Bohemian interiors have always garnered admiration for their easy display of color, culture, and comfort. As of late, such rooms are actually being redesigned in various ‘flavors,’ or extensions of the first. Two essential extensions of Bohemian aesthetics include Boho Chic and Boho Coastal. While these new extensions of Bohemian decor exhibit a free-spirited core with creativity and natural beauty, they are different in certain aspects of mood, color palette, and materials. Knowing the differences allows you to design a home that displays who you are—and even choose seashore boho wall art, bohemian wall art, boho wall decor, or bohemian artwork.
So what differentiates Boho Chic from Boho Coastal? Let’s take a moment to review how these two styles can express the inspiration of bohemian decor through their materials, colors, textures, and artistic details.
The Nature of Boho Chic
Boho chic is an elevated, sophisticated take on the standard bohemian style. It embraces individuality and wanderlust but also softens it with refinement. You can consider it boho with a designer spin—where earthy textures and metallic accents coexist, and layered textiles are paired with thoughtfully displayed art.
The center of boho chic is balance. It is free yet sophisticated, eclectic yet cohesive. This style encourages experimentation while still feeling elegant. The key comes from creating spaces that feel relaxed but stylish, blending a vintage feel with a modern aesthetic.
The Nature of Boho Coastal
In contrast, Boho Coastal combines the laid-back, curated vibe of boho with the airy, sun-bleached feel of coastal living. Think of an airy beach house decorated with driftwood, woven textures, and shades evoking water! Boho coastal interiors promote simplicity and calmness, with every element feeling light, organic, and effortless.
The style is suited to open spaces, natural light, and materials that reference the coast—you’ll find bleached woods, rattan, linen, or hemp. While Boho Chic can be a bit excessive, Boho Coastal prides itself on restraint and tranquility. It’s about allowing for the space to breathe while still layering all the warmth and soul of true bohemian design.
Color Schemes: Earthy Warmth vs. Breezy Coolness
Color schemes are often the most apparent difference between Boho Chic and Boho Coastal interiors.
Rooms based on boho chic will lean toward a deeper warm color scheme reflecting earthy warmth, with colors such as terracotta, mustard, rust, dark olive green, deep plum, and gold. The effect is a warm, inviting, earthy feel that can support touches of glamour, either with metallics or the use of jewel tones. Boho wall art decor with an abstract design, or boho paintings using deeper expressive colors, contrasts nicely against these rich colors.
Boho Coastal, on the other hand, typically leans toward a lighter, more airy color scheme. We tend to use soft whites, soft creams, sandy neutral colors, and soft pastel blue colors, sometimes with seafoam green or coral as an accent. This color scheme makes you feel calm and fresh in your coastal escape home. Boho abstract wall art using softer, muted colors, or naturals like fine fair-weathered woven fiber wall hanging pieces, can add texture while still maintaining the calm, serene feel of your coastal home.
So while Boho Chic is warmer, earthier, and richer than Boho Coastal, which is cool, airy, and understated, both styles are beautiful, and they are worlds apart in terms of atmosphere at home.
Materials and Textures: Luxe Versus Laid-Back
One of the most obvious distinctions between these two camps can be found in their material emphasis.
Boho chic interiors often showcase a variety of plush textiles with natural materials. Velvet cushions, embroidered throws, leather pouffes, and Moroccan rugs communicate a comfortable sense of luxury. Metallic accents, such as brass lamps, gold-framed mirrors, or copper planters, add an extra hint of indulgence. Here, boho chic wall decor and bohemian wall decor include framed boho paintings, woven tapestries, and textured boho wall art that help to give charm and personality to the space.
Boho Coastal has an emphasis on light, breathable, and organic materials. Thus, linen, cotton, jute, rattan, and driftwood take a more prominent place. Rather than communicating an intentionally carefree and luxurious lifestyle, these materials communicate the ease of beachside living. You’ll find sheer curtains that billow in the breeze instead of heavy fabric, which weighs down the atmosphere, and wicker furniture that has a sense of timelessness anchored in a shallow flow of time. Natural fiber rugs can be grounded in the space instead of plush, luxurious upholstery. Wall accents include boho wall hanging decor, such as macramé weaves, woven baskets, or driftwood art, that give tactile interest with this particular palette.
Arrangement and Feel: Eclectic Layers vs. Open Flow.
Another important difference is the layout of the rooms and how they spatially feel.
Boho chic rooms create a feeling of being rich and layered. The arrangement may have a mix of statement furniture, vintage pieces, and things collected over time. It maintains a sense of curated chaos—everything feels intentionally placed and yet casual. The overall goal is to create layers of story through texture, pattern, and personal items. Walls can play an important role in this, often adorned with boho artwork, bohemian wall art decor, or boho abstract wall art framed art that ties it all together with the colors and materials.
