and 80s or pretty much anything that fellow artist Joe Schafer puts on the in the Smiley Art Room!
Finish this sentence: "Making things heals me."
Tell us about yourself — who are you and what do you make/create?
I am a ceramic artist working primarily in hand-built sculpture. My work explores the tension between strength and fragility — how something can feel precarious and grounded at the same time.
I build forms shaped by the landscapes I’ve called home — deserts, mountains, tidal edges, geothermal springs — places where elemental forces are visible and unfiltered. My career in multilateral diplomacy deeply shaped my sculptural language; living in regions marked by both beauty and complexity taught me that resilience is rarely symmetrical or polished.
The pieces I create often lean, tilt, cluster, or hover. They are intentionally imperfect. Rough clay remains exposed. Surfaces shift from matte to reflective. I am interested in the quiet structures that hold things up — in nature and in people — and in the beauty that emerges through imbalance.
How did you first discover your craft — what was the spark or what drew you to it?
I studied ceramics in college, but clay reached me earlier than that. I grew up in the Southwest, spending part of my youth on ranches. That early connection to land — to soil, to heat, to material — stayed with me.
For a long time, my professional life moved in a different direction. It wasn’t until years of living abroad — in Afghanistan, South Sudan, the Dominican Republic, and the Gulf (United Arab Emirates)— that my sculptural voice truly took shape. The elemental landscapes and the resilience of the communities within them gave me something I needed to translate physically.
Clay became the way I processed those experiences. Earth turned by water, hardened by fire, touched by air — the material itself mirrors the forces I’ve witnessed.
Where do you source your inspiration? What sparks a new idea or collection?
Place is always the starting point.
A sandstorm reshaping a horizon. A tide pool holding fragments the sea has left behind. The way geothermal water rises through rock. The submerged stillness beneath clear ocean waters.
Each collection begins with an environment — and with the emotional tension that environment carries. Sandstorms became a study of disruption and renewal. Tideworn grew from the quiet basins left when water retreats. Pagosa was rooted in reverence for land and inherited memory. Submerged explored pressure, suspension, and transformation beneath the surface.
I don’t illustrate landscapes. I try to embody what they do.
Is there a person, place, or experience that has most shaped your creative path?
Living in regions shaped by elemental extremes and geopolitical complexity changed me. Afghanistan’s austere mountains. South Sudan’s White Nile. The Musandam Peninsula where mountains fall directly into the sea.
But equally formative were the quiet inheritances of the American Southwest — the springs of Pagosa, the cairns along a river, the knowledge embedded in land long before I arrived.
I have learned that endurance is never flawless. That lesson runs through everything I build.
What are you currently working on or excited about?
Right now, I’m working on a collection inspired by the geography of the Four Corners, specifically Antelope Canyon and Red Cliffs, called Carved by Light. I also have plans to make a collection inspired by Watersheds.
Is there a dream project or medium you'd love to explore?
I would love to create a site-responsive installation — something that interacts directly with landscape, light, or water. Work that lives outdoors, where weather becomes collaborator rather than threat.
I’m also intrigued by integrating subtle movement — not in a theatrical way, but in a way that deepens the sense of breath or suspended time within a piece.
How do you see your work adding to someone's home and collection?
In a home, I could see the pieces become quiet anchors — forms that invite you to walk around them, to notice shadow, to feel weight and balance. They shift with light throughout the day. They ask for a moment of attention, and in return, they offer steadiness.
I hope they bring a sense of groundedness — a reminder that strength can lean, that beauty can be asymmetrical, and that what endures is rarely polished.
FENG SHUI & SPATIAL ENERGY
Feng Shui & the Art of
Intentional Decluttering and Seasonal Living
Moving Energy:
Feng Shui & the Art of
Intentional Decluttering
BOHEME DESIGN HOUSE · SPRING 2026 · JOURNAL NO. 07
In the mountain West, where seasons demand we move between stillness and motion, the principles of Feng Shui resonate in a particularly grounded way. At its core, this ancient practice is not about decorative symbolism — it is about how energy, or chi, moves through a space. Clutter blocks it. Open, intentional arrangement invites it. The result, when done well, is a home that feels like a deep breath.
