Bohemian Bedroom Style
Ranked #734 in Home & Garden, #10,066 overall
Introduction to the Bohemian Bedroom Style
Designing a Bohemian Bedroom style is a fantastic opportunity to explore your creativity as well as rediscover some of your long forgotten furniture pieces and decorative accessories. For anyone who loves to mix and match colors, patterns and textures, the Bohemian bedroom style is just the type of decor theme you want. If you like to use the old with the new and experiment with inexpensive throws and fabrics, you'll find designing this style of bedroom to be extremely fulfilling.
As an Interior Designer , I have designed Bohemian bedroom styles before and I must say that this style is probably the most enjoyable decor scheme to partake in. Therefore, I have created this lens to help you in deciding how to go about designing a Bohemian style bedroom for yourself.
On this page you will discover exactly what the modern Bohemian style is, how to achieve this theme in your bedroom, how this scheme can be applied to different types of bedroom and what additions you should or could contemplate making. At the bottom of this lens, there is a guest book where you can pose any questions you might have and I will do my best to answer them.
As an Interior Designer , I have designed Bohemian bedroom styles before and I must say that this style is probably the most enjoyable decor scheme to partake in. Therefore, I have created this lens to help you in deciding how to go about designing a Bohemian style bedroom for yourself.
On this page you will discover exactly what the modern Bohemian style is, how to achieve this theme in your bedroom, how this scheme can be applied to different types of bedroom and what additions you should or could contemplate making. At the bottom of this lens, there is a guest book where you can pose any questions you might have and I will do my best to answer them.
What is the Modern Bohemian Style?
An unconventional way of seeing the world
What we now class as the modern Bohemian style has been redefined throughout the centuries. It has however always been associated with the unconventional, a different way of thinking. travellers and gypsies were usually considered as bohemian as people assumed they came from the Bohemia in Central Europe. These people held disregard for the traditions and often rigid rules of society around them.
Today, the bohemian label is designated to anyone who lives outside the boundaries of what we consider to be the norm. This can be in a person's fashion style, home decor, philosophical beliefs and eccentric lifestyles. One can almost label hippies as bohemian but I think it would not do complete justice to the modern definition in the design sense.
The Bohemian style, whether in social actions or when it comes to bedroom decor, is basically being able to stand out from the crowd, to be original, to find enjoyment in exploration and artistic expression. A Bohemian bedroom can be a marvellous way to show your personality and wild side. If you are tired of the traditional clean styles, then a Bohemian bedroom style will be just what you're looking for. It's not hard to achieve either, just follow the advice and ideas I share below.
Today, the bohemian label is designated to anyone who lives outside the boundaries of what we consider to be the norm. This can be in a person's fashion style, home decor, philosophical beliefs and eccentric lifestyles. One can almost label hippies as bohemian but I think it would not do complete justice to the modern definition in the design sense.
The Bohemian style, whether in social actions or when it comes to bedroom decor, is basically being able to stand out from the crowd, to be original, to find enjoyment in exploration and artistic expression. A Bohemian bedroom can be a marvellous way to show your personality and wild side. If you are tired of the traditional clean styles, then a Bohemian bedroom style will be just what you're looking for. It's not hard to achieve either, just follow the advice and ideas I share below.
Bohemian Bedroom Poll
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Boldness and Randomness in the Bohemian Bedroom
The three main pillars of the modern Bohemian Style
A Bohemian bedroom style requires boldness in all senses of the word. Color is a major factor with this theme and rich colors and tones are a must for any Bohemian interior. Places where this can be achieved are on the walls, the furniture, the floor, the ceiling, windows, pictures, bedding, decorative accessories and everyday items one finds in a bedroom.
Randomness is another key factor to the Bohemian bedroom style. Mixing multi-colored blankets, throws, quilts, scarves and rugs with one another but not worrying about whether they match with one another. The aim is to unconventional and not always to have one fabric that matches with another, like one does in a regular interior setting.
Contrast is fundamental to the Bohemian style and can also be achieved in the bedroom decor. By using light with dark, matt with gloss, old with new and even the vulgar with the beautiful, one will step effortlessly into the world of Bohemianism. If your nature is naturally unconventional and outside of the box, then you will have very little difficulty in achieving the Bohemian bedroom style of your dreams.
Randomness is another key factor to the Bohemian bedroom style. Mixing multi-colored blankets, throws, quilts, scarves and rugs with one another but not worrying about whether they match with one another. The aim is to unconventional and not always to have one fabric that matches with another, like one does in a regular interior setting.
Contrast is fundamental to the Bohemian style and can also be achieved in the bedroom decor. By using light with dark, matt with gloss, old with new and even the vulgar with the beautiful, one will step effortlessly into the world of Bohemianism. If your nature is naturally unconventional and outside of the box, then you will have very little difficulty in achieving the Bohemian bedroom style of your dreams.