Boho Coastal values flow and openness. There is usually minimal decor and a more airy arrangement with plenty of natural light. Instead of clustering, the focus is on a sense of calm. The wall decor is often more subtle, with boho wall art decor inspired by nature. Think soft watercolor colors, coastal abstracts, or boho wall hanging pieces that evoke the rhythm of waves.
In summary, Boho Chic invites you to dive into layered textures and expressions; Boho Coastal invites you to breathe, relax, and experience the lightness of the ocean breeze.
Objects and Accents: Treasures with Intentions vs. Serene Simplicity by the Sea
In decorative accents, both styles embrace individuality—just in absolutely different ways.
A boho chic home is likely to be "decorated" with collected, curated, and developed treasures that were collected during travel adventures, such as brass lanterns, patterned cushions, vintage stoneware pottery, or beaded lampshades. There is sometimes an appreciation of the art of craftsmanship and a global feel. In that sense, boho wall art is sometimes a form of art, statement, or presentation in an otherwise more modern setting. Think bohemian-style prints with mandala prints or textured canvases, or boho abstract vibrant wall art that expresses emotion through color and shape.
Boho coastal decor accents, on the other hand, are often unassuming and inspired by the ocean and coastal region. Shells in glass containers, growing coral sculptures, ceramic vases, or woven baskets can be unassuming decorative details on a side table, mantel, or bookshelf. The wall art might show framed art prints of beaches or ocean life, neutral boho wall art, or minimalist boho wall hangings made from rope or driftwood. Boho coastal decor creates a calm, harmonious, cohesive feel that feels new but also classic in a modern bohemian chic environment.
Lighting and Atmosphere
Lighting is key to establishing the mood for every style.
For boho chic lighting, the feel is warm and ambient. I envision vintage chandeliers, fairy lights, Moroccan lanterns, or rattan pendants that create lovely shadows. These lighting elements deepen the cosiness of a layered environment. When a piece of boho or bohemian artwork is hung in the room, it adds further character, depth, and artful narrative.
The lighting for Boho Coastal is more natural and subdued. Large windows, sheer drapes, and soft pendant lighting create a light, airy feel retained with light. Lamps made with whitewashed wood or woven materials add subtle warmth without disrupting the light, airy feel, and so the light becomes an element of the decor, just like in a coastal escape.
How Wall Art Complements Each Look
Whether you prefer Boho Chic or Boho Coastal, boho wall art is often the heart of the look! Wall art not only decorates a space—it establishes the mood, palette, and personality of your interior.
In Boho Chic spaces, choose art that feels rich and expressive. Boho paintings with abstract shapes, earthy tones, or global inspiration would be beautiful. Trench-framed boho wall art decor is the perfect complement and feel for your place—woven hangings, mirrors, or photographs allow for a gallery style that will feel eclectic and personal. You could also add boho abstract wall art with metallic accents to give a polished, modern look!
In Boho Coastal spaces, choose lighter and more natural pieces. Boho wall hangings in macramé, driftwood, or raffia will create some organic warmth but won't add clutter. Minimalist bohemian artwork, with oceanic hues or soft brush strokes, will accentuate the room’s airy charm! The idea is to reflect the calm rhythm of coastal life through simplicity and texture!
Combining the Two Styles
Design, of course, is about more than just boundaries—there’s nothing wrong with combining Boho Chic and Boho Coastal elements, creating your own personal style. For instance, you could create a light coastal base with white walls and linen upholstered furniture and rattan furniture, then add boho chic elements, such as mid-century bohemian wall decorations, textiles, and/or vintage bohemian art. If your room feels a little heavy with darker surfaces and accents, you could install boho wall hanging pieces or boho abstract wall art to lighten up the space, adding in coastal softness.
The key is finding a visual balance in your space—the warmth and personality of Boho Chic mixed with the calming, soft, and clean light tones of Boho Coastal.
In Conclusion
Boho chic interiors and boho coastal interiors are both the fundamentals of bohemian design—a sense of creative expression, individualism, and organic beauty—but they express that in slightly different ways. Boho Chic is more about richness, layering, and artistic depth, while Boho Coastal is about simplicity, lightness, and a deep connection to our natural surroundings.
It basically comes down to how you want your space to feel. Do you love the cozy embrace of a richly layered, globally inspired retreat? Or do you feel most at peace with the light and sun-washed sense of your seaside sanctuary?
No matter which feels more you, your boho wall art, bohemian artwork, and boho wall hanging pieces will be the defining accents that create a truly meaningful impression of who you are, either through the polished vibrance of Boho Chic or the free-flowing calm of Boho Coastal.
