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This post will show you 22 ideas to create the perfect boho living room for a welcoming space filled with warmth and character!
If you dream of a living room where colors, textures, and natural materials come together to create a modern, cozy space, then a boho living room is exactly what you need!
Boho decor – or bohemian, if you prefer the extended version – is the perfect way to fill your home with a carefree, eclectic personality that channels the very definition of effortlessly chic. Just like the 19th-century artists it takes inspiration from, this style embraces excess and fun details while remaining rooted in simplicity and earthy tones.
All you need is to embrace your creative side and use the list of 22 ideas I have collected for you to create your very own boho living room!
Boho Living Room: The Basics
The perfect boho living room will need to incorporate all the core elements of this style. Each piece you invest in should contribute to the overall design, making it easier to achieve an eclectic look while avoiding clutter.
Overall, boho interior decor is rooted in the following principles:
- Layering textures and patterns
- Preferring natural materials and fabrics
- Mixing vintage and modern pieces across different styles and cultures
- Embracing earthy tones and occasional, bright, rich colors for accent pieces
- Adding metal accents, preferably in gold or brass
- Prioritizing the creation of a warm and welcoming environment. Formal and stiff is the very opposite of what we are trying to achieve
Now that you know the key points your decor needs to hit, let’s dive into 22 ideas that will help you create the perfect boho living room!
22 Boho Living Ideas To Inspire You
Use Floating Shelves to Display Your Favorite Decor
A boho living room should be filled with your favorite, meaningful decor pieces.
Mix-and-matching is encouraged to embrace the eclectic nature of this style, making it a great occasion to create a display of your most treasured items and memories.
Floating shelves will provide plenty of space to arrange your decor while adding a touch of warmth through the natural color and texture of wood.
For a more modern look, I would suggest opting for thinner shelves. The sleeker look will lean more into mid-century than rustic decor.
Use Different Materials to Create Accent Pieces
A variety of natural materials is at the very core of any boho living room.
The juxtaposition of these different materials can also help you create accent pieces. The rattan coffee table in the photo above is a great example of that.
The piece ties in with the overall decor thanks to its modern, steel legs but stands out thanks to its unusual design that centers on a natural material. Wood and rope would have also been great alternatives.
Combine Modern and Vintage Pieces
While boho is often considered a fully independent decor style, it thrives on combining pieces from other designs.
Mixing, for instance, a mid-century coffee table, and an abstract, modern art painting can be an unexpected combo that fits effortlessly into the eclectic ambiance we are trying to achieve.
Be mindful of selecting pieces that still share commonalities in terms of palette, material, or texture. A connection will help them fit together without requiring exact matching, keeping things visually interesting and less formal.
Choose Patterned Area Rugs
Area rugs play a crucial role in a boho living room as they contribute to the variety of materials in your space while helping ground your furniture and decor.
Traditionally, we associate deep, rich-colored rugs with this style but I believe even more modern, neutral colors like gray can work wonders.
The key is to choose high-quality fibers for your rug and a design that embraces typically boho patterns like geometrical shapes or Persian designs.
Combine this with wicker pieces, whimsical decor, and luscious greenery for a modern take on a boho living room classic!
Invest in Stunning Tapestry
Source: @peachy__home
Tapestry is widely used in boho interiors.
It is a wonderful way of transforming wall decor into a textured, warm element that can completely transform a space in a few minutes.
If you have the budget for it, consider investing in a high-quality, hand-made tapestry for your boho living room.
The bright colors, stunning textiles, and craftsmanship will provide you with a unique piece, filled with personality and charm. You won’t regret it!
Choose A Gray Couch for A Modern Take on Boho
If you love the free spirit of boho living room decor but are afraid of fully committing to its more eclectic aspects, then no need to worry! Here is a great example of how boho interiors can take a very modern approach to design.
Opt for a modern couch in a neutral color like grey and stick to more minimalistic large pieces like an area rug, wall decor, and light fixtures.
Then fully embrace a more traditional boho aesthetic when it comes to accent pieces. Opt for a woven ottoman or copper coffee table, and add embroidered pillows, or a majestic plant in your corner.
These finishing touches will ensure you create a warmer, more welcoming environment steering away from the visually busy spaces we traditionally associate with boho living rooms.
Focus on Softer, Warmer Lighting
Lighting is important to create a welcoming and warm atmosphere for your boho living room.
Avoid bright white lights and opt for multiple light sources spread across the room. Consider having a few different chandeliers or floor and table lamps that diffuse warmer, yellow light.
This will help create an overall softer look that enhances the rich, earth tones of your decor without overpowering the sense.
Understand the importance of Layout
Source: @jennifer.paro
A key feature of any boho living room that is often overlooked is the layout.
Our goal is to create an environment that welcomes us in and not only looks but feels lived in. This cannot be achieved if you opt for a formal layout.
Armchairs, coffee tables, couches – all these elements should be places to create an open space that remains functional daily and looks very casual.
For instance, I love how in the photo above the armchair is placed right next to the sofa instead of in front of it. This makes it easier to use the L-shaped couch as a footrest and allows whoever is sitting there to enjoy the same view as the people sitting in the main area.
Effortless is the key work we need to focus on!
Be Creative with Your Decor
Boho living room decor allows you to lean into your more creative and artistic side.
Places like your coffee table or display shelves are prime real estate to showcase your most interesting decor finds.
Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and get a little crazy. A small animal sculpture? A random shell collection from a past vacation? Your favorite hand-made candles? They will all look great together, simply play around with styling until you’re happy with the final composition!
