For the past 9 years our home style has been an eclectic mix. Pieces we got in college when we had no money, blended with random pieces I loved, with a sprinkle of gifted pieces from my work. I haven’t hated it, but it’s never felt cohesive. With our recent move I was given a fresh start, and decided on a decorating our home in a desert boho style. We sold absolutely every piece of furniture we owned and headed west to start creating our home.
Coming to the desert feels strangely like coming HOME. We’ve never lived here before, but the panoramic mountains, rolling hills of red sand, palm trees, and even the tumble weeds, all feel familiar and welcoming. After so many years of feeling unsettled and like somewhat of a wanderer, I really grabbed onto that feeling of home.
I wanted to pick a cohesive style for our new home. Each room is its own space, but the elements all come together. The desert has become home, and I wanted to reflect the beauty of this place in my home design. I’ve never been able to put a name to my personal home style before, but now I definitely can title it: Desert Boho style.
I’ve spent hours and hours picking out every piece of furniture in our desert boho style living room, and the rest of our house. I’m creating a space that I love, and it feels well worth the time and money spent.
Side note, this isn’t our actual home… We are building right now. The furniture I picked all fits perfectly into spaces in the home we are building. It works here too, but I really can’t wait to put it all together in our HOME home.
Side note #2: a couple pieces of my living room design arrived a month after the rest. The pictures are from two different setups, my initial setup, and then after I got the new pieces (and had redecorated a little for Halloween).
With that, welcome to my boho desert style living room. I will link all the pieces I used.
Furniture For Desert Boho Style Living Room
The majority of our furniture for this room comes from Article. The staple pieces are from the Solae Canyon collection, accented with Ivory Bouclé chairs and pillows.
Desert Boho Style Sectional
We got the Solae Canyon right facing 3 seater sectional. It is a low profile, Scandinavian style sectional. The material is full aniline Italian-tanned leather, and it is stuffed with high resiliency foam and duck feathers. It looks a lot bigger in real life than it does in the pictures on their website. Kris (6ft tall) can lay comfortably across it. I was concerned the low profile back would be uncomfortable, but it isn’t. It is a supportive and cozy seat.
The Perfect Accent Chairs
In the past we’ve always had two matching sofa’s in our living room, to create symmetry and adequate seating space. I wanted to elevate my personal home style and go for something more interesting than the standard living room setup. We chose the Gabriola lounge chairs in Ivory Bouclé. They also come in gray bouclé, but I prefer the bright warmth of the ivory.
The Gabriola is also a Scandinavian style furniture piece. The neutral ivory and natural colors make it the perfect accent piece, no matter what your home style is. It fit very well in my desert boho style theme, but it could also work with a lot of other decor styles. I’ve spotted this chair all over Instagram used in a variety of settings. A nursery, living room, master bedroom or even in an office.
With kids, I was worried about the color. I’ve had a chance to clean it already thanks to a small stain left by not a kid, but a dog. It was very easy to spot wash, thanks to the thick weave of the bouclé material. The seat cushion is also removable for easy washing.
My one complaint about this chair is that you CANNOT sit on the arms. Why would that matter?? Because I have kids and they climb on everything. We learned quickly that these chairs are easily thrown off balance because of the way the legs are angled. Not a deal breaker, in my opinion, but good to be aware of.
Caring For Real Leather Sofa
We also got the Solae Canyon Ottoman. It was the perfect finishing piece of furniture for our desert boho style room. I panicked when we first unboxed these pieces and realized they show every single scratch and scuff and liquid mark, but after doing some research I found a leather cleaner and conditioner that buffs it all out as a good as new. I actually tried 3-4 different brands, the set I linked is the one I liked the most. You can buy a microfiber cloth, but I found any rag from my kitchen seemed to work just fine.
I also sprayed each piece with a leather waterproofing paint, because I didn’t want to worry about water damage. I specifically chose this leather waterproofer because it is long lasting. If you read the fine print, a lot of leather waterproofers recommend spraying every 14-30 days. It took about 6 bottles for me to completely cover the sectional and ottoman with the two recommended coats. If you plan to waterproof your leather sectional, I recommend doing it before you decorate the whole room. I had to move everything onto a tarp. It was quite the ordeal.
Real leather does take a lot of care, but it is worth it. These pieces are absolutely gorgeous, and the perfect centerpiece to our living space. They definitely drive the desert boho feel home.
Desert Boho Living Room Accent Pieces
The accent pieces you use in your living room are almost as important as the big ticket furniture pieces. I know because for the past 9 years that is how I have changed and revamped my home, switching out accent pieces. To complete the desert boho style I was going for I got a lamp, rug, throw pillows, artwork, a throw blanket, side table, and various other small decor pieces for the mantle to complete the look.
Boho Statement Pieces
The Isobel Lamp was one of my favorite finds. It is a little on the pricey side, but it is such a unique piece and definitely makes a statement. The twisted resin base has a definitely desert boho style vibe, that is irresistible to me. The reviews were very mixed, but I went for it anyway because I LOVE it. I found it very easy to assemble, and the seam doesn’t bother me like it did for many reviewers (the base is not one piece). The color is slightly duller that it appears in the pictures on the website though. There is almost a gray undertone, rather than pure ivory.
Another statement piece I snagged was this terrazzo side table. This one is even better in real life than it is in the pictures. The colored pieces in the design are smooth and glossy, while the cream base has a lot of texture, and is a little more rough. The mixed textures are beautiful, and it goes perfectly next to the Solae Canyon sectional.
I am not entirely happy with my rug choice, so I won’t link out to that. Instead, here are some amazing rugs that are the perfect statement centerpiece for any boho desert living room.
Budget Boho Accent Pieces
Some of the smaller accent pieces I grabbed were this beautiful throw blanket (on sale right now), some ivory bouclé throw pillows to match the lounge chairs, and my favorite – these velvet throw pillows, also available in many other colors. I’m going to be getting more of the velvet pillows as I decorate other rooms in our home, they definitely drive home the boho aspect of desert boho style. They also make the perfect chihuahua sized dog bed. Rosie loves these pillows even more than I do.
Another of my favorite finds was this beautiful daisy terracotta pitcher. It looks incredible on the mantle, and it is also functional. This unique pitcher is food, microwave and dishwasher safe. These orange palmetto stalks are a great accent to the mantle as well.
All the artwork I used was Minted custom artwork, and I specifically chose their walnut wood frame for each piece of art. The walnut brings home the warm tones of the desert I’m trying to weave throughout my home.
Desert Boho Style Living Room Shelf
The last piece I included in my living room is my favorite of all. I think you’d be hard pressed to find another book shelf this unique and beautiful. The faux stucco finish is neutral enough to go with any style of home design, but I think it suits a desert boho style especially well. I absolutely love how each shelf is a unique shape. This shelf makes me so happy, I created another separate post about how I styled it.
You can find my post on styling the beautiful Isobel Shelf here.
Wow that was a lot more to get through than I realized! I hope you guys find some inspiration and pieces you love from my desert boho style living room design. This space has definitely made our house feel like a home, and most all these pieces I feel like will last us years to come.
It is really incredible to be creating a space that we love completely from scratch. It’s been a lot of work, but I love working with a blank canvas to create our home. Stay tuned for more room reveals as I work to decorate the rest of our home.
One Response
Im moving soon
Would like 2 redecorate my home boho style