So you want to try the Modern Bohemian interior design style?

What makes Modern Bohemian Interior Design Style Interesting?

So, what sets the Modern Bohemian style apart? A number of things actually. It's minimalist and eclectic at the same time. It features bright and neutral colors in the same space. A mid century modern sideboard could be paired up with a Turkish rug. It's incredibly interesting and always makes you feel energetic. Further, we'll take a look at everything that you need to know about this style:

Characteristics of the Modern Bohemian style

Since this style is a jumble of contradicting design elements, you'll find it challenging to nitpick through major characteristics. Below, we've compiled an extensive list of what you can do, what elements you should use, and which half should dominate the palette. Let's take a look:

Sleek vs. Textured

The biggest contrast between the modern and bohemian styles is that the former is all sleek lines and clean aesthetics while the latter is all about visual clutter and a ton of texture. Therefore, the biggest concern when you're introducing the Modern Bohemian style is how to balance these juxtaposing ideas.

Since you need to feature the highlighting elements of both styles, it's best if the undertone of modernism take center stage in such interior designs. Once you have a base palette, you can easily overlay and accent it with a number of textured bohemian design elements. However, it's important that the modern aspects be just as prominent as the bold bohemian ones.

A good way to combine both would be to have the base material as sleek while the accessorization can be textured. For example, the floor finishes can be clean and the area rug can have a boho-chic texture. Similarly, the wall finishes can be sleek while the decor and hangings can be boldly textured. You can also include a mid century planter for additional flair.

Materials:

The material palette of the Modern Bohemian is another study in contradictions.

The modern end of this style is all about featuring neutral and understated materials such as sleek, light-hued wood, plain white walls, chic grey accents, understated concrete textures, etc.

The Bohemian side of the material palette also has a neutral base, but it is more texture-oriented. For example, sisal, jute, and hemp are the materials that take focus. A wooden floor with a herringbone pattern can make this style totally unique. Just choose warm, cozy, slightly distressed and earthy materials to reinforce the boho-chic palette. They're then accented with bold and colorful accents to complete the look.

The combined effect of the Modern Bohemian style can be achieved by merging the best of both material palettes. The smartest way you can do that is by creating visual harmony between the two. For example, sleek vinyl floors can be patterned out in the boho-chic herringbone style. Raw concrete accents can be paired with naturally cozy sisal or jute for the best harmonization. You can pick furniture that utilizes various materials and textures, such as the classic Wishbone Chair. The final look can be accentuated with bold highlights to complete the look.

Neutral vs. Colorful

The color palette used in the Modern Bohemian style is more apparently contradicting than the material scheme. On the whole, you simply need to create a rhythm between the neutral and bold shades to get the best impact.

You can do that by creating a base layer out of natural colors like brown, taupe, white, etc. They are essentially the backdrop and you'll need to stick with the cool, dark, and muted colors on the neutral palette to make this work.

Then comes the accentuation and you can have a lot of fun with it. You can pick floor cushions, accent chair fabrics, throws, paintings, art, and accessories in bright, vibrant hues and place them strategically over the neutral hued base. This is one of the best ways to articulate your Modern Bohemian color scheme.

Clean furniture vs. Vintage accents

The clear juxtaposition of the furniture selection in the Modern Bohemian interior design theme is challenging to accomplish.

The clearest way to do is by choosing all the big stuff (i.e. the statement furniture pieces like the sofa, dining table, etc.) to be stylishly modern while the accent pieces (like the coffee table, end table, wing chair, etc.) be bohemian. There's a distinctly apparent use of mid century modern furniture in this interior design theme. From stylish sideboards to leather-clad sofas and eclectic accent chairs, you can easy furnish such spaces by browsing through some major midcentury furniture outlets.

Doing so would elevate the combined aesthetic of this theme. Modern Bohemian is all about mixing and matching, but since the bold parts always have a more apparent presence, you need to highlight the understated, chic, modern elements by using them in a much bigger ratio than the bolder ones. This is why all the large furniture elements are modern while the smaller accent pieces are vintage boho-chic.

Retro vs. Minimalist

The Modern Bohemian theme is an artful combination of retro vs. minimalist possibilities. This means that all the decor, furnishing, and accessorization that takes place in this theme must be an amalgamation of these two aesthetics. As always, the minimalist part is relegated to the backdrop so that you can have a clean, concise, and sophisticated canvas to highlight your carefully curated and strategically placed retro findings, be it an artwork, a mid-century planter, or something else entirely.

Lush green nature

Another thing that both the modern and bohemian styles indivudally agree on is the avid use of nature in interior designs. While modernism is more subtle and understated about it, the boho-chic style likes to be bold with its connection with nature.

Your Modern Bohemian interior designs have to be a careful combination of both, in order to promise the best looks. You can create a great visual harmony between plans and your Modern Bohemian by bridging the distance between outdoors and indoors through oversized picture windows that provide a nice view of the front yard, an indoor patio, etc.

