Infuse Your Living Room with Boho Eclectic Style
Do you aspire to make your living room a relaxing sanctuary that reflects your creative spirit? Bohemian or "boho" style may be the perfect interior design choice for you. Characterized by its eclectic mix of rich textures, vibrant colors, and vintage accents, boho decor cultivates free-spirited inspiration drawn from cultures across the globe. Through strategic incorporation of key elements, you can infuse your living space with bohemian charm that awakens the senses.
What is Bohemian Style?
Bohemianism originated as 20th century counterculture that rejected the mainstream in favor of artistic self-expression. Today, boho style embraces that rebellious spirit with radically unconventional decor. While bohemian design escapes concrete definition, some hallmarks include:
- Global influences - Mexican blankets, Moroccan pillows, Indian tapestries
- Vintage furnishings - Distressed wood, antique rugs, retro lighting
- Richly layered textures - Coarse woven throws, silky tassels, soft velvet
- Earthy yet vibrant color schemes - Burnt orange, olive green, sapphire blue
- Handcrafted details - Macrame hangings, ceramic vases, carved statuettes
- Organic shapes and motifs - Floral and fauna prints, curved silhouettes
These elements blend beautifully to form bohemian living spaces brimming with textures, colors, and artifacts that tell a global story. Boho decor stimulates the spirit of adventure that lies in all of us.
Elements of Boho Living Room Decor
Woven Textiles for Texture
Natural fiber textiles breathe life into bohemian spaces through gorgeous colors and textures. Incorporate jute area rugs plush underfoot yet organic in aesthetic. Drape lightweight cotton throws in vibrant Aztec prints or colorful stripes over the backs of sofas and chairs. Cover floors and furniture with fuzzy wool knits to infuse spaces with inviting softness and warmth.
Vintage Furnishings
Distressed wood furnishings, antique ceramic pieces, and retro lighting fixtures amplify vintage boho style that celebrates imperfections. Seek out solid wood accent tables or dressers with chipped paint and natural wood peeking through for additional visual interest. Display collected trinkets in woven baskets or on decorative trays to add an aged element. Incorporate filament bulb string lighting, beaten metal pendant lamps, or carved wood lanterns emanating a warm, cozy glow.
Lush Greenery
Plants breathe life into living spaces both metaphorically and literally through lush green foliage and improved air quality. Potted sansevieria, aloe, or fiddle leaf fig plants in macrame or terracotta planters atop console tables or bookshelves. Use hanging planters attached to woven wall hangings to suspend ferns above seating areas. Go for bold impact with extra large statement floor plants like Ficus lyrata or palm trees tucked into corners.
Layered Lighting
Proper illumination transforms rooms and sets the mood. Boho living rooms feature ample ambient lighting for both practicality and coziness. Twinkle string lights lend a whimsical air. Antique table and floor lamps with textured lampshades cast a warm glow drawing people into comfortable lounge areas. Try clipping-on reading lights for focused tasks that won't overpower the relaxing vibe.
Handcrafted Accents
Bohemian style celebrates global artistry through decorative accessories and wall hangings. Incorporate colorful hand-woven pillows or upholstered poofs embellished with pompoms or tassels. Display carved statuettes, painted clay vases, or hammered metal bowls holding air plants or dried botanicals. Fiber wall hangings like macrame with earthy beads or bright tassels add hippie vibes.
Mixing Patterns
While matching furniture sets promote harmony, boho decor thrives on thrilling combinations that probably shouldn't work...but do. Start by choosing a color palette of three or four complementary hues as your base so patterns have unity beneath their diversity. Layer in global prints from Mediterranean tiles to Native American geometrics to African mudcloths. Stripes, ikat, suzani, paisley prints all blend beautifully. Play with scale adding oversized floral throw pillows to a small-scale geometric area rug.
Embrace Texture
Beyond introducing captivating visuals, varied textures literally change the way spaces feel. Natural fiber rugs in wool, cotton, jute or seagrass add depth underfoot. Cozy chunky knit blankets tossed on chairs beckon you to snuggle in. Soft supple leather or velvet on cushions contrast beautifully with coarse rattan or rustic wood furniture. Experiment with materials from silky tassels to nubby linens until you discover the perfect tactile mix.
Incorporate Color
Color choices influence mood and energy more than any other interior detail. Boho palettes draw from globally inspired hues from vivid Moroccan teal to earthy Tuscan terra cotta. While neutral backgrounds allow vibrant accents to pop, don't shy away from an emerald green or sapphire blue wall color if it speaks to you. Layer in punchy patterned throw pillows and area rugs to build eclectic color schemes that energize yet still feel cohesive through careful repetition of colors.
Create a Cozy Atmosphere
As a living space implied, living rooms should feel comfortable and inviting. Plush down-filled pillows in velvets, chenille or corduroy and cushy woven wool throws encourage relaxation. Poufs covered in suzani prints or sheepskins double as casual alternative seating. For movie nights, incorporate floor cushions covered in soft cotton canvas that are both boho chic and kind to backs. Ultimately any seating that transports you to your happy place suits a bohemian living room.
Display Treasures
Personal treasures turn houses into homes reflecting residents' passions and pursuits. Bohemian spaces celebrate not just global handicrafts but also found objects, travel memorabilia and family heirlooms. Arrange sea glass collected on vacations or metallic rocks discovered on hikes atop stacked books or in glass bowls. Display vintage maps picked up in antique shops alongside old family photos for a snapshot of what makes you uniquely you.
After infusing your living room with an eclectic array of boho fabulous elements tailored to your tastes, take a step back to review the big picture. Tweak furniture placement and rearrange accessories until achieving that perfect balance of harmony and creative edge. Layer in last throws, fluff toss pillows and tend to new plants. Your bohemian living room should transport you to your happy place each time you relax into its global embrace.
Infusing living areas with Bohemian style stimulates the spirit by surrounding you with meaningful memorabilia, global handicrafts, and consciously sourced furnishings. Through embracing rich textures, vibrant colors, lush plants and vintage accents that celebrate imperfections, Bohemian decor reflects residents' values and adventurous outlook on life.