7 Ways to Work the ‘New Boho’ Look in a Bedroom
Boho style is back, but forget pale walls and macramé – this update combines rich colour and maximalism to get the look
This year, we’ve noticed a rise in searches on Houzz for ‘boho’ interiors. But what is boho style? It’s a look that’s mutated over the decades: back in the 1970s, browns, oranges, yellows and hanging plants dominated, while in the 2010s, boho style took a Scandi slant, all pale walls, macramé, and lots of rattan.
For the roots of this newest incarnation, though, look to the beginning of the 20th century, when the Bloomsbury set and the famous farmhouse at Charleston epitomised this relaxed, romantic approach to interiors; one rich in colour, stuffed with art and confident with patterned textiles. It’s a version of this we’re now seeing emerging in projects uploaded to Houzz, but refreshed and refined for the 2020s – boho 2.0 if you like.
The style is perfect for creating a cosy, intimate bedroom – think intricate pattern, blocks of strong colour, natural elements, bags of texture and a splash of romance. Try one or two of these seven tactics to recreate or update the look.
For the roots of this newest incarnation, though, look to the beginning of the 20th century, when the Bloomsbury set and the famous farmhouse at Charleston epitomised this relaxed, romantic approach to interiors; one rich in colour, stuffed with art and confident with patterned textiles. It’s a version of this we’re now seeing emerging in projects uploaded to Houzz, but refreshed and refined for the 2020s – boho 2.0 if you like.
The style is perfect for creating a cosy, intimate bedroom – think intricate pattern, blocks of strong colour, natural elements, bags of texture and a splash of romance. Try one or two of these seven tactics to recreate or update the look.
2. Brighten a dark scheme
A uniformly dark and moody interior can often be a shortcut to a room with a boho look to it. But to update the idea (inky painted walls have been popular for a while, after all), try layering rich colours with texture and pattern as a striking way to inject brightness into a scheme. Think Victorian boudoir – opulent and decadent – but with 21st century panache.
This room, part of a project by K&S Design Build, gets it bang-on. While the floral wallpaper sets the tone, it’s the use of warm colours around it that really makes this room boho 2.0.
That cocooning deep pink ceiling and the berry-coloured panelling pull out the warmth of the print and the brighter elements in the pattern, while dusky pink velvet cushions zing out against a backdrop of textured caramel tones (in the bedspread and headboard), introducing another layer of softness.
A uniformly dark and moody interior can often be a shortcut to a room with a boho look to it. But to update the idea (inky painted walls have been popular for a while, after all), try layering rich colours with texture and pattern as a striking way to inject brightness into a scheme. Think Victorian boudoir – opulent and decadent – but with 21st century panache.
This room, part of a project by K&S Design Build, gets it bang-on. While the floral wallpaper sets the tone, it’s the use of warm colours around it that really makes this room boho 2.0.
That cocooning deep pink ceiling and the berry-coloured panelling pull out the warmth of the print and the brighter elements in the pattern, while dusky pink velvet cushions zing out against a backdrop of textured caramel tones (in the bedspread and headboard), introducing another layer of softness.
3. Add art and plants
Foliage – particularly ferns and hanging varieties – is a key part of this style. But even more important is art, and lots of it.
Here, Clayton & Company have added framed prints – a mix of geometric designs, drawings and portraits (a very Charleston addition) – that overlap and fill the space above the bed.
Yes, the walls are pale, but that velvet headboard provides two large and strong blocks of colour, while there’s more still in the large cushion, plus plenty of texture and pattern elsewhere.
Find an interior designer near you.
Foliage – particularly ferns and hanging varieties – is a key part of this style. But even more important is art, and lots of it.
Here, Clayton & Company have added framed prints – a mix of geometric designs, drawings and portraits (a very Charleston addition) – that overlap and fill the space above the bed.
Yes, the walls are pale, but that velvet headboard provides two large and strong blocks of colour, while there’s more still in the large cushion, plus plenty of texture and pattern elsewhere.
Find an interior designer near you.
4. Mix and clash
A range of clashing patterns is another way to layer up a boho interior, as demonstrated by Hendricks Churchill in this eclectic bedroom.
Ensure the patterns are ornate enough: bold graphics are wrong for this aesthetic. Instead, think antique Islamic-style rugs in warm reds and pinks, faunal and floral prints and small-scale organic shapes. Layer these one on top of another or place them side by side to create the look.
A range of clashing patterns is another way to layer up a boho interior, as demonstrated by Hendricks Churchill in this eclectic bedroom.
Ensure the patterns are ornate enough: bold graphics are wrong for this aesthetic. Instead, think antique Islamic-style rugs in warm reds and pinks, faunal and floral prints and small-scale organic shapes. Layer these one on top of another or place them side by side to create the look.