The word "Feng Shui" translates literally to wind and water — two forces that, by their nature, flow freely. Rooted in Taoist philosophy and more than 3,000 years old, Feng Shui was originally used to orient buildings and burial sites in harmony with the natural world. Over centuries it evolved into one of the most enduring frameworks for understanding how the spaces we inhabit shape how we feel, focus, rest, and connect.
Today, it's finding renewed relevance and not just among those drawn to eastern philosophy. Modern psychology, environmental design, and neuroscience are increasingly confirming what Feng Shui practitioners have always known: clutter increases stress, light affects mood, spatial layout influences behavior, and balance — visual and physical — improves clarity of mind.
Understanding the Foundation
What Chi Actually Means — and Why It Matters Here
Chi (also written as qi) is the life force energy that, in Feng Shui philosophy, flows through all things — people, objects, architecture, and landscape. In a home, chi enters through the front door and moves through the space along natural pathways. When those pathways are open and unobstructed, chi flows freely, and the people living within the home tend to feel energized, clear, and at ease. When they're blocked — by furniture pushed against walls, piles of unsorted belongings, or rooms that feel heavy and still — chi stagnates. And stagnant chi, in practical terms, often manifests as fatigue, friction, or a vague sense that something is off in a space you can't quite articulate.
In the San Juan Mountains, where the natural world is the constant backdrop, this idea of energy in motion has an almost literal quality. The valley winds that move through Durango in spring, the way light shifts across the Animas corridor through the day, the dramatic seasonal contrasts of this landscape — all of it speaks to a place that is never static. Our homes, when designed with awareness, can honor that same quality of movement rather than resist it.
"A cluttered home often mirrors a cluttered mind — leading to overwhelm, indecision, fatigue, and stress. You don't need to believe in anything mystical to see results."
— Gathered, Feng Shui Rules That Will Transform Your Home, 2026
Where to Begin
Decluttering as Practice: The First Act of Moving Energy
Before any furniture is moved, any element introduced, or any color placed on a wall, Feng Shui asks one foundational thing of you: clear the clutter. This is not a metaphor. It is the single most impactful act available to anyone who wants to shift how their home feels, and it costs nothing but time and honesty.
Clutter, in Feng Shui terms, is not simply mess — it is unmade decisions. Every object that sits in your home without a clear purpose, a designated place, or genuine emotional resonance is a small weight on the energy of the space. Multiplied across a household, those weights become significant. They produce the low-grade friction that makes some homes feel draining rather than restoring.
The approach is simple, if not always easy: move through your home one area at a time and apply a single question to every object — does this earn its place here? Not "could it be useful someday," not "was it a gift I feel obligated to keep," but does it genuinely belong in this room, in this life, now. Objects that answer yes stay. Objects that don't are donated, stored, or released. What remains is a space that has been curated with the same intentionality we apply to a well-designed room.
About This Post
Part of the Boheme Design House Spring 2026 Journal — a seasonal series exploring the ideas shaping how we design, collect, and inhabit homes in Southwest Colorado.
Key Principles at a Glance
Chi flows freely through open, unobstructed spaces
The entryway is the Mouth of Chi — begin here
Clutter is unmade decisions; clear it first
The commanding position fosters calm and security
Five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water
Sightlines to the landscape are sacred in mountain homes
Seasonal clearing honors the rhythm of mountain life
“One beautiful, intentional object beats ten competing for attention every time. When you live in the mountains and nature, the view is your anchor — let everything else support that.”
Starting Small — The One Move That Changes Everything
Feng Shui does not require a renovation, a new furniture budget, or an expert consultation to begin working in your life. It requires only attention — the willingness to walk slowly through your own home and notice how it feels. Where does your body tighten? Where does it relax? Where does your eye snag on something unresolved, and where does it rest with ease?
Begin at your front door. Clear everything that has accumulated there this winter. Oil the hinges if they squeak. Replace any burned-out bulbs. Set one beautiful, living thing — a plant, a small vessel, a stone from the trail — just inside the threshold. Then stand in the doorway and breathe. Notice whether the space invites you in or creates resistance.
