A look around a boho vintage styled home in Abu Dhabi styled and lived in by Lindsay Crafts
Lindsay Crafts and her family moved to Al Zeina in October 2020. A purveyor of all things vintage, the interior designer shares snippets of her home on Instagram and her blog, Love in a Home. Teaming up exclusively to B Living UAE, Lindsay takes over to talk us through the design of her home her effortlessly styled home:
The location
Al Zeina is an amazing community for families, with a resident’s beach, pools in each block, and plenty of walking options down to the neighbouring communities along with Al Raha. We wanted a space that was safe for our children to play, one that was modern and spacious enough for family living. We were drawn to the Al Zeina properties because they have large balconies and high ceilings with modern European kitchens and bathrooms, along with gorgeous views of Yas Island.
The style
My home definitely has a Scandi-boho feel. I am hugely influenced by Swedish, Danish, and Finnish design, with a focus on anything mid-century. I like to mix soft materials, like linen and washed cotton, with concretes and metal to get a nice juxtaposition. I add in wood, lots of greenery, and dried flowers to bring a natural element into my design.
I keep to a fairly neutral palette – beige, browns, greys, blacks and creams, then add a little pop of colour here and there with a print or accent piece. I think this is a style that clients have come to me for, a cohesive blend of hard and soft with natural elements tied together in a stylish little Scandi package.
Some of my favourite stores here in the UAE are The Bowery Company and Urban Nest for my designer fix. The Attic, Dubai and Tribe are great for boho, rattan and cane picks. Al Maadan in Yas Mall is one of my favourites for accessories and accent items. While Bound No82 is a great local small business here in Abu Dhabi that does amazing baskets and wooden items for decoration.
Get the look
In our living space I have a Soderhamn sofa from IKEA, it’s a big modular sofa that’s perfect for snuggling up on in the evenings. The covers are removable and washable, which is a must with the kids. I have also just ordered some slipcovers from Comfort Works to finish the space off.
I like to add rustic elements like terracotta pots or concrete side tables. You can get some amazing pottery at Mina plant market in Abu Dhabi very inexpensively or alternatively pop to Zara Home’s Spring 2021 collection which has an emphasis on rustic items.
Linen is one of my favourite materials, the more it is used the softer it becomes. We have linen sheets on our beds, and I like how the crease, crinkle, adds texture to the room. You can buy them very inexpensively from H&M. If you don’t want to go for the whole bedding set, then just a couple of accent pillowcases or cushions will set the room off nicely.
The children’s room is all about rattans, bamboo and cane with fun prints and books on display. The colour scheme is kept minimal, yet I add in fun cushions from Meri Meri and colourful crates for storage from The Kids Collection.
I am very into limewash paint, something that has been around in the Scandinavian countries for a while, but it’s not very common in the UAE. It’s a simple DIY project, I imported mine from Kalklitir. It comes in powder form, you mix it with water, then use a crossover or ‘cloud’ technique to paint it on. I have painted a wall in our living space and my office and I am now thinking our whole bedroom would look great In one of their charcoal colours!
Want more local home content? Take a peek inside Jo England’s boho villa, or nosey around interior designer Sopranda’s truly original apartment