5. Channel William Morris
The 19th century polymath is celebrated for his designs inspired by the natural world. His Arts and Crafts era-defining prints, like this wallpaper taking centre stage in a room by Fiona Duke Interiors, were key in 1970 and early 1980s boho style, when they featured heavily.
Back then, curtains, rugs and bedspreads were likely to feature matching or contrasting Morris-esque prints, bordering on a psychedelic look. Here, the idea has been refined, with the paper combined with block colours in the grey ceiling, bed, throw and carpet. as well as the heavy mustard curtains.
Adding a couple of rattan features, as well as the fern prints, is a subtle 1970s nod that gently ups the boho feel.
The 19th century polymath is celebrated for his designs inspired by the natural world. His Arts and Crafts era-defining prints, like this wallpaper taking centre stage in a room by Fiona Duke Interiors, were key in 1970 and early 1980s boho style, when they featured heavily.
Back then, curtains, rugs and bedspreads were likely to feature matching or contrasting Morris-esque prints, bordering on a psychedelic look. Here, the idea has been refined, with the paper combined with block colours in the grey ceiling, bed, throw and carpet. as well as the heavy mustard curtains.
Adding a couple of rattan features, as well as the fern prints, is a subtle 1970s nod that gently ups the boho feel.
6. Introduce romance
The design of the four-poster bed is associated with romance, and romance has always had a place in boho style.
This Jennifer Stoner bedroom was designed for a teenage girl whose brief was “boho chic”. While a four-poster is a gloriously gratuitous piece of furniture, this pale wooden frame is also pretty minimal, leaving space for the richly patterned and coloured pineapple wallpaper and floating textiles, including gauzy tasselled curtains.
A portrait of Frida Kahlo brings more colour and pattern, as well, of course, as some serious bohemian spirit.
The design of the four-poster bed is associated with romance, and romance has always had a place in boho style.
This Jennifer Stoner bedroom was designed for a teenage girl whose brief was “boho chic”. While a four-poster is a gloriously gratuitous piece of furniture, this pale wooden frame is also pretty minimal, leaving space for the richly patterned and coloured pineapple wallpaper and floating textiles, including gauzy tasselled curtains.
A portrait of Frida Kahlo brings more colour and pattern, as well, of course, as some serious bohemian spirit.
7. Pare it back
Not ready for quite so much colour and maximalism where you sleep? If you liked the pale and Scandi 2010s take on boho, but want to update and freshen the look, take this room created by The Design High as inspiration. It’s crisper and cleaner than the original, yet contains many of the same ideas.
There’s not a tassel, a piece of wafty fabric, nor a dangling plant in sight, yet this room remains decidedly boho. Rather than the once-ubiquitous bedroom macramé and driftwood wall hanging, it’s the headboard itself that’s made from string and wood – a minimal yet significant swap.
Meanwhile, bedding is crisp and white, but softened with the grey fluffy cushion and subtly textured bedspread. Things remain monochrome elsewhere, which sharpens the edges, yet the neat trio of black and white prints still adds pattern and texture.
Tell us…
Which elements of boho 2.0 would you add to your own bedroom? Let us know in the Comments.
Not ready for quite so much colour and maximalism where you sleep? If you liked the pale and Scandi 2010s take on boho, but want to update and freshen the look, take this room created by The Design High as inspiration. It’s crisper and cleaner than the original, yet contains many of the same ideas.
There’s not a tassel, a piece of wafty fabric, nor a dangling plant in sight, yet this room remains decidedly boho. Rather than the once-ubiquitous bedroom macramé and driftwood wall hanging, it’s the headboard itself that’s made from string and wood – a minimal yet significant swap.
Meanwhile, bedding is crisp and white, but softened with the grey fluffy cushion and subtly textured bedspread. Things remain monochrome elsewhere, which sharpens the edges, yet the neat trio of black and white prints still adds pattern and texture.
Tell us…
Which elements of boho 2.0 would you add to your own bedroom? Let us know in the Comments.
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Where the boho bedroom of the 2010s might have included midcentury pieces in the mix, this updated take on the look plunders an earlier era and particularly showcases ornate and dark wood pieces.
This room gains masses of character from antiques, including the carved wood wardrobe, which is more 19th- than midcentury, and those elaborate gold picture frames, polished walnut chest of drawers and the bedside table with its ornate, curved legs, all also at least centenarians.
The difference between the terms vintage and antique is key here: technically, an antique is something more than 100 years old, while vintage has come to mean (slightly) younger items, usually more than 50 but less than 100 years old.