Holiday Decorating with Natural Materials
Holiday Decorating with Nature
Deck the Halls Naturally: Holiday Decorating with Natural Garland, Dried Oranges & Cranberries
The holiday season is here, and it’s time to bring warmth and cheer to our homes. If you're looking to decorate in a way that's both timeless and eco-friendly, natural garlands, dried oranges, and strung cranberries are perfect choices. These natural elements evoke nostalgia, smell incredible, and add a handmade touch to your decor.
In a world of plastic ornaments and synthetic materials, natural decorations stand out for their sustainability and charm. Not only are they biodegradable, but they also bring the outdoors inside, filling your home with the cozy essence of the season. Plus, crafting with natural materials is a fun activity for all ages, making holiday prep an enjoyable family tradition.
Here's how to create stunning decorations with these simple yet elegant materials.
Crafting a Natural Garland
Natural garlands are the backbone of holiday decor. Here's how to make your own:
Materials Needed:
Fresh greenery (pine, cedar, eucalyptus, or a mix)
Floral wire or twine
Scissors or garden shears
Instructions:
Gather your greenery, trimming it into manageable sections.
Lay the pieces on a flat surface, overlapping the stems slightly.
Secure each piece with floral wire as you work, building the garland to your desired length.
For an extra festive touch, weave in dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, or pinecones.
Tip: Keep your garland fresh by misting it with water every couple of days and avoiding direct sunlight.
Making natural dried orange slice garlands
Dried orange slices are a holiday favorite, bringing a pop of color and a subtle citrus aroma. Here’s how to make them:
What You’ll Need:
Fresh oranges
Sharp knife
Baking sheet
Parchment paper
Steps:
Preheat your oven to 200°F (93°C).
Slice oranges into ¼-inch thick rounds.
Arrange slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 2-3 hours, flipping occasionally, until dry but not burnt.
After the slices cool, string with twine and a large darning needle or poke holes with small scissors.
Use these slices as ornaments, garland embellishments, or even as gift toppers.
Making cranberry garlands
Cranberry garlands are such a fun, festive tradition and the ruby red berries look so beautiful amidst all the green pine boughs and other Christmas decorations. This can be a super fun seasonal holiday tradition if you have kids too. It’s so easy, and the result is magical.
Materials:
Dark-colored string / baking string
Tapestry needle
Fresh cranberries (can be found in most grocery stores)
Fiskars scissors
Steps
First, measure how long you would like your garland to be. Cut a piece of string to that length, plus a few inches.
Now take your string and thread it through your needle.
Next, dump your bag of cranberries into a bowl for easy access.
Now you can start threading the cranberries onto your string! Simply poke the needle through the middle of the cranberry and slide it all the way down. Tie a knot at the end so the berries don’t slide off the end
Keep sliding cranberries along the string until it’s full.
Remove the needle and tie a knot at the other end of the string. Clip the excess string.
This cranberry garland is such a versatile and beautiful Christmas decoration. You can use it to decorate your Christmas tree, string it along your mantlepiece, hang it along a wall, drape it around a window, and so much more. I love the little pop of color it can add to a room, too! The best part is, cranberries (as we mentioned before) have a great shelf life. They dry out after a while, but still look pretty that way. And after you’re done with them, they’re biodegradable, too!
Fall Styling Tips for Living with Seasonality
Embracing the Seasons: Fall Interior Decorating & Styling with Nature
Embracing Autumn: Foraging for Fall Foliage to Style Your Home
As the leaves begin to change, nature provides us with a vibrant palette that can transform our living spaces into cozy, seasonal retreats. Foraging for fall foliage is not only a delightful way to enjoy the crisp air and stunning colors but also a sustainable method to bring the beauty of autumn indoors. Here’s how to gather, style, and appreciate the rich textures and hues of fall foliage.
