Boho Bedroom Ideas on a Budget: 14 Changes That Cost Little

A boho bed is plain underneath. Keep a white, cream or oatmeal duvet cover and add layers on top: one patterned bedspread or quilt folded across the lower half, and one chunky knitted or woven throw over a corner. Two layers are enough. The patterned one is where to spend, because it is the largest block of color in the room.

Mixed patterns look planned when they share colors. Pick one palette, for example rust, mustard and cream, and then vary the scale: one large print (the bedspread), one small print (two cushions), one solid with texture (a knitted or tufted cushion). A different palette works the same way: teal and red on white, or olive and terracotta.

Covers cost a fraction of filled cushions and store flat. Buy two or three covers in the size of the pillows you have, and look for texture you can see from the door: tufting, tassels, embroidery, heavy weave. Odd numbers sit better than pairs: three or five cushions on a double bed.

A thin cotton dhurrie, a kantha quilt or a large woven blanket from a secondhand shop does the job of a bedspread and usually costs less than new bedding. Wash it first. If it is too small to cover the bed, fold it into a band across the foot.

One big piece does more than many small ones and takes one hook. Options, from cheapest: a length of printed fabric or a scarf hung from a wooden dowel, a thrifted tablecloth or tapestry, a macrame hanging, or a fan of woven baskets. Common guidance is to make it about two thirds of the width of the bed and to hang it with the lower edge a hand or two above the pillows.

Three flat woven placemats and a ball of yarn in each of three colors make the hanging in the photo below. Cut the yarn into equal lengths, knot or glue it along the lower half of each mat, trim the ends to a point and hang the three mats overlapping. It needs scissors, glue and an evening.

A grid of simple botanical prints in matching frames gives a boho wall for the cost of printing. Use free public-domain botanical drawings from museum and library collections, or paint simple leaf and vase shapes in three colors on thick paper. Frames from charity shops can be sprayed the same color. Six or nine frames hung close together read as one piece.

Paint is the cheapest large change if you are allowed to do it. A terracotta or dusty clay wall behind the bed warms the whole room and makes white bedding and green plants stand out. If you rent, leave the walls white and let one large hanging do the same job: on white, a single piece with colored tassels is enough.

A woven rattan or bamboo shade over the existing ceiling pendant changes the light in the whole room: it throws a pattern on the ceiling and hides a bare bulb. In a rental with no pendant, a plug-in pendant on a ceiling hook does the same with no wiring. More plug-in options are in our guide to lighting without ceiling lights.

String lights look calm when they follow a line that is already there: the top of the headboard, a shelf, or the join of wall and ceiling. Choose warm white, and plug-in or USB strands with a timer if you use them every night. One strand along one line is enough; a room wrapped in lights looks like a student room.

Plants are the part of boho that costs least if you are patient. Pothos, spider plants and tradescantia root in a jar of water from a cutting, and friends with plants usually have some to give. Put trailing plants high, on a shelf or the top of a wardrobe, and one larger plant on the floor in a basket. In a room with poor light, use fewer real plants, close to the window, and do not fill the gaps with many faux ones.

Rattan, cane and bamboo furniture turns up often in charity shops and online listings, and it is light enough to carry home. One piece is enough: a headboard, a side table, a peacock chair or a mirror frame. Check the weave for breaks and the joints for wobble; a dusty or faded finish cleans up with soapy water and a coat of oil or clear wax. For more on judging secondhand furniture, see our thrift store furniture flips.

A bedroom chair is expensive and takes floor space. A woven pouf or a large floor cushion gives a place to sit and put shoes on, moves anywhere, and adds another natural texture. Unfilled pouf covers are cheaper and can be stuffed with old duvets, towels or clothes you are storing anyway.

A large wool rug is the most expensive thing in most boho photos. Two small rugs cost far less: a flat jute or seagrass mat as the base, and a smaller patterned cotton rug laid over one end at an angle or beside the bed where your feet land. On carpet, skip the jute and use one patterned rug.