Accessories Galore in a Bohemian Bedroom
Don't hold back!
Accessorize, accessorize and accessorize some more! With a regular bedroom style, an understated and uncluttered look is desired but with a Bohemian bedroom style, it is the opposite. Busy the room with little decorative objects, ribbons, candles, tapestries, paintings and trinkets. Don't be afraid to go overboard at first, after all you can always take things away later. It's best to have too much, than too little, with these decor scheme.
There will be areas of the bedroom which are decidedly empty, such as the corners and parts of the upper walls and ceiling. Fill them in! You can use wall hangings, nets, throws, large pictures, painted branches and even old antiques to fill in an empty hole.
There will be areas of the bedroom which are decidedly empty, such as the corners and parts of the upper walls and ceiling. Fill them in! You can use wall hangings, nets, throws, large pictures, painted branches and even old antiques to fill in an empty hole.
Mixing the Old with the New
Rejuvenate long forgotten items and mix with the new
Speaking of antiques, another major pillar of the Bohemian style is the mixing of the old with the new. Think about involving that old battered 1940's armchair handed down to you from your grandparents with modern spreads, filled with color and vibrancy. Add some old fisherman's netting knots and you have yourself a typically Bohemian style chair that has sprung into life.
The same goes for old antique vases, whether precious or not, you can still put them in safe places inside the bedroom interior where they will add to the overall Bohemian bedroom ambiance. Other old objects you can consider rejuvenating include dated electrical appliances, worn furniture, your grandmother's handmade quilt, old photographs, old road name signs, dishevelled books and any second hand items you find at garage sales or the scrapheap.
The same goes for old antique vases, whether precious or not, you can still put them in safe places inside the bedroom interior where they will add to the overall Bohemian bedroom ambiance. Other old objects you can consider rejuvenating include dated electrical appliances, worn furniture, your grandmother's handmade quilt, old photographs, old road name signs, dishevelled books and any second hand items you find at garage sales or the scrapheap.
Red and Purple Bohemian Wallpaper
Iconic Marcel Wanders designs
Click here to buy the Grace-Red Wallpaper by Marcel Wanders
Click here to buy the Suzanne-Amethyst Wallpaper by Marcel Wanders
if you're really daring and want to push the boat out the fullest extent, then the red wallpaper design on the left will add an exuberant Bohemian ambiance to your bedroom. You might not want to put it on all four walls but as a focus it is second to none. Don't forget you can then put wall hangings, pictures and all sorts of hanging accessories against the redness of the wallpaper. The contrast possibilities are magnificent and endless!
The same goes for the purple design on the right. Although less bright and fiery as the red, it too can be used as a contrast with brighter objects in the room. Notice the the patterns of both designs. You will need to match these with items that have a more chaotic look and feel, in order to achieve the Bohemian ethos of creative and almost unhinged mixing and flair.
Give Your Furniture Some Bohemian Meaning
Before you go shopping, scout through your old furniture and don't be afraid to bring out the paints
The first place to look when finding furniture pieces for a Bohemian bedroom style is with what you already have. Most of us have an attic, basement, garage or similar storage area where we have an old battered sofa, unused headboard, a vase stand or an old cot from our baby days just gathering dust. Scout through your forgotten furniture and pick out pieces that with a little touching up can be used again. If they can stand on their own, hold the medium amount of weight for what they were designed for and are not rotting away, then they will be fine.
Now we need to imbue some Bohemian meaning and charisma into the old piece of furniture. This can be achieved multiple ways, depending on various factors. If you're happy to paint the old wooden furniture then you can have a wonderful time creating a vibrant and cheerful color journey over the surface of the chair, table or bed frame. Don't worry about matching colors like you would in a typical scenario. Discover your inner child. Be creative, be wild, be Bohemian!
Now we need to imbue some Bohemian meaning and charisma into the old piece of furniture. This can be achieved multiple ways, depending on various factors. If you're happy to paint the old wooden furniture then you can have a wonderful time creating a vibrant and cheerful color journey over the surface of the chair, table or bed frame. Don't worry about matching colors like you would in a typical scenario. Discover your inner child. Be creative, be wild, be Bohemian!
Beam Bed for a Bohemian Bedroom
Perfect style and colors for a Bohemian style bedroom
Click here to buy this Beam Bed
This wide Beam Bed is a great example of how a simple shaped furniture piece can be mixed with a colorful and lively background to achieve a unique and stylish Bohemian look.
Bohemian Kids
Design ideas for a child's bedroom in the Bohemian theme
A Bohemian kid's bedroom decor will have the same basic rules as an adult bedroom. Abundance of color is naturally more of a welcome addition to any child's bedroom interior design so you have probably got that part sorted already. Children have colorful toys, posters, bedding and accessories as it is but the style in which these are arranged and various accents can be made to imbue the Bohemian style.