Of course, you also need to be literal about emulating plants within the Modern Bohemian ambiance. The best way to do so is by placing a large statement planter in a focused area of your interior design. You can also feature a cluster of tiny indoor planters on top of the coffee table or other central surface. You can also go with a single hanging indoor planter vine for a more artistic effect.

Plain vs. Pattern

Once again, the sheer contradiction between the modern and bohemian styles takes center stage in this point. While the former is very simple and only uses textures, the latter is all about eclectic patterns. So, how exactly can you merge the two?

Easy: by creating an equilibrium between the plain and patterned surfaces. As a general rule, it's best to remember that the patterned items should be only used and introduced in small amounts because even a tiny bit of them can overwhelm the plain surfaces.

So, for two patterned floor cushions, the area rug, floor, and backdrop furniture has to be plain for the Modern Bohemian theme to come across well. Similarly, a single patterned wall hanging or statement art is able to balance an otherwise neutral themed interior in full force. It's important to use moderation in this regard, or you'll end up disturbing the balance of your ambiance.

Metal and wood accents

If there are two materials that the modern and bohemian style can agree on, they're metal and wood. However, you should only use them in an accent capacity. If you use them in large-scale installations, you'll up undermining the importance of the modern end of this theme.

So, for a successful Modern Bohemian look, you need to figure out how to emulate metal and wood accents throughout your interior design. If you need some examples or inspiration, here are some ideas. Distressed wood accent furniture like coffee and end tables always make a huge impact. A wicker bench can also double as a small coffee table or extra seating. Metal rimmed decorative mirrors are a great way to successfully accent such interior designs with a sleek, sophisticated look. You can also find unique metal accessories and feature them on a small wooden bookcase or cabinet to combine these two finishes!

Clean white backdrop

It's imperative to understand that the only way to highlight the modern part of the Modern Bohemian aesthetic is by ensuring that your interior designs have clean white walls. This is not only because this color is like a blank canvas that can make all the bohemian aspects pop out beautifully.

The main reason actually is that a clean white backdrop is the most obvious way that you can reinforce the modernist style in this hybrid theme. If you choose any other color even from the neutral palette it's going to end up enhancing the cluttery look of the bohemian side instead of balancing it out.

With a white backdrop, you'll end up with a austere and minimalist look that the bohemian side of the palette can feed off of.

Examples of the Modern Bohemian Design, look, and style.

Now that you know all the basics of how to emulate the Modern Bohemian style in your spaces, it's time to look at some practical applications. Below, we've compiled a list of Modern Bohemian interior designs according to every major room in a home for your perusal. Let's take a look:

In living rooms

Since living rooms are the very center of a home, they tend to be slightly more cluttered than the rest of a house. Therefore, you need to be especially careful about maintaining the balance between the modern and boho-chic aspects of your Modern Bohemian theme in this space.

You won't find a better inspiration than this image. The use of statement midcentury modern style furniture is the most apparent thing that you'll notice. The sleekness of the large pieces harmonizes well with the rustic and shabby chic decor. The rattan accent chair and fabric wall hanging accentuate the whole ambiance beautifully. Chairs made from rattan, paper cords or flag lines such as the Circle Chair, can also be paired perfectly with the boho-chic aesthetic.

The stark walls evoke a cool modern aura, which is complemented stunningly with the mix and matched accessories placed on the decorative bookshelves.

In bedrooms

The trick to incorporating the Modern Bohemian theme in your bedrooms is to emphasize the clean lines and design elements without letting the structured clutter and textures overwhelm the sleekness

This image features an excellent way to balance out the scales between the modern and the bohemian interior design elements. The glossy wooden floor and minimalist bed along with the white painted walls create a great modern backdrop.

The simplicity is kept in focus by decorating with textured surfaces, eclectic artwork, and planters. The woven baskets, hemp swing, and braided area rug accentuate the understated parts of the interior design with a lot of flair without undermining their visual quality.

In dining areas

You can incorporate the Modern Bohemian look in your dining rooms very easily. Just make sure that the backdrop is as minimalist and unadorned as you can possibly make it. As shown in this image, the stark white walls create an aura of clean austerity that highlights the bohemian aspects even more.

The simple dining table ramps up the contrast with its artsy, boho-chic chairs and the uniquely patterned achromatic area rug that is furnished underneath it. The metal accessories and wooden accents also play in contrast with one another in the form of gorgeous light fixtures and accent furniture. The overall ambiance of this dining room is understated, but also impact worthy and interesting despite having a mostly earthy color scheme.

So, this is everything that you need to know about the Modern Bohemian interior design style. It's a theme that requires a lot of mix and match with juxtaposed styles, but if you know the basics, you can easily incorporate it in your homes. We hope this guide helps you accomplish that without any difficulties.