The Beauty of Foraging
Foraging is a wonderful way to connect with nature and engage your senses. As you wander through parks, forests, or your own backyard, take a moment to appreciate the diversity of colors—from fiery reds and oranges to muted yellows and deep browns. The process itself can be meditative, allowing you to slow down and enjoy the sights and sounds of the season.
Tips for Responsible Foraging
Know Your Environment: Familiarize yourself with local flora. Some plants may be protected or toxic, so it’s essential to research what’s safe to collect.
Leave No Trace: Only take what you need and avoid stripping trees or plants bare. A few leaves from each plant can ensure they continue to thrive.
Check for Pesticides: If you’re foraging in urban areas, be mindful of potential pesticide use. Stick to areas that are free from chemical treatments.
Timing is Key: The best time to forage is during the peak of fall when colors are at their most vibrant. Check local foliage reports to find the perfect moment.
What to Gather
When foraging for fall foliage, consider collecting a mix of leaves, branches, berries, and even pinecones. Here are some elements to include:
Leaves: Maples, oaks, and varities of plum and ornamental fruit trees offer stunning colors and unique shapes.
Branches: Twigs and branches can serve as natural decor, adding height and texture to arrangements.
Berries: Bright red or orange berries from plants like bittersweet, holly or winterberry can add pops of color.
Grasses: Karl Foerster, Blue Grama Grass and other grasses can lend a nice ethereal touch. Even types of tumble weed can present itself as interesting material.
Acorns and Pinecones: These natural elements can enhance your autumn display with their earthy tones.
Styling with Fall Foliage
foraged fall branches make a lovely arrangement on their own
Once you’ve gathered your bounty, it’s time to get creative! Here are some ideas for incorporating your foraged finds into your home decor:
1. Nature-Inspired Centerpieces
Create a stunning centerpiece for your dining table using a mix of leaves, branches, and berries. Use a simple vase or even a rustic bowl to showcase your collection. Add candles for warmth and ambiance.
2. Wreaths and Garlands
Craft a beautiful wreath or garland for your front door or mantel. Use a base of twigs or wire, and attach your foliage using floral wire or twine. This not only welcomes guests but also brings the outdoors in.
3. Table Settings
Incorporate leaves and small branches into your table settings. Use them as place cards, or scatter them across the table for a rustic, woodland feel. Pair with seasonal candles and earthy dishware for a cohesive look.
4. Wall Art
Press leaves between heavy books to create natural art. Once dry, frame them or use them as part of a larger gallery wall. This adds a personal touch and serves as a reminder of your foraging adventure.
5. Seasonal Displays
Create a dedicated fall display on a shelf or side table. Combine your foliage with pumpkins, candles, and other autumnal decor for a festive vibe.
Final Thoughts
Foraging for fall foliage is not just about decorating your home; it’s about experiencing the season in a deeper, more meaningful way. As you gather and arrange, you’re creating not just decor, but memories of time spent outdoors. So, grab your basket, embrace the beauty of autumn, and let your creativity flow! Happy foraging!
2025 Design Trend Digest
2025 Interior Design Trends
Forecasting interior design trends in the year ahead
The Continuing Influence of Scandinavian-Japandi Fusion
In 2025, interior design will continue to embrace a serene, minimalist aesthetic that blends Scandinavian simplicity with the warm, natural elements of Japandi style. This stylistic blend creates a simply elegant and naturalistic space.
Warm Modern Minimalism
Say no more to stark, cold minimalistic spaces. The new minimalism brings warmth and nature to indoor spaces, achieved through natural materials like wood, stone, and organic textiles. The use of natural stone—from countertops to accent walls— adds texture while soft, neutral palettes create an opening and inviting atmosphere, the calm of the neutral palettes help soften the contrast of rich wood statement pieces like wooden doors, ceiling beams, and cabinets that can add a luxurious feel.
Bringing the Outdoors In
One of the most refreshing trends that we will continue to see in 2025 is the seamless incorporation of nature into interior spaces. indoor plants, art featuring organic shapes, and natural tones as integral design elements. Spaces are becoming more connected to the outdoors with patios that extend directly from the living room, blurring the boundaries between inside and outside. These extensions make outdoor spaces feel like an intrinsic part of the home, adding both relaxation and functionality. This Scandinavian-Japandi fusion emphasizes sustainability, simplicity, and warmth, making it easy to incorporate in any space.
