Bohemian living room ideas: 19 inspiring ways to get the boho look

There are no rules when it comes to bohemian decor, anything goes, so feel free to mix prints, colors and textures to your heart’s content and fill your home with what you love. Popular during the seventies – when woven furniture, warm color schemes and indoor planting reigned supreme – boho decorating trends are everywhere at the moment, so it is easy to recreate the look.

With the rattan and cane furniture of the 1970s now coming back into fashion, there’s plenty of retro boho designs to choose from. Bohemian decor also celebrates art, craft, color and pattern, so if you have a penchant bold hues and flamboyant prints then don’t hold back.

Invest in a few signature, hero pieces and add a stylish spin with creative cushions and foxy prints in mixed repeats. Classic florals are the main players in most bohemian living room ideas, but you can throw in ditsy prints, stripes, geometrics and folksy designs, too.

In this space, shades of rose bloom in the flamboyant scheme, with touches of burnt orange to give a nod to the tropical heat. Create a bohemian vibe in your living room by mixing leaf motifs, natural textures and bold color for a look that is totally tropical. Best in high-traffic areas, sisal works well edged with vivid color, while the screen here echos the trellis designs we often see in gardens. Here, woven elements combine with wood, metal and brickwork to provide a visual feast for the eye – a common theme in boho decorating schemes.

With their classic looks and pared-back style, mid-century living room ideas (opens in new tab) are enduringly popular. Indulge your space in a plethora of houseplants and a trio of colors for a truly unique boho room that won't date in a hurry, if at all.

Sometimes when designing a living room (opens in new tab), you just need to stop worrying about what goes with what and go with the flow, follow your instincts and choose patterns, colors and furniture that make you happy – and that is exactly what we have here. In choosing designs, it's best to look for options with curves, uneven lines or botanicals in them – anything too formal or graphic will steer the scheme away from the boho look.

This bespoke U-shaped sectional fits the space perfectly, while the patterned rug in complementary tones creates a bohemian living room that still feels sophisticated, contemporary and entirely liveable.

Stick to white walls and flooring – the room will immediately look modern, and anything you add, from paint effects to standout furniture and planting displays, will be the stars of the show.

Be bold by mixing abstract designs, bright colors, stripes and boho florals for an inspired scheme straight from the pages of a fashion magazine, like in the eclectic living room picture (opens in new tab) above. Rich in detail these patterns were used to add joyful color as well as to soften the often hard edges of the wooden furniture and the overall interior.

Today we are proud to reference our ancestors with this same approach of celebrating color and pattern, and revel in creating interiors that tell a story.' When looking to embrace a maximalist bohemian living room the wallpaper is an excellent place to start, says Stefan Ormenisan. 'Not only does it create the frame of the room, it will also deliver the most impact, and, by beginning with your favorite wallpaper, you can then select from the hues within the design to layer in additional color and pattern more easily.' Cushions made from vintage textiles from around the world are a fabulous way to introduce color, pattern and texture to a bohemian living room, as well as to celebrate the exquisite craftsmanship of different cultures.

For me, mix and match is much more interesting, particularly old with new and pieces I've inherited that have meaning,' says Chloe Jonason (opens in new tab) who creates beautifully handcrafted homewares alongside providing a bespoke curtain, blinds, upholstery and design service. Taking a playful approach to decorating by mixing fabrics, wallpapers and rugs in vibrant, contrasting prints and adding in quirky antiques is a brilliant way to channel the bohemian look, as proven in this beautiful living room by Kit Kemp (opens in new tab).

Furniture covered in Kit’s bold Ikat Weave in Lime for Christopher Farr Cloth takes centre stage, while an antique, folksy painted floral bouquet brings the fireplace to life during the winter months. From colorful Indian Palampore quilts to African batik panels, handcrafted textiles from different cultures across the world are a fabulous wall decor idea for bohemian living rooms.

This joyful Otomi embroidery, from Montes & Clark (opens in new tab), was hand-embroidered by a woman’s cooperative in Mexico.

Ornate living room wallpapers based on folky designs are a brilliant way to capture the bohemian spirit.

‘Opt for Suzani or embroidery inspired designs in rich warm tones that bring the essence of traditional Central Asian textiles onto your walls,' says Kate French, creative director at Dado Atelier (opens in new tab). 'The Kazbek wallpaper with it’s embroidery-style florals, built by gently layering graduating tones, creates lengthening vertical columns which give the impression of height as well as adding a contemporary twist to this bohemian design.

Style with soft linens, natural wood finishes and layers of embroidered textiles for a modern boho feel.’ If you're looking to inject a little 1970s boho into your interiors you can't go wrong with decorating with vintage woven furniture made from wicker and rattan.

'The wonderful thing about rattan is it’s essentially a neutral, so if your taste is far more modern or minimalist, it works in that kind of environment too. You can’t go wrong,' says Louise Roe, founder of Sharland England (opens in new tab) that specialises in wicker furniture. 'Personally I love to style my rattan furniture next to warm colors and prints – our living room is a dark terracotta, for example. This trend gives the traditional boho look a contemporary overhaul, with a peppier color palette, lighter woods and practical, functional pieces designed for modern living.

A bohemian living room is successfully styled with tons of texture – such as wicker, seagrass and wool – layered one over the other, along with low level seating, and low-slung coffee tables. Characterized by lots of pattern, fun, bright colors, and plenty of vintage finds – from furniture from different eras to quirky accessories – bohemian living room ideas often feature a ton of house plants, too.