12 Essentials for Modern Boho Living Rooms
Create your dream bohemian home aesthetic with ease
Bohemian style homes just keep growing in popularity, and blending this style with modern living room design is a great way to pair your favorite contemporary colors with natural boho elements. Traditional bohemian style emphasizes warm hues like earthy browns, dark blues, eclectic greens, and stunning grays, but modern boho tends to mix in bright whites, creams, and light wood with the traditional boho colors. Sound intimidating? Don’t worry! One of boho style’s best features is that you have full creativity to mix and match colors, patterns, and designs without worrying about if it conventionally fits together. There’s no pressure to match everything perfectly.
Looking for more inspiration to build your modern bohemian living room? Here’s your ultimate guide to selecting simple, standout pieces that belong in modern boho living rooms.
1. Create a Focal Point With a Couch That Exudes Calm
Wow your guests and accurately express your modern boho style with a sofa or sectional in a traditional bohemian shade of brown, blue, green, red, or yellow, which also meshes well with your bright wall color. Mixing warm bohemian colors and bright modern colors defines the modern boho look. There’s a variety of boho couch textures to choose from – like velvet, leather, or upholstery – to ensure that your couch is the standout focal point of your living room. These soft couch textures, together with the other bohemian elements in your living room, create senses of calm and relaxation.
The modern boho aesthetic is all about layering! One way to accomplish this layered look is to style your couch with plenty of decorative throw pillows and blankets. Choose a mix of patterned throw pillows and blankets to bring a colorful pop to the room. Play around with the colors of your accent pillows and blankets to blend and contrast with your couch and other room colors in a fresh, unconventional way.
Tip!
The best way to style blankets in modern boho living rooms is to drape the blanket on the edge of the couch and let it fall over the seat or side to create a relaxing, inviting look, which is a big theme of modern boho style.
3. Get Creative With Patterned Rugs
Area rugs are a great way to incorporate the many patterns and designs that make up modern boho style. These patterns highlight the various cultures that boho style draws inspiration from, while still fitting the bright colors and elements of modern style. Patterned area rugs can also be a staple piece that pairs well with your couch to further bring out a focal point in your room. The best place to put a modern boho rug is underneath your sofa and coffee table to emphasize the hues of your selected furniture.
Wood is a great way to celebrate the natural elements that the bohemian aesthetic highlights. Modern boho living rooms typically feature wood pieces of some sort, from the legs of chairs to the material of end tables and desks. Adding in wood furniture is a playful option that stands out from the other furniture you have in your living room, which is a key aspect in the modern boho decor trend.
Your coffee table is another opportunity to express your modern bohemian style. Coffee tables in modern boho living rooms have a vintage, eclectic, or light-wood look. These styles create a blend of culture, texture, and heritage that all speak to the boho aesthetic. Bohemian-themed rooms are meant to tell a story and express who you are, so don’t forget to style this table with a few decorative pieces that complement the wood, glass, or other material of your coffee table.
Bookshelves can be statement pieces by themselves, depending on what wood and color you choose, but you can also use their shelves to house plants, bookends, and other accents that further your bohemian-style room. It’s a great way to optimize your space while incorporating your desired aesthetic.
Tip!
Looking for ways to feature a bookshelf in your home? Check out our Bookshelf Ideas guide!
7. Style Your Room With Plants
Bohemian style highlights natural elements as a way to bring life and energy to your space. The best plants to use for modern boho living rooms have darker green hues and thrive in indoor planters. You can also style your living room with garland or hanging plants that drape down the walls, bookshelf, or mantle to create another layer to the room. Boho style traditionally features live plants, but you can always opt to style faux plants that look completely identical.
Wall art always livens up any room and makes a statement, and you can do the same for your living room with modern boho art. This style of art typically highlights nature and features a variety of patterns in darker colors. Boho wall art is very simple and laid-back, meant to complement the cozy feel of the aesthetic.
Small accents can make a big statement. Place artistic boho accents sporadically around your room on your tables, desk, shelves, and bookshelf to highlight the room’s theme. These accents can range from ceramic exotic animals to darker-hued vases that make a bold statement. When it comes to modern boho living rooms, sometimes less can be more. The best way to style accents in this aesthetic is to keep purposeful layers in mind. For example, stack no more than three books next to one other decorative object and a small plant to avoid cluttering your space, keeping your space in line with a modern aesthetic.
Lighting in modern bohemian living rooms is airy and cozy. It typically includes modern shades, lighter colors, and bold textures that brighten the room. Light fixtures with wicker wrapping or chrome stands speak to the boho lifestyle thanks to their color and texture.
Every living room needs storage, and we love incorporating texture in modern boho living rooms through wicker baskets that tuck away odds and ends without neglecting the style of your room. These wicker baskets double as functional storage and a great way to create depth in your decoration. The textures in a modern boho design space should be light and airy to further the modern, natural feel of this aesthetic. Different textures to experiment with include baskets like these and other textured decor that gives depth to the room.
The best way to create ambiance in your modern boho living room is with the perfect candle. Candles create warmth and help to create a cozy atmosphere with their subtle, warm glow and soothing scent. They also make your space more comforting and inviting, which is an important element in the boho style. You can style your candle by placing it in a tray on your coffee table or arranging it on your bookshelf or desk. Candles with decorative wooden exteriors add a sweet-smelling ambiance and blend with the rest of the decor in the room.
Tip!
Need help finding the perfect candle? Check out our candle guide!
Now that you know more about what it takes to create your own modern boho living room, it’s time to shop!
