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Bohemian interior design tips we swear by

boho style living roomBohemian interior design means more—more plants, more textures, more warmth, more nature, and more accessorizing. If you are doing a big remodel of your home and plan to give it a boho vibe, we suggest you start by breaking it down piece by piece.

Breaking it down

What is Bohemian design? This type of design borrows from cultures around the world. For example, bright textiles, different textures, and accent pieces that reflect architecture from a different continent would fall into this category. When using these items, we must be aware that some of these pieces carry cultural and religious connotations that we need to respect. No matter how great an accessory might look in your general decorating scheme, it’s not worth using if it was misappropriated from another culture.

One of the charms of Bohemian design is that it looks like you’ve collected items from around the world, and collections are a big part of that—collections of bottles, maps, vases, hats, purses, and mismatched fine china look great when decorating in this style.

charming boho bedroomDecorating living spaces

Your living room is the hub of your home and usually the largest space to decorate. While your furniture does not have to match, it does have to be comfortable. When you’re done decorating, you will want to sink into that plush low-slung couch, or lounge on that giant pillow or two you strategically placed on the floor.

Maybe you want to opt-out of having a couch and go for a daybed, chaise lounge, or a futon pushed against the wall and draped with throws. Notice we said throws, plural—one nice chunky knitted throw and a faux fur throw would look spectacular together. Go for a more subdued lighting feature like twinkling lights, table lamps, or low-hanging pendants—the soft glow of these lights pairs nicely with the comfortable seating. As for plants, you will want lots of them! House all of those plants in huge brass planters for a truly Bohemian aesthetic.

In the kitchen, natural wood cabinets with butcher block tops look best. If you have any eclectic collections, this is where you will want to display them. Brightly colored water glasses, copper kettles, or framed artwork in various sizes are all great options. Consider planting herbs and keeping them in little planter boxes under the kitchen window.

If you have a nursery, you can paint a big mural of a jungle scene or use a large-leafed wallpaper for a serious pop. Frame baby animal prints and hang macrame art on the wall to balance things out. You can even hang a macrame swing for mom to sit on while she rocks the baby to sleep.

Have some serious fun with the bedrooms. You can drape twinkling lights over the bedframe and layer textured rugs on the floor. Texture is the name of the game here, and you can go wild with throws, pillows, and even a velvet headboard for that extra luxurious vibe.

Keep in mind; these are just some general ideas. There are certain “vibes” to pay attention to if you are going for the boho-chic look throughout the house, and these are just a few ways to achieve that look.

nursery with boho vibePillows, poufs, and patterns

Pillows, pillows everywhere. Extra pillows on the couch and the chairs, larger pillows on the floor, and different size and print pillows on the bed. Pillows are a great way to layer colors, prints, and, you guessed it, textures.

Poufs are another great furniture piece and a great way to add comfortable seating. You can use fuzzy, faux fur poufs in the bedrooms and more tailored plush fabric poufs in the living and family rooms.

Use natural textures as your base. When you paint the walls white, they become a beautiful backdrop to fabulous, colorful furnishings. If white walls aren’t your style, consider a natural grasscloth wallpaper instead.

Make sure you don’t restrict your use of patterns to the furniture only. Frame or stretch textiles on canvas to use as wall art. You can hang them or even lean them against the wall if they are oversized pieces. Check out your local yard and estate sales for items you can repurpose—Bohemian decor is all about repurposing. Look for anything burlap, bamboo, silk, velvet, and macrame.

There you have it. We hope we have inspired you to look beyond the traditional when it comes to your home’s interior design. Remember, the biggest draw to a Boho-chic home is that every room tells a story and warms your heart with memories of your travels abroad. Even if you don’t travel much, the look and feel of adventure await you in every room, where you can cozy up with a good book and soak it all in.

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Kathleen Ostrander
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kathleen has worked for United Press International and she's written about everything from style to pets for newspapers…
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