We’re spending a lot more time at home these days. Having offices in our houses and apartments makes our home lives feel a lot less comforting. Today, I’m showing you how I updated a rental apartment bedroom with a global bohemian aesthetic to make a cozy and luxurious resting place for a very special client …

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DECORATING AN APARTMENT BEDROOM

Wallpapers, built-in shelving, wall murals, gorgeous new light fixture installations. These are the project ideas you’ll see all over the interwebs when you’re looking for ways to dramatically update your home. You know I love a good wallpaper! 10/10 would recommend Brewster Home Fashions all day long.

Unfortunately, these major home overhauls don’t apply to those who are renting their homes. They’re also not terribly realistic for people who don’t have big budgets to hire a decorator. Since I believe everyone deserves to have the home they love (I really do, you can read it here), I thrive to keep my blog low-cost and accessible for as many people as possible.

In that vein, I’m switching things up a bit today and showing you a room makeover that requires no painting, no wallpaper, no major building, and no huge investment. With a little creativity and some simple decorating concepts, you can have the colorful boho bedroom of your dreams!

The space you’re seeing transformed today belongs to my best friend of 23 years, Destiny. Since March 2020, Destiny has found herself working from home full-time and isolating alone with her American Bully, Duchess. Since her home is also now her office, she was looking to add more luxury and comfort to her bedroom. Her style is bohemian glam with touches of Indonesian and Moroccan aesthetic that pair nicely with her love of metaphysics. (You can see Destiny’s Metaphysical Shop here: The Magick of Destiny).

BOHO BEDROOM TIP #1: ADD SEATING

If your space allows, you should always try to incorporate seating in your bedroom that isn’t just your bed. Your bed is for sleeping. By completing other tasks in your bed, you’re actually confusing your brain about what time is restful time and which time is working time.

You don’t have to add a whole sofa. Additional seating could be something as small as a bench at the end of your bed or a small arm chair. If you like the bohemian vibe, a wicker egg chair on a stand is a renter-friendly hack that gives the high-end luxury of a hanging chair without the permanent damage of a 200-lb stud hanger. I also love to incorporate vintage vanity sets into small space rooms.

Destiny is fortunate enough to have a large bedroom with enough space to house a small sofa so we went for it by turning her window wall into a seating nook and placing her bed on the adjacent wall.

Here are some great options for bedroom seating – whether you have a large space or a small space – that will lend themselves to the bohemian aesthetic.

Since the client had an extra sofa she didn’t need in her living room, we were able to repurpose it in the bedroom. The result is an extra cozy lounge space that makes her bedroom feel less cavernous and more lived in.

BOHO BEDROOM TIP #2: LAYER TEXTILES

In general, I would never recommend purchasing a complete bedding set (think: Bed In A Bag) as you want the freedom to mix prints, colors, fabrics and patterns on your bed. That’s especially true when you’re trying to achieve a bohemian look.

I always encourage clients to find one fabric or print that they love to serve as an inspiration piece for the rest of the space. In this room, Destiny had previously purchased a linen duvet cover with muted pinks and oranges. While the duvet cover was beautiful, I worried that the bed would start to blend into the neutral beige walls if we didn’t break up the colors a little.

I lucked out when I discovered an inexpensive cotton sheet set at Target that had a coral accent to match the duvet but otherwise was blue.

That blue was exactly the interruption to the warm colors that this room needed to feel truly luxe and layered. From there, I decided to carry the blue as an accent across the room to provide depth to the blush, orange, and yellow color palette.

When making a bed, you need to keep a few things in mind;

• Use natural fabrics such as cotton and linen on anything that is going to touch your skin. Microfiber sets are going to retain heat and they will make sleeping less luxurious. Buy 100% cotton or a linen/cotton blend to longevity and comfort.
• Buy pillows that match the size of your bed. If you have a queen bed, you can fit two queen pillows side-by-side. Buy four appropriately sized pillows to make your bed look full.
• Layer bedding to look collected by using the “if it touches” method: If it touches an item, it should contrast that item. Cold colors (blue family) contrast warm colors (red family). Linen fabrics contrast velvet. Dark colors contrast light colors. Small scale prints contrast large scale prints.

Destiny sleeps with a weighted blanket for additional comfort but she prefers not to place the blanket directly on her skin (ie, under the duvet) since it’s not a natural fabric. To keep her weighted blanket on the bed while not in use without sacrificing the look, I folded it in thirds and placed it at the bottom of her bed like a quilt. Then I covered it in a lightweight cotton coverlet to keep it clean (since weighted blankets can’t be washed). The result is an intentionally layered look with her necessary items hidden in plain sight.