Add Greenery for A Natural Touch
Recreate this photo:
The perfect boho living room also includes wonderful greenery.
Whether you are ready for the commitment of being a plant parent, or you prefer high-quality faux plants (no judgment here from me and my fake peonies), a touch of green will elevate your decor.
This will help ground the design adding a more organic feel to your living room.
Opt for A Neutral Palette
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If you are feeling overwhelmed by the variety of colors, textures, and materials that you need to include in your boho living room, then a more monochrome palette may be what you need.
A light, neutral palette centered around beige and naturally light fabrics like linen, jute, and rope can help create a more understated space and make the design process less daunting.
In this case, add earthy, deeper tones through minor accent pieces like a few pillows or a collection of plants and the result will be just as charming!
Choose Wall Decor That Makes A Statement
Boho living room wall decor does not need to be limited to tapestry alone.
I particularly enjoy sketches and art that bring elements of the natural world into your space. Vintage city prints are also a beautiful option.
A delicate wooden frame and a beautiful print will help add an artistic touch to your wall decor, complementing woven tapestry and diversifying your decor choices.
Balance Eclectic Decor and Minimalist Touches
Source: @wanderingmyhome
I love how the more maximalist, boho sitting area shines against the more minimalist walls.
This photo is a wonderful example of using minimalist decor in a specific area of your boho living room to create focal points on specific areas of the space.
Don’t be afraid to use simpler designs and colors across your boho living room to move the attention on the key pieces you have chosen.
Such an approach is also perfect if you find traditional boho wall decor a bit overwhelming.
Understand the Importance of Styling
Perhaps more than other interior styles, boho decor focuses on achieving the perfect styling to bring together fragmented pieces, materials, and textures for a cohesive result.
When styling a credenza, a shelf, or your coffee table, remember that the key is layering.
Play around with the transparency of glass, the roughness of wicker, and the sturdiness of books and vases to create a composition where each piece seamlessly fits with the other.
A boho living room favors an excess in decor rather than bare surfaces, but you must experiment with different styling options to achieve a casual but upscale look rather than a mismatched collection of mess.
A great tip for this is to ensure visual balance: a large item can perhaps stand on its own, but smaller pieces will need books or a tray to be grounded and not be overpowered by surrounding decor.
Focus on Comfort
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A boho living room should be a comfortable environment above all. As we discussed earlier, the welcoming and cozy atmosphere of boho interiors is one of their key differentiating factors.
The easiest way to achieve this is to be generous with pillows and throw blankets.
Combine different colors, embroidery designs, and textures to create a soft haven of peace on your couch.
This can also help elevate even very basic couches with a minimal investment. I love a win-win solution!
Use A Console Table For Added Storage
Large wood console tables are often associated with farmhouse interiors but they can make a great addition to your boho living room.
The natural material and organic look can be a perfect way to add storage options alongside an unused wall.
I love the idea of wicker storage baskets. They can be especially useful to store away throw blankets and decorative pillows when you do not need them!
Consider Painting An Accent Wall
Accent walls are a quick way to transform any room.
If you are looking to introduce more color into your boho living room but are not ready to replace furniture and decor, this could be a great idea for you.
Opt for an accent wall in an earthy tone, bright and rich like a deep terracotta. The result will be stunning!
Create a Cozy Reading Corner
I am a huge fan of reading corners! They help break out your living room layout into a new section and are the perfect place for a statement armchair.
For a charming boho reading corner, invest in some macramé decor and pair it with a stunning rattan shell chair.
Add a small area rug and a side table to hold your favorite cup of tea while reading and you’ll have everything you need to elevate an unused living room corner into a readers’ paradise.
Use Different Shapes to Create Interesting Visuals
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Boho interiors often combine sleeker lines and geometrical patterns with round, more delicate shapes.
This contrast works exceptionally well as it helps create room compositions that are very visually interesting and never boring.
Think of pairing tall, straight, and more traditional bookshelves with a round, artsy coffee table for an unexpected match that creates a unique room.
Use Patio Furniture
We live in an age where patio furniture is no longer made up solely of ugly plastic pieces.
Oftentimes, outdoor furniture uses typically boho materials like rattan or a combination of rope and steel to create stunning pieces that can belong in your boho living room just as well as they do on your patio.
Scour the internet for rattan, vintage-inspired patio furniture and you may find the perfect accent armchair for your boho living room!
Bonus point: these pieces are usually very durable when used indoors, so you won’t have to replace them for a long time!
Use a Mid-Century Credenza as Your TV Stand
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Fitting a TV in a boho living room can be challenging from an aesthetic perspective. After all, a TV is not exactly the most organic, cozy piece one can think of.
A wood mid-century credenza can help you solve this problem.
The modern lines but boho-appropriate design these pieces typically have are a great match to even more modern TVs and consoles while, at the same time, helping you tie these elements into the surrounding decor.
Use a Wooden Entryway Bench For Organization
If your boho living room also functions as an entryway, then you will need storage options for your shoes.
A great way to ensure the space remains organized and it’s your decor that stands out instead of your mess is to invest in a wooden bench.
The organic material, perhaps styled with an additional decorative pillow or throw blanket, can provide plenty of storage for your shoes and bags, helping you stay on top of things.
To Conclude
This post showed you 22 ideas to create the perfect boho living room by focusing on wall decor options, layering materials and colors, and understanding the importance of lighting and layout.
As you decide which ideas to recreate and how to transform your space, remember that boho interiors embrace a free spirit, preferring artsy, welcoming environments rooted in natural materials and visual variety.
Don’t be afraid to tap into your creative side for a boho living room you’ll love!