An Evolution of Textured and Organic Surfaces & Spaces
In 2025, we will play with texture and the manipulation of lighting to continue to bring the element of nature into our indoor spaces. A key trend this year will be using materials and shapes that evoke warmth and depth while still maintaining a minimalist, clean foundational palette.
In 2025 texture takes center stage in defining space and style
Textured Walls & Ceilings
Textural details are making a bold comeback with textured walls and ceilings. From ceiling beams to intricate trim, these features add a traditional elegance and richness to otherwise minimalist spaces.Rounded & Softened Edges
Designers are softening spaces by incorporating rounded edges into doors, windows, chairs, bathtubs, and hallway entries, Just about anything you can imagine. These smooth, organic forms offer an inviting and calming contrast to the sharp lines of traditional modernism.Fluting for Dimension
A—grooved surfaces that can be applied to wood, metal, glass, and stone. Whether on cabinet doors, vanity countertops, or glass shower doors, fluting brings subtle texture and adds character to even the most minimal designs.Incorporating Glass Blocks
Another standout texture is the use of glass blocks, a nod to vintage design trends that’s making a comeback with modern flair. Glass blocks offer a unique way to introduce pattern and light diffusion, blending retro aesthetics with sleek, contemporary design.Fractals in Design
Lastly, fractals, geometric patterns found in nature, are being featured in everything from wallpaper and lighting to statement art pieces. This is a fun way to incorporate art into spaces in a nontraditional way. These patterns tap into the organic, nature-inspired trends while adding visual interest and energy to spaces.
Our forecast is that these approaches in highlighting and employing textured organic applications will define design in 2025 - blending modern trends with natural materials to create spaces that are equally visually captivating and sensory comforting.
- By Bohème Design House intern Amanda Whidden
2024 Interior Design Trend Forecast
Forecasting interior design trends for 2024 and beyond
Forecasting design trends for the year ahead
Quiet Luxury
What is quiet luxury in interior design? Quiet luxury interior design is about creating a harmonious environment where each element is thoughtfully considered and contributes to a sense of well-being and understated sophistication.
How does quiet luxury manifest itself in our homes, exactly? This shows up as a continuous foundation with an emphasis on classic, investment pieces that you can build a room around and upon. White oak or a rich darker wood paired with luxurious soft textures, and traditionally shaped furniture that can evolve through the decades with re-upholstery.
Japandi / Scandinese Style as a rooted foundation
Often a foundation of “quiet luxury” but also timelessly transcending trends that come and go is the relationship between Japanese minimalism and the natural earthy simplicity of Scandic style. “Both Japanese and Scandinavian design aesthetics are focused on simplicity, natural elements, comfort, and sustainability.”
A big aspect of Japanese design style, as well at the root of Scandinavian design although emphasized more so as the concept of hygge. “Wabi-sabi originated in China, but evolved seven hundred years ago into a Japanese ideal,” writes says Laila Rietbergen, the author of Japandi Living (Lannoo Publishers 2022). “It embraces the beauty of imperfection and being at peace with the imperfections of the world.”
We continue to see more and more of this design style as a foundation and basis of overall design. However, this is also our signature style in which we operate centrally from… working with earthy neutral & natural color palettes as the foundation of most of designs. Add on some Hygge decor to a central foundation of white walls and warm neutrals to create a calming canvas. Japandi and Scandinese style, as well, as hygge is marked by focal elements and accents that emphasize natural elements such as wood, bamboo and plants.
Eco / Sustainable Building + Design
Sustainable interior design is environmentally conscious with an emphasis on reducing waste, toxins and harmful manufacturing and material extraction practices, increasing recycled, natural materials and supporting practices and companies that are certified sustainable. Environmentally centered design reduces negative impacts on the environment, while increasing the health and comfort of inhabitants.