Here are some great bedding basics to help you achieve a layered bohemian look on your bed:

But don’t stop the layering at just your bed! Windows offer another great opportunity to bring in some additional textural contrast.

For wider windows, like the ones in Destiny’s bedroom, a single set of curtains aren’t going to provide much visual impact. You could double your width by purchasing two identical sets and hanging a pair on each side. But why miss the opportunity to create more depth with two contrasting patterns or colors?

I paired a set of linen curtains featuring a paisley print with a set of indigo velvet curtain panels to mimic the warm/cold contrast from the bedding and provide more visual interest.

When it comes to curtains, here are some things to keep in mind;

• Hang them high and wide. By extending the width and height of your curtains, you’ll make the window and walls appear larger. If you have a large window, you’re fine to cover the majority of the wall with curtains like I did here. Opt for curtains that are at least 96” in length and hang them so they barely touch the floor.
• Curtain panels are expensive. Don’t bother overpaying for luxury fabrics. Since curtains don’t touch your skin, you’re welcome to skimp on the price tag of true velvet or linen. Polyester curtains typically hang better than thin cotton anyway. Just choose a sheer with a weave (think linen-looking). These are not your grandma’s sheers.
• When layering, use the “if it touches” method again but remember to hang the heavier weighted or darker fabric on the outside of the window treatment. Your sheers should be closest to the window in order to provide filtered lighting during the day.

Here are some window treatment options that will look lovely in pairs for your boho decor:

Beyond window treatments, your walls are the perfect place to mix in additional textiles. Art is expensive but tapestries can be sourced fairly cheap and they are often much larger in scale than traditional wall art.

The trick to getting a layered vibe with a wall tapestry is to buy a tapestry that’s slightly wider than your bed and install it behind your headboard. Since part of the image will be covered up, it’s best to stick with tapestries that feature one larger pattern or motif, like a medallion or mandala, rather than a scene.

Choose a print or pattern that will contrast both your wall and your bedding or headboard for the best look.

Install the tapestry just a tad lower than your curtain line for a really full effect. It’s width should be no wider than your bed + half of the width of your bedside tables.

Here are some affordable tapestry ideas for bringing texture and interest to your bedroom walls:

Living in a rental space, there are certain aspects of your home you just have to learn to live with. For instance, your rental bedroom may have carpet, like Destiny’s does. We used this opportunity to forego a rug which afforded us the chance to bring in the sofa without making the room feel too choppy.

A rug would have created an additional visual line that would have made the room feel too cluttered with the sofa.

Without a rug in place, the entire space flows freely from one zone to the next.

If you live in a home with hardwood or solid surface flooring, you may want to incorporate a rug into your space for additional comfort. As a general rule, you want to purchase the largest rug you can fit into your space in order to maximize impact. For instance, under a queen bed, you’ll need at least an 8×10’ rug to provide ample walking room around the bed with the rug under foot.

Large scale rugs tend to be pretty expensive so if you’re on a budget, there are ways to create the look of a larger rug without the massive price tags. With bohemian style, you can use layer multiple rugs to achieve the same vibe.

Choose rugs with differing sizes and shapes to layer over a larger rug for impact. Make sure you use the “if it touches” method to achieve contrast.

I recommend purchasing a large jute rug to lay as a foundation. These aren’t comfortable to walk on but they’re fairly cheap. With that large rug in place, you can layer more cozy fabrics like cotton, wool, or silk in smaller sizes (since they tend to be more costly) over the areas where you’ll be walking.

Here are some inexpensive rugs that combine well for layering;

BOHO BEDROOM TIP #3: GET CREATIVE

Bohemian style is so popular because it’s one of the most affordable and achievable styles for budget-minded people. It’s easy to layer in lots of inexpensive items to give your home a luxurious look without breaking the bank. But that doesn’t mean you should buy a bunch of tchotchkes from the dollar store and call it a day. Use your money wisely and you’ll have a space that looks polished and refined.

The number one way to save money when you’re decorating your home is to use what you already have. By repurposing or upcycling your existing furniture and decor, you’re not just being thrifty. You’re also keeping additional products from being manufactured and helping the environment in a meaningful way.

Destiny had a bed with an attached headboard that she didn’t love the look of. The best itself is in great shape and she liked the structure but the headboard was a little plain and boring for her desired Boho look. Since the headboard is actually a part of the structure of the platform bed and didn’t come apart from it, we couldn’t simply remove it and buy a new headboard. That’s an option for you if you have a removable headboard.

