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Your bedroom is your sanctuary — a relaxing place where you start and end the day. Since you spend so much time there, it should be well-decorated, unique, and comfortable. A bohemian decorating style incorporates earthy, neutral tones with strategically placed splashes of color to create a laid-back vibe. Here are 14 ways to create a cozy boho bedroom.
You’ll likely have a lot of decorations hanging up, so stick to warm or neutral colors like white, cream, or taupe. This is the classic boho color scheme. You want the room to feel well-decorated without being visually overwhelming, invoking a sense of being carefree and unbound by materialism.
You can use paint or create a textured accent wall to tie into the more boho aesthetic. The simplest way to do this is to soak a sponge in wall paint and dab it repeatedly onto the surface. There’s also texture material that you can apply with a dry roller before layering color.
A cozy boho bedroom is best known for its colors. Mustard, light green, and rust red are great traditional choices. However, more modern boho color palettes would involve more beige, pinky peach and sky blue to mimic a stylized view of nature.
You can pick more than one, but try to limit it so you don’t have clashing color schemes. Then, you can choose decor that has elements of the accent colors to create the visually interesting bright spots that characterize the bohemian style.
To create a warm glow, use fixtures like salt lamps, which look good as decorations even when turned off. The same goes for paper lanterns on the ceiling or bowl lamps with cutouts in the shapes of stars, moons, or other patterns. They work both as a light source and a colorful centerpiece on the nightstand or desk. Choose yellow or white lights for a bohemian look.
A mainstay of bohemian style, colorful tapestries, curtains, and other cloth wall hangings will add a pop of color to your bedroom. You can find styles large enough to cover the entire wall behind your bed, which is an easy alternative to hanging wallpaper or painting. They also look great on the ceiling and can go straight into it in the wash if dusty.
Plants are a boho bedroom’s best friend. Choose species that thrive indoors — like orchids, pothos, or ferns to add greenery to your space and boost your mood. They might even make the room smell better! You can plant them in more than just standard pots. Put them in watering cans, vintage coffee cans, ceramic bowls, or candle holders for a unique look.
Consider looking for a low-maintenance plants too. Most people will go with a snake plant, as it has thick leaves that can thrive even if you forget to water it once or so. Cactus have similar traits. A money plant is also ideal as it only grows to about 12 inches or so and does great in low-light conditions.
While you’re decorating the walls, hang a few posters or paintings in your room to add even more visual interest. Common bohemian themes include vintage floral drawings, mandalas, feathers, and phases of the moon. Bohemian artwork usually invokes a positive, relaxed mood. Try to select similar color tones for the art so it has a cohesive appearance.
This is another classic bohemian decorating idea. You can store your knickknacks or laundry at the foot of your bed in a chest made of reclaimed wood. Or, you can use the chest as a nightstand or dresser. If you can’t find an antique wooden chest, try sanding down a new one to give it a well-loved appearance.
Can you even have a cozy boho bedroom without string lights? Small, decorative fairy lights tacked to the rafters, backlighting the tapestries on the ceiling, or framing your headboard create a magical vibe. You can pick different wire colors to match the overall theme of the bedroom, like copper or gold. Choose lights that give off a soft, warm glow in amber tones.
You can use pleasant aromas to make your room even more relaxing. Incense is a popular choice, but it gives off tiny ash particles, so you might want to open the window to let in fresh air if you choose to burn it indoors.
You can also use candles or potpourri to give your room a sweet smell. Or, use an essential oil diffuser to put out different scents to suit your mood. Many candles or diffusers look good as decorations, too, and you can frame them with coins, crystals, or strings of beads around the base to highlight their visual appeal.
Especially nice if you have a hard floor, plush, colorful rugs are common in bohemian bedrooms — and they’re nice to step on as you get out of bed. Try to find ones that match the curtains or tapestries already in place so you keep a theme going.
Or, choose rugs in neutral colors, like white or cream, to shift the focus to the other decorative elements in the room. You can usually find faux fur rugs in light colors.
In a boho bedroom, the goal is to have a few spots of color in an overall neutral space. So, if you already have brightly patterned rugs or tapestries, consider choosing a light-colored comforter for your bed. White, cream, and tan are popular choices, and even these simple colors can be made visually interesting by different patterns printed on or woven into the fabric.
In case you didn’t know, strategically placed mirrors can make your room look much bigger. This is great if you have a small space or want your bedroom to feel more open and inviting.
They can also go above your wardrobe or dresser to create a vanity space where you can get ready, or reflect light from the window to make the room look brighter. Following the bohemian decorating style, choose mirrors with a wooden or wicker frame to bring earthy elements into the room.
You can frame your bed like a tent with long, gauzy sheets of white cloth connected to the ceiling. By hanging a canopy that covers two or three sides, you can create the cozy sense that the bed is enclosed while still getting fresh air.
This is also a nice way to turn a bare corner into a reading nook. Hang up a canopy and put some pillows on the floor to make a small hideaway where you can read for hours.
In addition to the posters and tapestries, you can put other decorative items. Stick to neutral tones so as not to compete with your existing choices. You can even hunt for these items at a flea market or thrift store to score extra boho points.
Remember: A style guide is just a guide. To create a cozy boho bedroom, incorporate the decorations, color schemes, and bedding that make you feel most at home. You’ll have a beautiful space to call your own in no time.
Original Publish Date 11/2/2022 — Updated 1/6/25
