Use fab fabrics, kaleidoscopic patterns, and rainbow hues to fashion a boho-bold bedroom that issues a cheerful wake-up call in three easy phases.
Hand-made African grass baskets, Indian-style carvings, and other internationally inspired accessories mix it up with a feathered light fixture and a shaggy rug for a modern take on worldly appeal.
Rosy pink paint gives the bedroom wall just the right amount of color—neither blinding bright nor room darkening. A cotton tapestry becomes a coverlet in a burst of pattern that makes a simply eye-popping focal point on the bed. Find similar and affordable textiles here.
The vivid graphics of these African baskets make a punchy grouping on the wall, adding to the global vibe of the bedroom.
Pull a freewheeling look together by opting for fabrics that all feature varying shades of your palette’s primary color.
When you’re ready to up the ante on your bedroom furnishings, go bold. Boho is all about mastering the mix. Blend rustic, refined, antiqued, and glittery finishes, furnishings, and accessories to create a sensational scene that demands attention and applause. Then, add gorgeous houseplants to bring the scene to life.
Sixties and Seventies apartment dwellers valued houseplants for the plants’ organic forms and the grow-your-own satisfaction that came from tending to their care. Achieve period-perfect pastiche by displaying hanging plants in macramé holders you knotted up yourself.
Give the bed more presence with a carved Indian screen at the head. Originally four panels wide, we removed one panel to fit the queen size bed.
A new vivid comforter means we can find another use for the cotton tapestry.
Keep the look from becoming chaotic by weaving in solid fabrics with a little something special—these apricot shams introduce a lighter hue and understated, but noticeable, diamond shapes.
The tapestry would make a graphic statement at the head of the bed but since we opted for a carved screen headboard, it becomes a patterned window treatment. Here’s how to make a curtain in a jiffy.
Gather Your Materials
- Fabulous hemmed fabric panel (like this one), groovy tablecloth, psychedelic sheet, or a length of 52-inch wide fabric
- Measuring tape
- Straight pins
- Iron-on fusible tape
- Sewing needle and coordinating thread
- Sewing machine, optional
- Drapery clips, optional
- Choose a textile (or cut a piece of fabric) 1.5 to 2 times the window’s width for ample fullness. Determine the length of your curtain panel, adding an extra 4 inches for a 1-inch double-fold bottom hem and a 2-inch rod pocket if needed. (The rod pocket should be twice the diameter of your curtain rod).
- For fabric panels with raw edges, fold over side edges ¼ inch, press, and fold over again to create ¼-inch double-fold hems. Pin. Repeat for top edge. For bottom hem, fold edge 1 inch, press, and fold again for double-fold hem. Pin. Secure hems by stitching or with fusible tape.
- Make a rod pocket. Fold over top edge of curtain to desired depth and pin. Secure pocket by stitching or with fusible tape.
- For fabric panels with finished edges, add a rod pocket at top and hem as needed. Alternatively, skip sewing and hang a finished fabric panel from a rod via drapery clips.
Attend to every detail to ensure the completed space feels rich, sumptuous, and slightly opulent. Pack in posh things, such as this filigreed hold back (which started out as a knob on a vintage sideboard), that contribute function in mighty-fine-looking forms.
Throw in a few artistic furnishings that will surprise and delight, like this nightstand combination made from an old military packing case and a vintage wood carpenter’s toolbox.
Top it with some personal collectibles, a favored photo, and a cheeky planter filled with easy-care succulents.
A feathery shaded hanging fixture brings a whimsical touch, while casting light downward to illuminate bedtime reads.
Don’t miss our next post to see the final phase of our boho bedroom makeover.
© Caruth Studio