I love the coziness Boho style brings to an outdoor space. With its almost tropical feel, it can bring the vacation vibe to your patio or screen porch without you ever having to leave home. Let’s face it, who isn’t dreaming of a tropical beach vacation right now?
Boho style isn’t as easy as it looks though, while it may look almost thrown together, it’s actually quite a difficult style to get right. I recently decorated our screen porch in this style – well my muted version of it – and here are my 5 styling secrets to creating a beautiful Boho outdoor space.
Secret No.1: Boho Vintage Furniture
Boho style shouldn’t look new and squeaky clean, it’s meant to look well-worn and lived in, and most importantly comfortable. Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Craigslist or your local thrift store are fantastic places to find second-hand treasures. Look for things made of wicker, cane, leather and wood that are well-loved, not only will they look instantly vintage, but they’ll also save you some precious pennies. I found this vintage wicker bar cart from Facebook Marketplace for just $38! If you can’t resist buying new, I also bought these vintage looking wicker garden stools from Kohl’s recently for just $80 in the sale.
Secret No. 2: Boho Colors
True Bohemian style embraces color, lots of it. Clashing patterns, clashing colors, an array of tassels and embroidery, like this vibrant Boho patio space by Jungalow. If you’ve seen any of my designs, you’ll know I don’t usually use a lot of color, mainly because I change my mind so often. I prefer to use muted color palettes or monochrome designs, however you can still achieve the Boho look with a paired down palette. In this design I chose natural wood, off-white and accented it with green. For some of the green accents I bought this ceramic garden stool also at Kohl’s in the sale for just $70.
Secret No.3: Boho Fabrics
You’ll see a lot of fabric used in Boho style outdoor spaces. I love the tulle curtains in this design by Hammock Town, it creates an enclosed cozy space which would otherwise be wide open to the rest of the yard. I did a similar thing with our screen porch using Lill curtains from IKEA costing just $4.99 per pair.
Try also using plenty of rugs, throws and cushions too. Layer them on top of eachother to get a cozy lived in feel.
Secret No.4: Boho Plants
Boho style tends to incorporate lots of greenery from plants, large and small. Again, use lots of them! If you’re lucky enough to live in a climate where tropical plants will grow year-round, then opt for plants like Split Philodendron, Birds of Paradise, Banana Leaf or Palms, like this beautiful patio from Magnolia Lane. If you live in a place with harsh winters like Minnesota, or you’re just not that green fingered, then opt for artificial plants. There are some great options out there, and again check out the second-hand options first. I bought this Ficus tree for just $15 off Facebook Marketplace.
Secret No.5: Boho Lighting
To make an outdoor space feel cozy and inviting after dark, think about lighting. Candles, lanterns, festoon lights and fairy lights add a cozy warm vibe to an outdoor space. I recently bought some festoon lights from Amazon for our outdoor patio area. We still have to finish laying the new deck boards before I can put them up, but stay tuned for a blog post on that shortly, I can’t wait!
This Boho patio looks great at night with the wicker lanterns and paper lanterns hanging from the tree. Get creative with the lighting, and make your Boho outdoor space feel magical and romantic.
I hope your enjoyed this week’s tips for creating a beautiful outdoor Boho style space. Even though many of us can’t get to a beach for a vacation at the moment, we can still enjoy some rest and relaxation in a warm and cozy tropical inspired getaway in our own backyards. If you’d like to learn more about creating the perfect outdoor space, check out my blog Using Color and Texture to Bring the Inside Out.
I’d love to see the Boho style spaces you create, tag me @britflipper on Instagram.
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Thanks and until next time,
Jo
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