Steve and I are so excited, our Modern Boho Chic Home Reveal is finally here! So a little backstory… We recently bought a home in Palm Springs (watch for that home reveal too!) but didn’t want to leave the Seattle area. Steve grew up here, I am in love with the Pacific NW, and we want Seattle to be home. So we got ourselves this gorgeous condo on Bainbridge Island, just a short ferry ride away from downtown! We are in love with our condo, but the truth is, it’s small. Like small. And, it’s a rental, which creates its own decorating problems. For two adults who work at home, and a college age daughter who occasionally comes back to the roost, this 700 square feet is going to be a challenge. So we wanted to make it as comfy and homey as possible. The huge windows means I can finally be the plant mama I’ve always wanted to, and we definitely wanted color. So our Boho chic room decor evolved from there. And, since it’s us, we had to DIY as much as possible to make it more budget friendly and personal! So here is our Boho before and after home, complete with an explanation of what is Boho style, tons of DIY Boho decor ideas, and links to all the great resources we used to create this room. (Yep, we are gonna tell you where to get everything we didn’t make!) So let us take you through the whole condo and show you how you can make Boho chic work in your home too!
(Editors Note : We will update this post with links to the DIY tutorials as they are published over the next few weeks, so check back!)
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Our Modern Boho Chic Home Reveal
What is Boho Style?
Boho chic style is all about living in a warm, colorful, eclectic home that has worldly character and a handmade heart. It can be anything from a maximalist Boho sanctuary, to just a few Boho decor touches to warm up a modern room. It harks back to the 1970’s Bohemian style, but with an updated feel. Here is a checklist of things you can include in your room design to create a Boho chic home.
- Color
- Texture
- Plants
- Layered textiles
- Worldly patterns
- Mid Century pieces
- Handmade, Thrifted or Repurposed Decor
- Mirrors
- Personal Accessories
Our modern boho living room starts with a foundation of furniture with more clean lines and modern style. Then we used rugs, plants and accessories to create the Boho feel. The air plant wall was a DIY, as well as the tasseled pillow. And it feels like you just have to have something hanging from the ceiling for that Boho vibe! Plants for us!
So I mentioned I was thrilled about finally having the right place to become a doting plant mama. One of the types of plants I collect are Tillandsias, or air plants. All the air plants in our Modern Boho Chic home reveal were sent to us by Etsy seller Joileah at ‘Spyloh‘. Every single one of the plants she sent us were extremely healthy, and have continued to thrive. A lot of times we see air plants at gift shops or local nurseries that have dried up leaf tips or are simply not thriving. It is hard to save an ailing air plant once it gets to that point, so make sure you buy from growers that actually love what they do. I also love that she offers named varieties for those of us who need to geek out on our plant purchases. Every order comes with care instructions too. We DIY’ed the air plant wall, and plan to keep adding to it, definitely with plants from ‘Spyloh’. Oh, and air plants are super easy to grow.
Boho Ikea Hack
Want to know the easiest Ikea hack ever? Take one of their basic pieces like a Kallax shelving unit and add cool Mid Century Modern legs. Another DIY that made this room decor a little more Boho Chic special! Oh and that huge, dramatic air plant on the coffee table? This one is Tillandsia Xerographica, and it’s the variety you see in magazines and expensive stores.
Here is a little tip for how to style books, especially when you have a lot of color in the room. Notice our books are grouped by color. It makes it easier for the eye so that it can notice all the colors without getting overwhelmed by a jumble of books. Also, don’t put all of your books upright. Mix it up and add some accessories for interest. Here it was simple… a small basket, a granite stone we brought back from a family vacation, and an air plant in a cool yellow container. Think of things you already have around the house.
So if we can’t stop talking about air plants, it’s not just because we are obsessed. (Though, we are!) It’s because they are perfect design elements to use for Modern Boho Chic room decor. You can see here we DIY’ed a terrarium and placed several air plants into small pots. (No soil required!) Terrarium supplies and air plants all from ‘Spyloh‘. Check out our post “How to Make an Air Plant Terrarium” on our gardening blog – TheGardenGlove.com.
So yea, I love plants. We have over 40 in the condo now, not including the air plants! But with all the maximalist style going on with plants and Boho decor, we needed something easy and inexpensive to give the eye a place to rest. A touch of modern to complement the Bohemian. So we DIY’ed this abstract painting over the dining table. We used an odd number of potted indoor plants to create a natural centerpiece for the table. Then we used a mix of modern Mid Century and pink velvet chairs to add interest and bring some color into that part of the room.
I fell in love with this Boho Mid Century style coffee table at first glance. It is handmade by Etsy seller Christy at ‘OrWa Designs‘, and it is amazing quality. The drawer slides perfectly, the legs are super stylish, and the finishing is the caliber of a much more expensive piece. I love finding great Etsy artists, because they tend to take pride in their work, and in this piece, it shows. We will have this coffee table for years to come, and we are in love with all their other pieces too! Be sure to check them out, at certain times of the year they get backordered because they are so awesome, but totally worth the wait! Notice we used a white tray to style that contrasts with the table.. Check out our post on How to Style a Coffee Table for more hints and tips! And we’re guessing that this stunning rug has caught your eye as well? Keep reading!
