The Best DIY ideas for a modern boho living room

39+ DIY Boho Home Decor Ideas

In this post, you’ll learn how to create a modern boho living room decor on a budget with DIY ideas. Building a dream home shouldn’t cost a fortune. If you are willing to spend some time and a few bucks, you can create stunning DIY boho home decor pieces that you’ll be proudly showing your guests.

As a teenager and young adult, I used to love the colorful bohemian decor. But as time passed, and having a family and becoming a mother, I prefer the cleaner and more sophisticated design, the chic, modern boho decor.

Having a complete room or home makeover can cost a fortune. So, I’ve decided to collect the best DIY room decor ideas that will help you transform your living room into a modern boho wonderland.

Most of these ideas will also work for a bohemian bedroom or other rooms in your home.

But let’s start with some explanation.

What does boho decor mean?

Bohemian means ‘gypsy’; it’s a French word. Boho applies to those who live an artistic, unconventional life. One might associate it with the eclectic style, but it’s more than that.

The bohemian home decor combines style ideas from different cultures and regions like India, Asia, Morocco, and other Eastern influences.

Bohemian is for those who think outside the box.

The most prominent features are bold colors and a mix of patterns and textures. The boho room is random, busy, and artistic, filled with paintings, plants, pillows, and figurines.

How do you make a modern bohemian living room?

It’s not hard to add a modern boho touch or transforming your living room completely. What I love about it the most that it’s cozy, full of character, and pretty easy to add in your style.

There a lot of guidlines, but following only a few will do the trick:

layering textiles (rugs, throw blankets, and pillows),
adding in plants,
incorporating textures and patterns,
vintage and handmade objects to add character,
atmospheric lighting,
etc.

If you want to learn more about boho decor tips and inspiration, I’ve found two excellent articles:

A detailed guide on boho decor tips by Posh Pennies.
How to nail bohemian decor by My Thirty Spot.

How can you decorate boho for cheap?

There are a few ways to add boho decor for cheap. The focus of this article is DIY projects and crafts that you can do at home, but I wanted to list other ways too.

DIY projects and crafts,
go to flea markets and garage sales,
Second-hand or thrift stores usually have a lot of fun stuff,
borrow or swap handmade or vintage items from friends or family.

Is boho decor out of style?

Some home decor gurus say that it is out of style, and it was popular last year (2019). Others say that boho home decor is still in style in 2020.

My personal opinion is that you shouldn’t decorate your home based on home decor trends. And I think most people won’t do that either because nobody has time and money to redecorate their house over and over again, each year.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t incorporate new trends now and then if they match your style. Or you are just refreshing the look of your room with a few items.

So, if you like the modern boho home decor, you probably will love it for more years to come. I encourage you not to bother with home decor trends. Decorate and create a home that you enjoy and feel comfortable with.

The best DIY ideas for a modern boho living room

Throw pillows

I love the throw pillows because you can easily change the cover to the home decor style you want. Choose a few of your favorite boho patterned fabrics and create some covers, add fringes, pom poms, or tassels to a simple pillow cover, or create a stunning macrame pillow cover.

DIY boho pillows by Mountain Modern Life,
Dollar Tree boho throw pillow by The DIY Mommy,
Boho lumbar pillow by Francois et Moi,
No-sew Boho Fringe pillow by Design Fixation.

Macrame pillows are also a perfect choice for a boho living room. Here is a cool video tutorial on how to do a beautiful design.

DIY Boho Wall Art Ideas

There are endless possibilities to decorate your walls with DIY boho ideas. You can hang drapery and tapestry against the wall for decoration, dreamcatchers, macrame, mandala wall art, and yarn wall hangings are the best for bohemian rooms. I hope you get inspired by these ideas:

Toilet paper roll mandala made by me,
Clay wall hanging on Creative Rox,
Mandala wall hanging on Hometalk,
Basket gallery wall by Sadie Seasongoods.

For more cheap and cool DIY boho wall decor ideas check out this cool video.

Another way to decorate the walls is stenciling. Using wall stencils, you can create a beautiful accent wall or add patterns to your living room. Check out my detailed guide on how to stencil walls for beginners.