Here are some cute budget-friendly beds and headboards you can use with your existing bed frame to get the Boho look:

If you have a bed without a headboard, you could also lower the tapestry on the wall and allow it to function as a headboard as well.

Since Destiny already had a headboard, we opted to get creative with even more boho textile layering.

Our trick to getting a bohemian style headboard without spending a ton of money? An oversized throw blanket draped over the back of her existing upholstered headboard!

I secured the throw blanket with a few pins to keep it from moving around. This way, she can also remove the blanket to launder it if she needs to. You could also sew it in place using an upholstery needle and some thread.

If you have a wood or metal headboard and you’d like to add some character, you could simply fold the blanket and drape it over the back for a similar effect.

Since we didn’t make any permanent changes to the bed, she can always reverse the look if she ever wants to change the style of her bedroom down the line.

And, as you can see, the headboard – along with the rest of the room – got the final stamp of approval from Destiny’s sweet pup, Duchess:

For a similar look, here are some affordable throw blankets that would be perfect for layering over a headboard:

In terms of fixed items that we couldn’t change out, we also needed to address her ceiling fan. Builder-grade ceiling fans are standard in most rental units. Unfortunately, they don’t lend themselves to the bohemian style very easily.

Fortunately for us, a fix was so easy!

Using minimal macrame skills, a hot glue gun, and this kit, I created a very simple macrame light shade to go over the fan’s existing bulb sconces.

You can see how I looped the cord directly around a metal base to allow them to drape down the sides in layers. I then glued some feathers and tied some wooden beads to the fixture.

While it’s not as fancy as installing a completely new fixture, it is a nice upgrade for this apartment!

BOHO BEDROOM TIP #4: DON’T APPROPRIATE

I’m not here to tell you what to love but I will say this – If you don’t already own a few items that would look great in a Bohemian bedroom, you probably should consider a quick course on cultural appropriation. I absolutely love the look of a room filled with items from around the globe but I don’t personally decorate my home this way because, as a white designer, I’m cautious about using someone else’s culture as a decorative statement.

In fact, I put off designing this space for my very closest friend and instead sent her to other inspirational resources for two years. There are other designers out there who are rocking this style and have the historical context and educational tools to back it up. I am not ever going to be the guru of Bohemian style because it simply doesn’t suit my life nor my lifestyle.

In the end, I agreed to this project for two reasons; 1. Destiny is my best friend. She’s my family. Family doesn’t charge family, and 2. Destiny’s love of the bohemian style comes naturally to her as she’s a Black woman with the historical context of the metaphysical and religious aspects that reign in many of the global traditions we incorporated in this space.

The items I used to accessorize are items that Destiny uses in her daily life. A bowl full of crystals and her sage smudge aren’t just her decor. They are part of the rituals she has developed to maintain her balance with the universe.

While I definitely added some storage containers for these items, I didn’t personally source any of them to be used specifically as decor.

Little jars are filled with Palo Santo and Sweetgrass for the smudging rituals she conducts and teaches other Black women to incorporate into their lives as part of her passion project, The Magick of Destiny.

None of the items you see in this space are strictly part of an aesthetic. They are precious and meaningful items that are representative of Destiny’s daily life and commitment to her own spirituality.

The bottom line: If you’re incorporating items from someone else’s culture simply to use as decorations for your home, consider how those items might have a deeper meaning. Educate yourself. Learn about the culture. And if you just love the item, purchase from an artisan who comes from the community in which the item is actually used. Don’t just buy a bunch of knock-offs from a mass producer like Target. Because that, my friends, is cultural appropriation.

I’m so very happy to have been able to help Destiny get the bedroom of her dreams and to show you how you can achieve any look, regardless of your housing complex’s restrictions.

I hope this inspires you to make the changes you need to have a home you love at exactly this moment. Remember to pin this post on Pinterest in order to refer back to it as you work.

If you recreate these easy DIYs, tag me in your post on Instagram @tmoorehome so I can share it!

I’ll be back soon with more ideas for affordable decorating. Until then, stay safe and sane. xoxo

DECORATING ON A BUDGET ISN’T ALWAYS EASY BUT I’M HERE TO HELP.

Commenting on this post is disabled so I can focus on our upcoming projects + client designs but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to hear from you. Send me your questions and comments on Instagram by either commenting on my latest post or sending me a direct message. I really love to chat it out!

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