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Part of living a peaceful and fulfilling life is having a safe, cozy space to call your own. That means whether you’re renting an apartment or settling into a new house, finding a throughline to decorate and style out your space is essential. If you’re feeling uncertain of exactly what direction to go in, why not let go of the overwhelming options and settle into the eclectic charm of boho-chic?
This super carefree, casual, but still put-together design aesthetic has become incredibly popular for a reason. It’s all about mixing and matching patterns with different colors, textures, and vibes—and the best part is, it’s very easy to bring almost anything into the mix. For the newbies or anyone who just wants a refresher, here’s a guide for creating the perfect boho-chic interior and our picks for must-haves to get started.
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What is Boho Decor?
If you’re into maximalism, bright colors, and lots of contrasting patterns, a bohemian take on interior design might work well for you. Whether you just want to add a few touches or re-do your entire space, the mix of patterns, textures, and colors means your individual expression is the guiding factor. Keep in mind, while boho-chic goes with a lot, it might not go as well with stark minimalism of an industrial look, or the strict simplicity of a design style like farmhouse, but otherwise, stacking different cultures, patterns, artwork and decorations is all part of the style.
Actually, a big part of this style is about incorporating inspiration from all over the world, and multiculturalism or travel focuses can be a big part of bringing disparate styles together. This free-spirited style has been propelled to the forefront of interior design over the last few decades because we are now living in a time of globalism and a focus on travel.
Colors
While plenty of color palettes work within the boho-chic realm, the ability to layer different hues means sticking with an overall rich, warm, and earthy range. Dark blues and crimsons, burnished oranges and deep, warm yellows are all common variants, so choosing a few of these key colors to use is a great way to begin narrowing down your own take on an eclectic and varied aesthetic.
The entire process of creating a bohemian interior design style is about harmony, so selecting colors that complement each other is an important foundation—but that doesn’t mean you can’t still mix and match. Jewel tones like ruby and purple can be easily paired with beige, cream, and tan, and emerald green would be a great accent color for earthier shades like ochre and terracotta.
Colors aside, the use of patterns is an essential part of what makes a boho-chic room pop. Think florals matched with geometric prints, and bright paisleys mixed with neutral textures that lend a sense of place or an outdoor feel to a room. The presence of multiple patterns is also why earthy, rich colors are important, they help ground a space even if it has a lot of contrasting bold designs. But the freedom to express a mix of patterns, styles, and colors is all part of the free-spirited approach of a bohemian design style.
Patterns
One of the best ways to incorporate patterns into a room is with textiles like rugs, pillows, blankets and throws, and even tapestries, wall hanging, and macrame. Big paisley patterns on blankets and pillows are warm and comforting, and textured wall hangings can add a sense of coziness and belonging to smaller rooms or focal points within a space. When you’re mixing different patterns, a good rule of thumb is staying in a similar color palette to create cohesion.
Tribal prints and other woven or hand-loomed products from different cultures are another way to build a sense of place into your home, especially if you’re carefully sourcing these products from local artisans working to help share their own stories of the culture of origin.
Bohemian style means doing things your own way, and while layering patterns adds depth and interest, what will really catch people’s attention is your personality.
Don’t be afraid to take things to a maximalist, bold place, letting your instincts be your guide. Eclecticism and vintage or thrifted objects, furniture and textiles are hallmarks of a great boho-chic aesthetic, so hitting up thrift stores and second hand markets is another great way to find unique patterns, textures and one-of-a-kind pieces for your space.
Textures
Anything soft or tactile is going to add both pattern and texture to your space, which is a huge plus. Texture can also mean incorporating wood, rattan or jute, or other natural fibers like sisal. Actually, one important element of bohemian style we haven’t touched on yet is an emphasis on organic and natural materials into the overall aesthetic. That means copper, brass, and metallic accents that are balanced out by some of the wooden and woven textures from furniture, rugs, or decorations. Other soft fabrics like velvet, chenille and flannel are also fitting additions.
Get a big, shaggy rug and place it in the middle of your common space, or a dark-colored vintage rug, and build the rest of the room’s style around a central piece like that. Or, embroidered pillows, textured or woven wall hangings, even tasseled or fringed curtains can add the playful vibe a boho-chic look is going for in the realm of textures. Plus, plants and flowers can be another way to bring texture, color, and natural life into your design—get creative with ferns, cacti, and other uniquely shaped succulents, even natural stones and shells in the pots instead of soil, or scattered in colorful jars and vases brings the outdoor element in. The key is to mix a range of items that feel markedly different, but still fit together as a whole, and not overdo it in the process.
