How We Made Our Tiny Living Room An Eclectic Boho Paradise

One piece of furniture can inspire a whole new style within your home. We were given an armless convertible chair with a bright blue corduroy cover that is comfortable yet stylish and placed it in the corner of a quaint front room. With potential as a small dining area or spacious foyer, the room features a large traditional window with entryways that lead from the front door hall to the kitchen. After over 10 years of ownership, it was time for a refresh. As the white floor tile and toile curtains remained the same, opportunity for styling this unidentified room was activated. With a focus on color, texture, furniture, and décor, we changed the walls from beige to cream while distinctive elements offered contrast for an eclectic bohemian flair.

What is eclectic boho style? Not afraid to mix things up, eclectic designs showcase a combination of vibrant colors while including various textures like metal, wood, and plush elements. Bohemian incorporates many universal qualities through décor, furnishings, keepsakes, and textile layering, including plants (via Up to Date Interiors). When brought together, the natural boho side balances the more intense eclectic side to for an overall chilled cultural vibe. How do you apply this within your home? You might start with pieces you already own. From a new wall color to showcasing personal memorabilia, we enlivened this small space to encapsulate both an updated and cozy appeal.

If you don't know where to begin with your interior design, you might start with a stand-out piece that speaks to you. Not only should it express who you are, but it also should inspire you each day as well. With our cozy, bright blue chair taking the lead, the piece of furniture motivated the overall direction into a vibrant yet comfortable environment. Other things that could initiate your design and/or layout might be a piece of artwork, a rug, décor, a lamp, pendant lighting, wallpaper designs, flooring, specific colors (or one color), and anything else that moves you (via Decoraid).

While there's so much to choose from, furniture generally encompasses the overall aura of a space. Here, we placed the chair snugly in corner between the piano and the window. The vivid blue shade dramatically contrasts against the cream wall color; the tawny wood from the piano complements the hue, along with the green shelf and peachy colors from the framed artwork, per Peach and Home. While styling this room, the opposite corner (below) features various green plant life with a small brown vintage accent table. A jute poof was just the right size and fit for the corner to add an additional seating option while accompanying the plants, colors, curtains, and décor.

When it comes to choosing the right paint color, the selected hue splashed on the wall is going to initiate the tone of the room. Depending on what design elements you start with, dark, rich-colored furnishings and décor will stand out significantly against light and pale hues. Although cream is a neutral color, its brilliance can add instant vibrancy to a space. While incorporating a lot of greenery from various plants, we chose an elegant pebble cream shade that offers a lively contrast as the base seen pictured above. Corresponding with the greenery from the plants and the floating shelf, a serene, boho vibe emerges that feels both coastal and earthy.

From the initial cream and green pairing, other colors guided the way like blue, red, beige, brown, black, and white to further develop the eclectic side. Additional colors that might complement a warm and energetic cream could be gold, peach, or yellow. When choosing a color, also consider the amount of natural light a room receives based on the direction it faces. Because our large colonial style window looks to the road and is south-facing, our space gets a lot of sunshine, which enhances the cream's radiance (via Shoreline Painting & Drywall). Depending on the tone of your space and its location, east- and west-facing spots may also present warmth and versatility, whereas north-facing will bring in the coolest tones.

Wood furniture and fixtures can easily be transformed with a new coat of paint. Originally painted a bright, cherry red color, our bespoke wooden floating shelf needed a modern makeover. Continuing with a cream/green contrast, we chose a semi-vibrant scallion like shade to showcase the unique piece that features a long, flat base with two square cubby shelves on each end. The genuine build typically houses wine and cocktail glassware for extra storage and easy access right off from the kitchen.

Reminiscent of the outdoor elements like leaves and tree bark, the potent green stands out amidst the cream wall, also in harmony with wooden elements from the piano and wine cellar console. You might explore various shades of green to balance with your browns, although darker colors produce an exemplary boost of energy, including deep oranges, per 21 Oak. Other hues that work well for painting your wood pieces might be beige, gray, red, or white. If you have built-in bookcases or cabinets, incorporate an eye-popping color on the back like yellow, blue, or pink.

Tell your story through your possessions. The key to exhibiting your meaningful mementos is finding the connection them, however diverse they may seem. From the places you've been to significant souvenirs, you can display them in such a way that they receive the right attention.

Linking light and dark elements is a highly effective tool for creating a visual emphasis for the distinguished pieces within your home (via Artists Network). We've styled an assorted arrangement in this corner by adding a mostly red Turkish style accent rug with accentuating blues and creams amidst the motif. The artwork displayed also complements the colors scheme with greens, blues, and creams.

Another way to soften the miscellaneous features within a space while establishing a sense of bohemian is through the display of various plants like succulents and golden pothos, as seen pictured above. Pothos plants are lovely and low maintenance, as their cascading vines purify the air while they aid in the removal of odors. Charming and cute, succulents are drought-tolerant like the desert and come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. Cacti, ferns, philodendrons, and yucca are also a prime choice of indoor greenery.

As our eyes may focus on a particular piece of furniture or artwork within a space, a lamp or pendant light is another noteworthy portion of a design to consider. Within our small room, the pendant light features a metal vine design on the stem, along with an opaque, tulip-shaped glass shade that needs an update. Keeping things eclectic, we chose a bronze metal shade over a traditional bohemian one which might consist of a woven rattan or bamboo for an earthy basket look (via Home Bunch). While restoring the vine, the new French bronze cage shade complements its appearance while providing stability among the other easy-going elements. We also installed a vintage-style light bulb for a warm amber glow within the room. A unique feature on the small, metal chandelier is the adjustable opening at the bottom, as it can either be a narrowed dome or resemble the character of flora, as pictured. 

Determine how much light you may need within your room. Is it regularly used for reading or other projects? With limited space, an eye-catching pendant light and shade will lure you and your guests into the room each time. With rustic elegance, the bronze cage shade is diverse enough to be incorporated into various eclectic styles, including modern farmhouse or industrial.