Bow-tiful Spaces: Adding Charm with the Perfect Knot

The art of the bow

Bows have been everywhere in both the fashion world and home decor these past few seasons. They are fun, feminine and flirty easily lending themselves as a cute fashion accessory or home embellishment. Bows have been around for centuries and they initially served more of a utilitarian purpose-they literally tied things together. Their secondary purpose was decorative. With the invention of the horizontal loom, ribbon-making advanced during the Middle Ages, enabling the creation of more intricate woven textiles.

We quite often associate them with ballet dancers and young girls-a signifier of youth. There is a childhood charm, a sweetness, about bows as many of us grew up with bows in our hair and on our clothes. Nowadays they represent femininity and romance, which women are embracing full heartedly. In fashion, bows have been prominently featured for the last few seasons and as interior trends always follow fashion trends, the romantic bow has exploded in the home world. While it will always be a great motif for a little girl’s room, there are some elevated and elegant ways to lean into this trend at home.

How to incorporate Bows into your home

There are a number of ways to incorporate bows into your home in an elevated way. And just like in fashion, you can try a small detail or embrace it full force. Bows can lean traditional in terms of style but can also lean modern depending on what they are paired with. Remember, it’s about the composition of the whole and not each individual piece. Add a playful element to your powder bathroom by selecting a wallpaper with this nostalgic print on it. All of the other elements in the room can be sophisticated, leveling up the overall interior design. You can easily add a bow made out of fabric for decorative pillows or use as drapery ties. The good thing about fabric is that it comes in plenty of patterns, colors and textures to find an option to suit your space perfectly.

Here is a modern take on the bow motif. A metal bench made out of enameled stainless steel that comes in a variety of color-ways by artist Maria Pergay. Everything about this bench screams sleek, cool and modern.

Want to take a subtler approach? Here’s another seating option that has a simple bow detail on the back of the chair that some would not even notice as a bow but just an ornamental design.

For the little ones

Bows are plentiful in the little one’s world. They are an easy motif for a sweet nursery or a young child’s room. You can choose to incorporate small accessories throughout like pretty wall sconces, decorative lamps or even bows on a window cornice. This is a way to dip your toe into this trend without fully committing.

One design element we love is the idea of using it as an embellishment detail on window treatments. This pink valence has a sweet scallop detail at the top of a roman shade with pretty pink bows in a matching fabric running along the top. This same detail can be applied to full length drapery as well. You can even make it so that the bows are removable should you want to remove them years later. Decorative sconces above a dresser, flanking a bed or in a bathroom will add immediate charm to any space. Wall hooks are an even smaller investment to apply this nostalgic trend!

To make a bolder statement, go can use a wallpaper to play into this cute theme. You can find options for wallpaper (a favorite of ours to design with) in several tones and color-ways to get the look you are after. Here are some of our favorite wallpapers!

Tying it all together: Holiday edition

We saw a lean into the bow trend over the holiday season and loved it! Bows have always played a role in Christmas decor but now, we are seeing as the star of the show in some cases. Big bows = major drama! The bow makes an elegant tree toper, especially when only used as the crown of the tree. We also saw bigger bows with longer tails used en masse all over the tree. This ‘Bows Everywhere’ look is bold and impactful!