We recently made a COLLECTIVE visit to one of our salty city's newest interior décor boutiques. COLLECTIVELY, we'd been hearing some street buzz for a couple of months. Bohem is getting plenty of much-due attention, so we decided to drop in for the low down. Our reactions varied, but to be fair, 'varied' in this context can only be defined by degrees of the highest praise. There were a few OMGs tossed out, and our typically-stoic editor was reduced to a giggling schoolgirl. Bohem is gooood.
The owners of this new and dreamy addition to our city, Adam and Chelsea James, found themselves at a transition point a few years back; both unsatisfied with their jobs, and pregnant with twins. They did what anyone would do...picked up and moved to India [mid-aforementioned pregnancy]. They knew no one. As expected, a tidal wave of cultural shock commenced, they had two baby boys, and soon enough, they were getting along just fine. Their desire in work? To "make things." These two have a maaaajor knack for design and creativity, and they began utilizing local goods. They got to know local artisans for textiles and the making commenced. "We aren't just going to India a couple times a year and importing bulk items," says Adam. "We're immersed in the culture there, for up to 8 months at a time." They started by creating for themselves--baby clothes, blankets, household goods. Then they got an etsy account. They added a few place mats to the mix, and one week later Anthropologie contacted them. Uh huh. Thee Anthropologie.
Fast forward a few years [and a few extremely successful wholesale partnerships later]--Adam and Chelsea are back in SLC. And they've got a bangin' storefront on State Street. This shit is l-e-g-i-t. Furniture, blankets, bedding, rugs, foreign antiques, jewelry, scarves, leather goods. Everything is reeaaally well-designed [by Adam and Chelsea, mostly] and artisan crafted in India, but there's choice stuff from other equally exotic places, too [think: Turkey, Morroco, Thailand, etc.]. They also happen to have a fantastic collection of locally-made goods. They're busting ass to support our local crafters however they can, which is kind of the point of Bohem when all is said and done. "You’ve got to support the artists," says Chelsea [she should know…you can see her incredible work here].
We COLLECTIVELY encourage anyone with a speck of good taste to meander in and breathe in the magic that is Bohem. And don't think we're not thrilled with their newly-launched [and soon to be full] furniture line. No good for our bank account, but sooo good for the home.
Bohem | 623 S State Street, SLC | 385.202.7517