New construction offers opportunities for interior designers to build eco-friendly designs from scratch, using energy saving designs and recycled building materials. Energy and thermal modelling can be used to make a building more comfortable by improving energy efficiency, while increased indoor air quality can be found by improving passive heating, cooling and ventilation design. Interior designers taking into account the amount of natural light available to internal spaces in the home can reduce the requirement for electrical lighting. This type of research is crucial to the design of a green building.
Eco-style home design is one of the most attractive and harmonious trends. Using natural, eco-friendly materials and neutral hues, and finishing with simplicity and a minimalist approach, helps create spacious, bright, and convenient living spaces that are eco-friendly, pleasant, and comfortable.
Here are some design tips on how to incorporate sustainability and a more eco-minded approach to interior design
Responsible Product Sourcing: When purchasing products, you would naturally prefer to buy from companies that share your values, and when it comes being eco friendly and environmentally responsible, choosing which products to purchase is important. Look local whenever you can to reduce pollution and waste associated with the shipping of products which can contribute significant pollution. Look for a B Corp Certified stamp to know you’re buying from a company certified at one of the highest levels of sustainability. Here are other certificatioons you can look for to feel good about what you’re supporting and bringing into your home:
The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
Positive Luxury
1% for the Planet
Certified B Corporation
STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEXÒ
Leaping Bunny
Rainforest Alliance Certified
The Green Business Bureau
Increasing environmentally conscious + sustainable building practices. Consider these central 4 areas of building green:
Increasing energy efficiency. Check out Four Corner’s Office for Resource Efficiancy and Energy Smart Colorado program and learn more about LEED certified homes. Check with your local utility providers for State supported energy efficiency rebates and incentives to save money as well.
Materials selected for building your home. Check out Green Building Supplies to learn more about specific materials - flooring, finishes, etc.
Increasing the efficiency of water usage both in and outside of your home. Always look for and try to incorporate products with the WaterSense certified label.
Improving air quality, which improves the health and productivity of your family. Considering both eco finishes, insulation products, building materials and how your home breathes overall is central to a healthy home. Avoidtoxic building products and finishes - flooring, paint, glues and then essentially the furniture and products you’re adding to your home. Along with proper ventilation and eco building materials, consider biophilic design into your interior design and styling with plants to help regulate temperature and circulate oxygen rich air.
Image & Art by Heidi Chowen
Interior Inspiration: Fireplace design as a focal point
Interior design inspiration in incorporating hygge style into fireplace design
Getting hygge with fireplace design
Fireplace design as your heart of the home
As December sets in and the winter solstice is around the corner, its officially cozy hygge season over here and we’re finding inspiration in beautiful fireplaces as the main focal point of a home - providing both function and aesthetic as a central anchoring of the social space.
Hygge is a Danish term defined as “a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.”
The concept of hygge is central to our design aesthetic - a minimalistic style, embodying the feeling of being content while enjoying life’s simple pleasures.
5 Ways to Incorporate Hygge Decor into Your Home
Here are some design tips on how to incorporate hygge into your way of life year-round and embrace minimalistic design in your living space:
Soft textiles: Decorate with accessories like throw blankets, throw pillows, faux fur area rugs, or sheepskin-lined blankets to create a warm cocoon on a cold night.
Neutral color schemes: White walls or warm neutrals create a calming canvas. Hygge decor is marked by natural elements such as wood, bamboo, and plants.
Mood lighting: Set the tone with string lights for a diffused source of illumination. Hang them in the living room, dining room, or bedroom. Use minimal touc lamps to illuminate shelving or nook areas or airy pendants hanging over cozy lounge areas. Incorporating a fireplace glow if possible is always a sure bet in adding ambiance, a sense of cozy and the most romantic of mood lighting.
Comforting scents: There’s a reason realtors suggest baking cookies before an open house—the familiar scent of a childhood home creates a cozy and welcoming environment. Instead of mixing up a batch of cookies, try scented candles. Warm aromas like ginger, vanilla, cinnamon, or orange contribute to a relaxing atmosphere.
Reading nook: Adapt hygge style to your love of literature. Set up a comfy space in which you can enjoy a good book and a cup of coffee.
Here’s some of our current inspiration