Incorporating Boho Decor into Your Home
Play Around With Layers
Whether you’re starting from scratch with a blank canvas of a space, or just want to start adding new flourishes to your pre-existing decor, textiles can be one of the easiest things to add a new layer to your space. The right set of pillows, or a well-placed beautiful blanket can completely elevate the vibe of your couch or seating area, and it’s also the best (and most affordable!) way to start layering new patterns and colors into a room. You can go with similar patterns in multicolor options, or various patterns that fall within the same color range—just try not to mix colors that are wildly contrasting as well as disparate patterns. In some cases, maximalism can be too much of a good thing, so sticking to one general color palette or general shape is the best bet for an inviting, and still polished, boho vibe.
Consider Using Travel Souvenirs
Since almost everyone has been bitten by the travel bug after locking down during the pandemic, odds are there’s at least one recent trip in your repertoire where you collected something special, meaningful, or decorative from another country or region. Instead of letting those artifacts and art pieces gather dust in a drawer or somewhere, bring them out front and center and work those pieces into your decor. Whether it’s art or a group of decorative hats on a wall, a set of baskets or statues, a tchotchke or keepsake, these diverse bits of culture are the perfect complement to a boho chic vibe.
After all, the definition of a bohemian is literally about exploring the world and bringing cultures together. Bohemian design has always been an eclectic mix of diversity, culture, and art; therefore, why not incorporate items from your travels? Even if you haven’t taken a trip recently, channel an adventurous spirit and collect some items that embody where you’d like to go next.
Rattan Furniture
Even with the explosion of Tulum-style furniture, there’s something so classic and timeless about rattan. Not only does it add an element of nature and organic material to your space, but it’s a light, carefree material that just seems to channel bohemian vibes more than any other furniture type. These rounded shapes and woven textures add such a free-spirited feel to any room, and can also help balance out bigger, heavier velvet chairs or thick, woven rugs. Wicker isn’t just for chairs anymore, either, look for sofas, coffee tables, headboards and even shelves to add some of this versatile material to your boho-chic decor.
Wrap it up in a Rug
We’ve already touched on this throughout the primer, but there's almost nothing more powerful when it comes to defining the look and feel of a boho-chic designed space than a rug. It’s the initial layer of pattern and color, it sets the tone for creating a warm and cozy atmosphere, and it adds an element of texture right away. Incorporating soft cow hides or other animal furs and skins can bring a natural element in right away (even if you use faux fur), and jute, twine, or other textured floor coverings are also a great addition to your eclectic and organic style. Either go with one large rug to encompass the feel of the whole space, or smaller, more defined rugs that make statements throughout.
Add a Nod to Natural Materials
Not every element in your room has to be a large piece of furniture or a specialty vintage rug to make an impact. Because of the constant layering that goes into an effective boho-chic look, smaller items scattered throughout the space are a smart and easy way to bring the room together. Natural materials like leather, wood and cotton can work as statement pieces, or colorful vintage dishes can double as useful and decorative. Go for a coffee table that’s made from organic materials (like rattan, wicker or raw wood) and let it double as a place to showcase more textured textiles or bright materials. Linen, wool, mohair and alpaca throws are another effortless way to bring layers, light and a bohemian flair into your space. As long as you keep layering, your look will come together with ease.
Add a Touch of Green
There’s nothing more effective for bringing light and color into your home than plants. A pop of living, natural greenery ($228), tendrils from a vine, or even the fresh bloom of flowers is the perfect way to bring the outdoors in, and highlighting elements of the world around us is what boho-chic is all about. Go for a heavily textured leaf (as usual) with a fiddle leaf fig tree ($228) or an elegant palm tree, or just some vining pothos ($78). Lush greenery is part of decor that brings such a wonderful feeling it just can’t be sacrificed, even if you need to mix in a few faux plants to help keep your maintenance level low.
Strategically drape vines in and around your space for texture and color, or even hang plants from the ceiling with macrame slings. Plus, thrifted end tables and platform shelves throughout the living room can help make space for these vibrant growing green things. Click and grow gardens ($289.95) make it easier than ever to get fresh herbs, vegetables, lettuces, and sweet little floral blooms to brighten up your home with minimal care and clean up.
Embrace Bohemian Chic
Clearly, there are a multitude of ways to bring the freedom and coziness of boho decor into your own space, and sticking within a range of textures, colors, layers and patterns is actually a pretty easy template to follow. Don’t forget to incorporate elements of travel and multiculturalism for an even more eclectic feel, using all kinds of fabrics and textiles to create a sense of warmth and relaxation. Between the vintage pieces and bright accessories, muted earthy tones and organic materials, there’s really something for everyone to be found in a boho-chic interior aesthetic. Slowly but surely build up your repertoire of cozy and reliable pieces, and one day you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see your own boho style has come together with ease. Shop all home products for more inspo and quality pieces you can’t miss!
