What is Modern Bohemian Furniture?
Bohemian style furniture has been making a comeback in recent years — it can be found in industries ranging from clothing to furniture and everything in between. Modern bohemian has started filling houses all over the globe and today is one of the most sought after home decor styles. Adorning your living room with textiles inspired from global travels is quite in vogue and will have house guests asking how they can recreate your look. Despite its popularity, many may not realize that this style, in its most simplistic form, refers to a more artistic form of living. It pulls inspiration from global textile traditions and is reinterpreted with a joyful and modern spirit that makes it fitting for homes today, whether you’re a design enthusiast or just beginning your design journey, there’s something out there for you if this style sounds intriguing. If so, keep reading! This post will provide some design tips and tricks for anyone who’s looking to incorporate a splash (or a full re-do!) of modern bohemian into their homes.
What does modern boho mean?
How do you characterize bohemian design if at its core it is a way of life? It can be helpful to keep in mind that this interior design style is slightly unconventional and artistic. It showcases color, texture, and pattern in a relaxed way. It’s electric and shows off personal style with one of a kind flea market finds or even passed down paintings, quilts, and more.
Often, bohemian decor uses natural and at times rustic materials, such as wood or rattan. At the same time, this natural color palette is mixed with bright colors (sometimes even bold jewel tones) to juxtapose the neutral core furniture. For example, a textured and pattern cobalt blue or burnt red throw pillow might reside on a swinging rattan chair that hangs in the corner of a living room to create an inviting boho space that feels unique and one of a kind. Add in a sisal area rug and a shaggy faux fur blanket and you’ve created a quintessentially boho chic nook. To really impress guests, create a gallery wall that’s full of family portraits and hanging wall art, such as a tapestry inspired by ancient Egypt’s textile art.
If this little boho nook sounds like it’s something you want to recreate in your home or expand to other parts of your house, you’ve come to the right place. To create a bohemian home or room, we suggest getting a little creative and potentially stepping out of your design comfort zone, at least initially. That said, it’s important to keep in mind there’s no one size fits all when it comes to this design style. You can incorporate as much (or as little) modern bohemian furniture, art, etc. as you want.
We’ve established that modern bohemian refers to a way of life, but a quick history lesson may also be helpful. Thinking back to the definition of bohemian, it was originally given to a particular group of people who traveled from Bohemia. Later, the definition was expanded to include artists, musicians, and other free-spirited individuals who took on a nomadic life, traveling throughout Europe. In other words, a bit of a hippy lifestyle. Today, we know that boho style isn’t limited to individuals living a nomadic lifestyle, but rather it embodies the spirit of this lifestyle, drawing influence from their style to create chic apartments, homes, and other interior spaces. We’ll explore a few ways specific to create a bohemian look in your home — from small additions to large design overhauls depending on what you’re hoping to accomplish.
Affordable Bohemian Furniture And Home Decor Trends
Incorporate rugs: A rug is a simple and quick way to make a room more inviting and add a bit of boho flare, especially if you’re early on in the decorating process and haven’t finalized your decor ideas. We recommend a nature-inspired rug that’s not lacking in texture. This can range from a neutral jute rug to a white faux fur rug that feels like you’re walking on clouds.
Don’t shy away from decorative pillows: Whether you’re decorating a living room, bedroom, or even an entryway, decorative throw pillows should be utilized. They will bring in pattern, color, and most importantly, texture. Just a couple of pillows on a soda can create a much-needed pop of color and make a bohemian living room feel complete.
Throw in a leather or woven pouf (or multiple poufs!) to add some contrast to your throw pillows. If you’re feeling more adventurous you can opt for a shaggy pouf that will feel delightful anytime you lean against it.
Hang objects on the walls: Often, walls can feel like they are reserved exclusively for fine art, such as paintings, drawings, or prints. However, when it comes to boho decor, almost anything can be hung on the wall and look great. Tapestries or woven macrames are a few that initially come to mind. If you’re up for it, you could even make your own macrame by taking a trip to the local craft store and watching a simple YouTube video. If that’s not your thing, Etsy and various sites have beautiful handcrafted wall hangings to reside in your boho home.
Fill empty space with collected trinkets: This trend will take time to feel complete, but start by picking up a few objects, like books, sculptures, or even lamps from a local antique shop. Or ask your parents or grandparents if they have anything they’re willing to part with that has sentimental value to you. From there, start picking up one or two items when you go on trips — whether international or local. A small wooden box from a trip to Europe for example can be both beautiful and an easy way to bring something home with you that will help you remember a trip for a lifetime. Over the years, your collection will come together and will likely become a conversation starter with dinner party guests who can’t help but admire your globally inspired trinkets.
Add in accent pieces: Accent pieces can be a bit a of a catch all, but if we focus on certain rooms in the house, such as the living room, dining room, or bedroom, these additions can make a big difference.Try an accent chair in the corner of your living room, tucked away to the side of your fireplace or flank two chairs on either side of an antique table in the upstairs hallway that has always felt a bit too empty. Fill in extra seating at your dining room table with ottomans, so you always have enough space for those unexpected plus ones. Or opt to hang your accent piece from the ceiling with a rattan or tassel chandelier.
Make sure to layer: Our final design tip to consider when creating a bohemian interior is layering. Actually, this can be applied to all of the trends mentioned above from rugs to art. Going heavy on the mixing and matching with layers key to giving you that chic and effortlessly thrown together boho feel. This can be done by mixing pieces that on the surface may not appear to go together, such as various finishes or patterns, but when they come together it’s perfection. Contrasting a more traditional rug for example with bright yellow and blue patterned throw pillows on a texture sofa is just one example.
Layering art (including wall hangings) by both mixing frame sizes and styles is another easy way to mix and match. This also takes some pressure off that all of your art has to be perfectly curated because if you’re trying to achieve the boho vibe, pieces that vary in color and texture are the way to go.
Layering doesn’t need to be limited to just the walls. You can place multiple pieces of art, along with objects, behind a sideboard in the dining room or stack paintings behind a bookshelf to create a bohemian living room.
We’ll leave you with a reminder that decorating should be fun — and creating a home with modern bohemian style furniture and art embraces the free spirited nature of the movement itself. No matter how you choose to style your home, we hope you enjoy the journey and find joy in decorating.