Boho Decor from the Thrift Store

Boho Decor from the Thrift Store

Boho decor (or Bohemian style decor) is hot and trendy right now. From bright colors to purposeful clutter (or maximalism), it feels, in many ways, to be a direct response to the neutral, pale palette of modern farmhouse. In this “Thrift the Look” challenge, my blogging friends and I decided to take on boho room decor, and I am SO EXCITED to share it with you.

Unlike previous Thrift the Look challenges, the Creative Vintage Darlings (as we’re known on Facebook) each selected a different photo of Boho decor to replicate using thrift store finds and minimal DIY/upcycling.

I selected a gorgeous vignette by Justina Blakeney, who is the Bohemian decorating goddess behind The Jungalow.

Boho decor and bohemian style as inspired by Jungalow and Justina Blakeney

To recreate this vignette, I mentally divided the items that I could thrift and/or the items that I would upcycle.

Over the course of a few months, I collected thrift store finds such as a flower pot / vase, some natural stone elements, a wall basket, and something “green”.

Thrift Store finds for boho room decor and bohemian style decor

Why something green? Because I wasn’t about to invest a lot of money in houseplants that I would inevitably fail to keep alive.

And houseplants are a HUGE element of boho decor…so my touches of green would need to come from other objects.

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Getting the Look of Boho Decor with Thrift Store Finds

Now onto some upcycling the fill in the gaps. I didn’t actually have a wonderful old cabinet filled with folded blankets and quilts, as shown in the inspiration photo. So, I decided to combine the stack of books with the folded blankets.

First, I thrifted some vintage encyclopedias…

Upcycling ideas for old books or encyclopedia from the thrift store for boho decor

I painted each cover and spine in bright colors – nothing fancy, about two coats of paint each.

A variety of colors was used to symbolize the fabrics in the cabinet. I have a LOT of latex paint samples from previous projects or the “Oops” bin, and they were perfect for this.

Decorative books for boho room decor with vintage books from the thrift store

They were well on their way to becoming decorative books for boho decor!

Because they’d be stacked together, spines forward, I decided to decorate them using recycled ribbon made from old Saris! (I got these on Etsy.)

Sari ribbon from recycled sari fabric to create the boho room decor and bohemian style decor

Coordinating ribbon swatches were decoupaged on the spines and that was it!

Now I had a stack of decorative books that were perfect my boho room decor.

Decorative books with bohemian design

Ready to see how I put everything together in my Thrift the Look photo?

Boho Decor with Upcycling Ideas and Thrift Store Finds

With the photo from The Jungalow in your mind, here is my take on Ms. Blakeney’s version of boho room decor.

Upcycling ideas for Boho room decor with thrift store decor

What do you think? Did I come close to replicating her Bohemian style decor with my thrifted and upcycled version?

Thrift store decor for a boho style home

I will be 100% honest with you – I am positively THRILLED with this challenge and have been officially bitten by the Boho bug. So, expect to see more boho room decor upcycling projects from me in the future.

If you look closely, there’s another Boho upcycling project lurking in my photos…and you can check it out here!

*****

And of course, make sure you visit the other bloggers who are thrifting their own boho room decor vignettes. Just click on their blog name(s) to be magically transported to their blog posts.

Boho Decor or Modern Bohemian Style by the Creative Vintage Darlings

Sadie Seasongoods | Vin’yet, Etc. | One House, 2 Barns

Boho Room Decor or Gypsy Decor by the Creative Vintage Darlings

Itsy Bits and Pieces | Lora B. Create & Ponder | Audrey Would

*****

How about a final side-by-side comparison before I wrap this up? I really did have the most fun with these boho decor ideas.

Boho Decor by The Jungalow and a version with thrift store decor

If you enjoyed this post about finding modern bohemian decor at the thrift store, then you’ll love my idea for basket wall decor with Bohemian design!

Basket wall decor with Bohemian design

Craft on!

S

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Bohemian style home with thrift store decor

Boho Decor Ideas by thrift shopping and repurposing projects

Upcycling idea for thrift store books with bohemian style

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Sarah Ramberg is the owner of Sadie Seasongoods, a website that celebrates all things secondhand. From upcycling ideas and thrifted decor to vintage-centric travel itineraries, Sadie Seasongoods is a one-stop shop for anyone who loves thrifting and approachable repurposing ideas. Sarah is also the author of “Crafting with Flannel” and has been featured in numerous media outlets and magazines.

Comments

  1. Maggie Martin says

    Sadie!! BOHO rules and so do you! But, what do you mean “…no folded quilts…”. My dear, do you own a sewing machine? They are quite easy to make small just for display and you can sometimes luck out and thrift some, try it, scrappy quilts are sooooo BOHO.
    Keep on keepin on!