Shop around for some large wall hangings which will be in the theme of your child's favorite hobby. Try to find more rustic versions or even ones that are second hand and a little frayed around the edges. You can add various accents such as mosquito netting to the corners of the room or large soft toys dressed in old fashioned but colorful attire.
Children like comfort. One of my favorite items of seating furniture for a child is the foam chair. There come in plain or patterned covers but they can easily be hidden with your own fabrics which you can sew or just drape over the main frame. Again, like with an adult's Bohemian bedroom, you can find tables, bookshelves and chests which you can paint or cover. The whole point to to create contrasts, between old and new, bright and dark but without too much contemplation about what matches.
Shop around for some large wall hangings which will be in the theme of your child's favorite hobby. Try to find more rustic versions or even ones that are second hand and a little frayed around the edges. You can add various accents such as mosquito netting to the corners of the room or large soft toys dressed in old fashioned but colorful attire.
Children like comfort. One of my favorite items of seating furniture for a child is the foam chair. There come in plain or patterned covers but they can easily be hidden with your own fabrics which you can sew or just drape over the main frame. Again, like with an adult's Bohemian bedroom, you can find tables, bookshelves and chests which you can paint or cover. The whole point to to create contrasts, between old and new, bright and dark but without too much contemplation about what matches.
Bohemian Style Bust Statue
Cast in resin
Click here to buy this Enslave Bust
If you are partial to classical statues and art, then this white resin bust can easily fit somewhere into a Bohemian bedroom style. it takes the imagery of the classical world which first gave birth to original thought and philosophical thinking and transports this into your modern bedroom. With some colorful contrasts you can make this bust stand out and act as focal point, perhaps near your dressing table. You can even paint it.
Bohemian Madness in the Bedroom
Can I really just go mad and mix anything with everything? What about good taste?
Yes and no. Earlier I stated that a Bohemian style requires a liberal amount of mixing, such as the various colors, patterns and designs that one wouldn't with any other interior decor theme. That's true and always will be true when it comes to the Bohemian look. However, no matter how much magazine articles tell you to forget about matching altogether, there is the matter of taste. You also have to live with the results unlike the style gurus you see on television who move on to another, often horrendous, interior decor job week in and week out.
When I say "mix with wild abandon", I mean be as expressive as you can but all the while keeping a modicum of taste and style. In fact, a certain amount of planning, knowledge and guidance can pay dividends. The great Interior Designers can make a seemingly flung together interior scheme look stunning with due care to details.
Most people reading this are not going to be designers in any sense of the word and nor will the majority of you want to fork out the money to hire a professional. However, there is no need to concern yourself with this. It's your bedroom and you will know instinctively when the colors, patterns, fabrics and accessories you put together, work as a whole or not. Naturally, people's tastes differ and if you have a spouse, you will need to work together and find common ground.
When I say "mix with wild abandon", I mean be as expressive as you can but all the while keeping a modicum of taste and style. In fact, a certain amount of planning, knowledge and guidance can pay dividends. The great Interior Designers can make a seemingly flung together interior scheme look stunning with due care to details.
Most people reading this are not going to be designers in any sense of the word and nor will the majority of you want to fork out the money to hire a professional. However, there is no need to concern yourself with this. It's your bedroom and you will know instinctively when the colors, patterns, fabrics and accessories you put together, work as a whole or not. Naturally, people's tastes differ and if you have a spouse, you will need to work together and find common ground.
Red Bohemian Style Quilt
100 % cotton and expertly hand-crafted
What a Dish King Quilt in Red by Denyse Schmidt
This charming circular design is perfect for anyone who loves red and wants to add a Bohemian touch to their bedding.
Colorful Throw Pillows for a Bohemian Bedroom
Getting the Bohemian Style Right
Do I need a professional Interior Designer then?
Think of it like this, if you believe you won't be able to show friends and family the final scheme, then you will know it's wrong and needs changing. Those changes can be large or small, maybe just a new throw or a different chair. There's also the fact that interior designs are constantly changing and we adapt them as the weeks and months pass. Seasons bring in new colors we can add, new lighting schemes to adjust for the longer nights or shorter days. Unlike with many regular interior decor themes, the Bohemian bedroom can be a work-in-progress and is constantly in flux. After all, that's exactly what the Bohemian way is, to move, to rediscover, to bring in new creations and thoughts.
Decorative Tapestry Bed Sheets
Choosing Bohemian Colors
What colors and tones should I go for?
Any color really does go. However, there are certain tones and colors that are more Bohemian than others. Earthy tones like browns, khakis and neutral greens can be used as base colors when you're unsure of what to use in a specific location. These colors are good for backgrounds on which brighter and more vivid colors can play their part.
