How to Combine Coastal and Bohemian Home Decor

Casual. Earthy. Friendly. Bohemian and coastal decor share a simple charm that comes from playful accents. Blend boho’s dramatic cultural keepsakes with coastal’s demure nautical motifs. Global beach style will come alive through beautiful and exclusive-looking objects that seem like they were collected from backpacking and seafaring.

For example, wind chimes, dream catchers, and geodes make excellent additions to the sensory bohemian coastal style. They’re organic and carefree, merging a Baja and boho way of life.

Too much of coastal’s light and airy breeze can seem sterile. Overloading with boho’s diverse patterns and fiery colors can feel claustrophobic. Global beach style uses the best of both worlds. It’s tailored, crisp, and tonal, but a bit more arabesque and saturated than a seaside cottage.

Replace moody lantern lighting with with gauzy curtains and sunshine so it feels elegant and edited, but still full of energy. A true coastal bohemian mashup will combine the styles’ mutual staples of freedom and meditation for a relaxing bungalow, perfect for unwinding in a netted hammock.

To capture global beach style, borrow heavily from coastal’s sophisticated range of blues, whites, and earth tones. You might use a wooden accent chair or handmade footstool as a base, then choose flashy, graphic upholstery for a boho finish. Another way to mashup bohemian and coastal palettes is to mix a bright white backdrop with vibrant jewel tones.

By pulling from a serene shoreline of colors, you can choose loud fabrics to amplify your indie vibes. Trellis, tie-dye, and Aztec are all vivid designs to bring in for a more visually intense, vintage feel. Fluff up a white couch with a mix of ikat and mandala throw pillows in navy and aqua, or drape white cotton sheets with a tropical leaf-patterned duvet.

Displaying handmade, tactile decor is foundational to both bohemian and coastal styles, so it’s the perfect way to bring them together. A flat-weave rug in jute, sisal, or bamboo is ideal for this global beach style, especially when it’s layered with another woolen rug.

Other woven accents, like a swinging chair, seagrass basket, or macramé wall hanging, help to inspire daydreams of sandy faraway places. Create your own nomadic surfer style with a fringed pendant light, rattan headboard, or the knotted detailing of a chunky knit pouf.

Bring in wooden furniture and decor for more natural materials. Daybeds, caned sideboards, blanket ladders, and antique trunks are all pieces that marry Moroccan and island themes with lots of character. They can also all be loaded up with bohemian or coastal accents, like tasseled throws, to add to your look.

For your big-ticket items, such as a dresser or coffee table, look for reclaimed, patinaed woods that speak to the eclecticism of global beach decor.

Capture the wild heart of bohemian and coastal styles with fresh, lively flora. Whether your greenery is hanging in a wicker planter or nestled in a glass terrarium, it will look natural among your combined coastal and bohemian decor.

Hand-painted pots are even better, especially with nautical stripes or floral medallions. Palms, ferns, and snake plants are all exotic, hardy plants that could withstand a stormy dune or steamy jungle. Fill your home with lots of these leafy friends for vacation vibes.