Boho Furniture

Apr 21

Bringing boho furniture, aka bohemian furniture, into your home is a casual and playful way to decorate. The boho interior style is all about mixing and matching different patterns, textures, and colors to create a unique and eclectic look with an overall casual and relaxed vibe. Whether you’re a fan of bright colors or pastels, bold prints, or rustic wood, there’s a boho design style that will suit your taste. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at boho furniture and how you can incorporate it into your home.

What is Boho Furniture?

“Term ‘bohemian’ was first used in French language to describe Romani people because it was believed that they came from Bohemia, Czech Republic, but it later came to symbolize any kind of unconventional lifestyle, often in the poorer but culturally richer parts of the city, involving musical, artistic, or literary pursuits.” - Byron’s Muse

The bohemian or boho decor style draws inspiration from different cultures, especially those that were alternative to the prevailing classical formal style in 19th century Europe. So influences from Moroccan, Indian, and African design are sometimes combined to create a layered and well traveled look. Similarly, boho furniture can combine different design elements from around the world. It’s often handmade and has a vintage or rustic feel. A room design that features music, literature or fine art will help create the boho spirit. Most importantly, boho furniture is never stuffy and formal. Incorporating this style in your decor will help you create a cozy and inviting space where you can relax and feel at home.

Color and Texture

One of the defining features of boho furniture style is the use of bright colors and bold prints. You’ll often see rich jewel tones, such as emerald green, sapphire blue, and ruby red, paired with vibrant patterns, such as paisley, ikat, and floral prints. However, some contemporary versions of the boho style have a much lighter and whiter color palette. Use of raffia and macrame adds a beachy retro vibe whereas cut glass beads and heavy velvet can make the design a little more traditional. You can also add in some neutral tones, such as white, beige, or gray, to balance out any bold colors.

Modern interpretations of boho furniture style range greatly from saturated color to a monochrome palette.

The focus on casual paintings, jewel toned upholstery and a mixture of comfortable pillows makes this boho living room welcoming and unique.

This interpretation is devoid of color but creates a boho furniture look by mixing textures, periods of furniture and displaying guitars as a nod to the importance of music in the inhabitant’s life.

Furniture and Decor

Boho furniture should help you make a relaxed place of comfort and creativity. You can achieve this by using soft furniture, such as plush sofas, oversized chairs, and floor cushions. Pattern on pattern is a feature of the boho interior, so throw out any notion of balancing pattern scales or fabric colors. Vintage and handmade pieces are also a great way to add character and charm to your home. Extra points if those handmade pieces include items made by your arty friends! You can find boho-inspired furniture at thrift stores, flea markets, and antique shops and online of course! Don’t be afraid to mix and match different styles and eras to create a unique look.

When it comes to boho decor, the sky's the limit. Try macrame wall hangings, colorful tapestries, and patterned rugs to add texture and warmth to your home. If you’re a believer that “more is more”, go for large groups of paintings on the walls to create the feeling of a hive of creativity. If you’re more fond of simplicity, just one large, textured, neutral colored piece will bring a sense of peace and spaciousness. Plants are also a great way to bring life and energy into a space. You can use potted plants, hanging plants, or even a vertical garden to create a lush and vibrant atmosphere.

Boho Dining Chairs

If you don’t have a green thumb, include furniture that features plants like these botanically inspired painted chairs. They are made from (adult sized) schoolhouse chairs which add can a retro and upcycled vibe to the space. Very boho!

Boho Furniture in Different Rooms

Boho furniture can be incorporated into any room in your home. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Boho Entry

Set the tone by featuring a boho furniture piece that you see as soon as you get home. It will also signal to visitors that this is a place to relax and be themselves. A worn antique rug, some repurposed coat hooks and a textured mirror will do the trick if the space is small.

Boho Bench

If you have a little more room, add a bench or storage piece. This red storage bench incorporates vibrant crimson and orange, an ikat design on the top, and string and wood beads around the piece to create a layered, multi-cultural and highly textured boho furniture piece. Throw your shoes in it, under it or on it!

Boho Living Room

Use a colorful rug, patterned throw pillows, and a mix of vintage and modern furniture to create a cozy and inviting living room. For sofas and chairs, comfort is the key. An overstuffed silhouette and a rich velvet for the upholstery will fit the boho furniture style perfectly (and will also make it difficult to leave once you’re ensconced in all that softness)!

This jeweled toned room provides several places to sit and read books from the huge collection in the background. A natural fiber coffee sack is used to cover a large plant pot. The greenery breaks up the industrial style concrete walls. The casually parked bike and the dog on the wrinkled sofa say there’s no pretension here.

Boho Coffee Table.

For a coffee table, how about this octagonal piece? A little bit English traditional and a little bit Moroccan. Style it with a plant in a terracotta pot on a raffia mat or with a collection of mismatched taper candles for the boho coffee table look.

Boho Side Table

There’s nothing better than putting art directly on your furniture if you want to create a fine arts inspired boho furniture piece. This side table combines a traditional shape with curvy cabriole legs, a vibrant glossy blue background color and an original painting of ripples on water.

Boho Table Lamp

Don’t forget lighting. Multiple pendants gathered in a corner make a great boho living room feature. If re-wiring the ceiling isn’t on the cards, you can use a table lamp to add some color or go with something like this vintage wallpaper roller lamp to amp up the collected and pre-loved look.

Boho Bedroom

Create a boho bedroom by using a colorful duvet cover, patterned curtains, and a good dose of vintage or antique furniture. You can also add a macrame wall hanging or a woven tapestry to create a focal point over a bed. Got carpet? Lay multiple rugs over it. Boho bedroom furniture is relaxed and welcoming. Painted vintage pieces are fabulous for this look.

If saturated color isn’t your vibe, you can simplify. This airy modern interpretation of a boho bedroom incorporates plenty of natural elements and materials in a relaxed and unfussy way.

Boho Dresser

Boho dressers are all the rage and can be found in a wide variety of sizes and price points. How about this vintage boho dresser with half of the face of Queen Elizabeth 1st on it? Very counter-culture!

Boho Cabinet

Be sure to mix up your cultural influences to get that well traveled look. This small shrine cabinet can be used as a tabletop altar or, with the addition of some hooks, an unsual jewelry case.

Boho Dining Room

Use a colorful tablecloth, mismatched chairs, and patterned placemats to create a playful and eclectic dining room. For boho furniture, a worn dining table is a great choice. Add some softness to those mismatched chairs by layering with throws or seat cushions.

The emphasis on art is evident in this boho dining room but the mismatched framing and collage style layout give the required relaxed look. The chairs match in shape but not in color and of course there are plenty of plants.

Boho Cabinet

If you have space for some storage in your boho dining room, try something granny yet modern like this gloss painted floral papered display cabinet transformed from its original 1930s state.

Boho Patio

Bring boho furniture style outside by using colorful outdoor rugs, patterned pillows, and a mix of vintage and modern furniture.Or keep it neutral and focus on combining natural materials like naturally died wool, leather, and wicker. For the evening use string lights or lanterns to create a cozy and inviting atmosphere. Boho furniture lends itself really well to the outdoors because it’s inately casual and carefree. When leaves land on it, it looks even better!

Boho furniture style is all about creativity, playfulness, and self-expression. It’s a fun and easy way to decorate your home and create a unique and eclectic space. By mixing and matching different patterns, colors, and textures, you can create a cozy and inviting home that reflects your personality. So, let your imagination run wild and have fun creating your own boho-inspired space!

Sarah Bashford