Another set of colors that you can find in many Bohemian style bedrooms and interiors are lilac, ivory, rose and sage. If you're wanting a Spring and Summer feel to the room, then these should be used a lot with the main primary colors.
As far as other colors go, it's all about the combinations in relation to the location where they are found and the object on which they are used. For example, normally we don't consider red and light blue as colors that sit well together but in a certain circumstances, such as part of a pin striped rug, they might look great as a combination.
You'll know when something matches your tastes and whether it sits right in the Bohemian decor style you are looking for. Rely on your judgement and if it doesn't work, change it, keep experimenting, keeping searching, that is part of the fun of maintaining and creating a Bohemian bedroom style.
Another set of colors that you can find in many Bohemian style bedrooms and interiors are lilac, ivory, rose and sage. If you're wanting a Spring and Summer feel to the room, then these should be used a lot with the main primary colors.
As far as other colors go, it's all about the combinations in relation to the location where they are found and the object on which they are used. For example, normally we don't consider red and light blue as colors that sit well together but in a certain circumstances, such as part of a pin striped rug, they might look great as a combination.
You'll know when something matches your tastes and whether it sits right in the Bohemian decor style you are looking for. Rely on your judgement and if it doesn't work, change it, keep experimenting, keeping searching, that is part of the fun of maintaining and creating a Bohemian bedroom style.
Books on the Bohemian Style
Information and history on the Bohemian style, from decor and fashion to philosophy and culture
Visitor from the British Isles? Check out a vast range of furniture & home décor items available to buy in the UK here: Decor Furniture Shop UK.
For more Interior Decor related products, advice and inspiration, visit the popular website: Home Interior Design Themes.
The Bohemian Bedroom Guestbook
Share your thoughts on the Bohemian styles and advice you see on this page
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angelica
Oct 25, 2011 @ 10:34 pm | delete
- So I just moved into my apartment in queens and it's super small but hey. All i have so far in a twin sized bed with purple sheets and a white comforter and huge blank white walls. I'm decisive as to which direction to go. What colors would mesh well with this plum purple?
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Emma
Nov 15, 2011 @ 10:05 pm | delete
- Burnt orange and grey look great with plum purple.
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Colleen Land and Olivia Steele..
Aug 31, 2011 @ 1:34 pm | delete
- Very imformative, well written and glad to say that I already had a pretty good grip on obtaining this look. So far we have very vivid colours for the bedding and pillows etc...such as jewelled purple, burnt orange and turqoise...suggestion for wall colour?
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success4ever
Aug 15, 2011 @ 12:16 pm | delete
- Very informative lens!!! Keep writing!
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Close2Art
Aug 9, 2011 @ 11:03 pm | delete
- very cool designs thanks for sharing...RWJR
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veryirie
Jul 21, 2011 @ 3:03 am | delete
- Wonderful tips to achieve the bohemian look. It really is a great look for so many because the "rules" for bohemian are not so rigid. Helpful lens!
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r_N_P
May 15, 2011 @ 8:05 am | delete
- can u give some pictures of sample bohemian bedrooms that you have designed to get a better idea?
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M_S_Beltran
May 15, 2011 @ 12:29 am | delete
- Great lens. I love bohemian decor... my daughter is doing her room in her apt. bohemian style. Great ideas here.
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kathysart
Mar 30, 2011 @ 2:36 pm | delete
- I've always LOVED this style.. even though we decorate Asian. I do put my art throughout though.. kinda like a gallery, so it does change the dynamics. I think it works. Love all your lenses.. the themes to pull from. Love the whole zebra thing.
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---Chazz
Mar 29, 2011 @ 4:31 pm | delete
- Blessed by the Home Decor Squid Angel. Another Great lens!
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miaponzo
Jan 26, 2011 @ 2:18 pm | delete
- Love this style.. so cute! great lens!
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Ladymermaid
Oct 10, 2010 @ 9:22 am | delete
- It was the kitty in your profile that drew me here but definitely your article that held me. Very fun lens to visit.
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kimmanleyort
Sep 25, 2010 @ 10:19 pm | delete
- I love to mix and match different styles, so this lens is cool. i particularly like that beam bed. Great job explaining what makes a bohemian bedroom.
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Stazjia
Sep 18, 2010 @ 4:43 am | delete
- What great ideas for using colours, textures, accessories and furniture in different ways to create an extravagant Bohemian look. Blessed by an Angel.
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Intuitive
Sep 17, 2010 @ 8:22 am | delete
- I never thought about it before but I think the style I love when I see it is bohemian. I'm an artist /musician/writer and I want my house to be eclectic and colorful but I never thought about the bohemian aspect until now. This lens is very helpful.
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by Home-Interior-Designer
I am a trained Interior Designer with a passion for home decor and related spheres including furniture, decorative arts, floor coverings, architecture... more »
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