Rugs

If you’re not a regular crafter, you may think, how on earth can someone make a rug? Well, it’s pretty easy, and you can create stunning customized rugs with a few methods.

For example, you can easily create a gorgeous rope rug or a painted, stenciled rug that will blend in well in any boho style room. Also, round rope rugs can become the focal point or an accent of your living room.

DIY rope rug tutorial on Hometalk,
Round crochet rug on TutsPlus,
A woven rug by A Beautiful Mess,
Sharpie rug by Mountain Modern Line.

Lanterns and light sources

To create a cozy modern boho living room is crucial to add light sources. Lanterns, candle holders, and luminaries are all a good choice.

Here a few stunning boho lantern examples:

DIY Moroccan candle holders by The Navage Patch,
Aluminum Luminaries by Everyday Dishes,
Mason jar lanterns by Quarto Knows,
Paper doily lantern on Hometalk.

You can also create DIY boho lanterns using glass paint on mason jars, punching holes on tin cans to make a metal lantern or beautiful lanterns with cut-outs.

Pouffes or ottomans

Pouffes and ottomans are my favorite furniture-decor or decor-furniture. They are pretty easy to make! They are the best low-level furniture you can incorporate in a modern boho living room.

Boho mud cloth ottoman by This Giant Life,
Hand-stitched pouf by A Beautiful Mess,
Pouf IKEA hack by Kristy Murphy,
Colorful ottoman on BHG.

If you have some old tires at home, turn them into gorgeous rope covered ottomans. They are perfect for inside and outside use. Here is a tutorial on how to do it.

If you love to crochet or willing to learn a new skill, you can also create a cover for an old tire or crochet a pouf and fill it for a soft, round, and cozy furniture.

Pendants and chandeliers

When designing your modern boho living room, don’t forget about the chandeliers. Pendants and chandeliers can be pricey, but I’ve found four beautiful ideas to choose from. I plan to make the Moresque lamp; it looks fantastic!

DIY fringe chandelier by In Honor of Design,
Boho beaded chandelier by The House that Lars Built,
Stunning Moresque lamp on Instructables,
Doily lamp by Emmmy Lizzzy.

I haven’t included are macrame pendants because I’ve already listed a lot of boho macrame ideas and wanted to serve with other ideas too.

Baskets

Baskets are the perfect functional decoration. Why? They are beautiful and perfect for storage and organization. You can also use them as flower pot covers. Decorate your existing baskets with pom poms, fringe, tassels, macrame, or embroidery. If you have the time and skills, you can create DIY baskets with ropes, waving, or crochet.

Boho fringe basket by Never Skip Brunch,
Pom pom basket by Honestly WTF,
Macrame Anthropologie basket by Allo Plum,
Punch needle baskets by Apartment Therapy.

You can also crochet stunning boho baskets. Check out the tutorial by Top Knotch Crochet!

Plant holders

Plants are fundamental for bohemian decor. You can place them on the floor in a nice metal pot, basket, or patterned ceramic pot. To spare place, create flower pot holders and hang them. Macrame hanging plant holders are excellent for the boho bedroom. Here are a few cheap and easy DIY plant holders for your modern boho living room.

Boho fringe pot holder by Apartment Therapy,
DIY hanging planter by Lost Mom,
Geometric metal plant holder by Vintage Revivals,
Stunning Moroccan planters by Pillar Box Blue.

Curtains and room dividers

When you need little privacy or separate a part of your living room to create a cozy nook for reading or relaxing, you can use beautiful boho room dividers or curtains. It is also an excellent opportunity to use your macrame skills.

Macrame folding screen by My French Twist,
White Boho curtains on Spotlight Stores,
Macrame room divider by A Beautiful Mess,
DIY old room divider on Hometalk.

Conclusion about DIY ideas for a modern boho living room

As you could see, there are endless stunning ideas to create and incorporate in your modern boho living room. Some of them don’t require any special skills or tools. With a little time, dedication, and supplies, you can create beautiful home decor items.

I hope I could inspire you to start crafting your dream boho living room.

Which DIY boho decor ideas were your favorite? Leave a comment!