Want more DIY? We wanted something handmade and organic to display more of our air plants, so we created this branch chandelier air plant display. The air plants thrive in the bright sunlight, and the grapevine branch adds that natural touch. DIY tutorial coming soon!
Because this condo is so small, we needed to create separate areas for working. This plant room divider made from an Ikea Kallax unit separates the living area from a corner for my desk, and the plants are loving this spot. On the top shelf, you also see a moss ball aquarium, a miniature terrarium, and then another moss ball aquarium below. We mixed in some photos and books, but the stars here are the plants. Learn how to make a moss ball aquarium. Tiny terrarium tutorial coming soon too, and also, instructions on how to propagate house plants, like you see us doing here in the glass containers!
Because our entry to the condo was so far away from the windows, we couldn’t put many plants over on this side. However, we wanted to bring the “Jungalow” feel throughout the space. We found this temporary peel and stick wallpaper that was perfect! It has a modern feel, but is bold. Since we used it just in that small space, it was enough to make a statement, but not too much to overwhelm. Another Boho chic decor DIY! There is a good selection of peel and stick wallpaper available at Wayfair. Check out our post “How To Install Peel & Stick Wallpaper” and get some tips and we also list a bunch more sources for where to get some really amazing wallpaper!
So speaking of the dark side of the condo, our kitchen is a little older and dark, but had some cute character and more modern touches. (Like that awesome industrial light!) Since it’s a rental we couldn’t retile the backsplash or replace cabinets, but we wanted to lighten up the space and give it some character. Enter, Pinterest pantry inspiration! We simply removed two cabinet doors, filled a few holes and used glass jars to create a pretty pantry space. This is also great for the environment if you buy in bulk. All you have to do is fill your jars from your bulk purchases, instead of spending on wasteful packaging. Also, note we used a tray on the kitchen counter as well. This is a great way to style any space. Trays can pull things together so they don’t look cluttered, and give the room a more high end look. BTW, that cookie jar full of my tea? From my childhood! And of course, another plant! This one is a cutting we are growing from our “Monstera”.
Boho Chic Bedroom
We are in love with our Boho chic bedroom! Tons of plants, a geometric rug, a lovely color scheme and a few cool DIY’s made this space really special. One of my favorite DIY’s from the bedroom was the giant tassel throw blanket! Definitely watch for this tutorial, it made a huge difference in this room, and took only half an hour. Again, rugs are everything for Boho chic room decor, and this one was perfectly modern, soft and cozy for a bedroom. It’s neutral color let the coral and white color scheme glow, but set it off at the same time. Also, we weren’t in love with the color of the existing wall to wall carpet in the room, but now you don’t notice it at all!
Here’s another DIY we are pretty proud of in our modern Boho bedroom… We took a boring Ikea dresser, and with a little paint and some pretty hardware, turned it into a Boho style nightstand. See how we did it on our sister site TheBudgetDecorator.com – DIY Dresser Makeover with Homemade Chalk Paint.
Our Inspiration – This Boho Rug from Well Woven
So, the inspiration for this entire condo came from one piece… The “Celesita Lavender” rug from ‘Well Woven‘. We investigated a ton of online rug dealers, and Well Woven Rugs had great prices and great reviews. And, we were not disappointed! This affordable (and gorgeous!) rug never fails to get compliments, and as you can see, we took all the colors for the room from the rug. It’s Moroccan feel and bright colors were perfect to start designing the room around. Seriously, start with the rug, and you can’t go wrong. Everything from the pink throw pillows and side table, to the teal floor pouf, to even the little yellow air plant pot were pulled from the colors of the rug. And that is the best way to make a room feel cohesive.
For our readers only, Well Woven Rugs 15% off code – “DECOR15” – off of any purchase of $75 or more until March 28!
Resources for our Boho Chic Room Decor :
Living Room Resources
Main Living Room Rug – Celesita Lavender Vintage Rug – Well Woven Rugs
TV Media Stand and Room Divider – Ikea
Couch and Chair – Kasala Seattle
Teal Earl Velvet Pouf – Target
Mid Century Coffee Table – OrWa Designs
Terrarium, Air Plants – Spyloh
House Plants – House Plant Shop
Pink Side Table, Copper Floor Lamp, Dining Table from Article
Pink Velvet Camron Dining Chairs – Wayfair
Throw Pillow Covers – H&M Home
Bedroom Resources
Linx Geometric Rug – Well Woven Rugs
Bed, Coral Chair and Copper Wall Sconces from Article
Blush Peach Velvet Tufted Quilt – Target
Entry/ Kitchen Resources
Peel and Stick Wallpaper – Wayfair
Glass Jars – Hobby Lobby (Wait for them to go on sale 50% off, it happens every few weeks!)
DIY Boho Tutorials are coming in the next few weeks, so be sure to keep checking back! If you enjoyed reading all about our Modern Boho Chic Home Reveal, check out our posts on Small Bedroom Ideas Big on Style and 13 Stunning Indoor Vertical Garden Ideas!Also check out DIY Boho Wall Decor over at TBD, and how to grow Chinese Money Plant over at TGG,
Don’t forget to pin and save these ideas for later!
the great post. Thanks.