    Maggie

    • Sadie Seasongoods says

      LOL I have an entire sewing project collection, although they are very simple projects: . I should have specified that the quilts that I *do* have (which is 1 or 2) are pale pastel colors, more shabby chic than exotic Boho. Besides, I’m happier with the books instead!

  2. Nailed it!!! Great JOB.

  3. Your look is fabulous! I adore that lion cookie jar. And love that you didn’t have to murder any living plants for the look 🙂 The book idea is so creative!

    • Sadie Seasongoods says

      Thank you!!! He was a fun find for sure…and covered both a green element and the face planter in the inspo pic.

  4. I love it! You did such a great job recreating Justina’s boho look!

  5. I absolutely love this, Sarah! You captured this so well…and that Lion!! This was such a fun challenge! Thanks for all you have done to make it happen!

  6. You nailed it! Love Love Love this. So tired of farmhouse everything!

    • Sadie Seasongoods says

      I really think the popularity of Boho is a direct result of the stark farmhouse stuff that is EVERYWHERE!

  7. I would have never thought of painting a book! When it’s not a vintage first edition, why not!

    • Sadie Seasongoods says

      Thanks!! 99% of my vintage books are untouchable – I love their original look. But these old encyclopedias were ideal for a makeover.

  8. I think it looks absolutely amazing! The wall basket is my favorite piece, followed by your colorful book makeover!

  9. Love it, Sarah! I like your version better with those awesome books! Who would have ever thought to paint books and cover them with a beautiful scarf? Love it! This was indeed a fun one! And I do like the everyone-pick-your-own version of the theme; so much variety to sample…like a buffet!

  10. Those fabric books are GENIUS!

  11. You are giftedly talented Sarah! Honestly, who thinks to colour-coordinate books the way you did? I love how you tackled the green in lieu of plants piece…I went with faux in mine because the real deal wouldn’t last in my home either!! Thank you so much for all your hard work on this challenge. I loved it!!

  12. You did an incredible job replicating the look! While my style is more European Country Cottage meets vintage Americana, I adore color in my decor! I love finding vintage books in colors that work in my home at thrift stores, but I never thought about painting the covers and embellishing with ribbon! What a fun project!

    • Sadie Seasongoods says

      Thank you so much, Vicki!! I love vintage books, too, and most can be left alone as-is. But the ones with plain covers or encyclopedias like I used are just ideal for a colorful makeover. 🙂

  13. Oh my goodness! I love this! You snagged some real treasures and those books are awesome! This was so fun, I can’t wait for the next one!

  14. I love how you copied–and improved upon–the Boho look. I am another one who loves color and I mentally add pops of color to every farmhouse picture I see! I loved Vicki’s phrase “European country cottage meets vintage Americana”. I think that describes the look I would love to emulate! My brightest colors are still in my clothing,summer jewelry, colored glass, and flowers. The Boho look is too reminiscent of hippy stuff which never was my thing to start with. But I love the colors and textures! Love-hate relationship?

  15. You wrote the book on thrifted boho chic! Love. The. Books!

  16. Totally nailed it! Hers is pretty sweet but pssst I like yours better!

  17. I love every bit of it! But that lion though— he is perfect!!

  18. acraftymix says

    I just knew there was a wild, beautiful, boho gypsy soul inside of you Sarah. You’re amazing. Love how you thrifted the look. Yay for bright beautiful colors and keepsakes with meaning.

  19. Stephanie S. says

    Sadie what finds you found and I love the lion. Your book painting is fantastic idea. Great job. I have been adding some pop to my living room. Having a hard time deciding on paint. So tried of white walls.

    • Sadie Seasongoods says

      I think a lot of us are tired of all the neutrals associated with farmhouse decor (or just blandness on walls and decor in general)!! Thank you so much!

  20. teri denman says

    Doesn’t this scream Rhoda all over it?? (OK, I’m showing my age!) Is it OK for me to say I actually like your Boho better? Actually, I should say it appeals to my tastes better. Not the pale farmhouse fan, but I do love this pop of color! I didn’t know “purposeful clutter” was even a thing! my MIL would LOVE to know she’s been hip with a Boho style all these years! Love it, Sadie!

  21. Oh my stars!!!!! This is amazing – painted books!! WHY have I never thought to do that before? That is brilliant and has opened a whole new plethora of opportunities! I can’t wait to see your next diy, I think I saw it and again my friend your brilliant mind makes me very HAPPY!!!!

  22. What a gorgeous setup! I LOVE what you did with the books! Gonna check out that Etsy site, too, I’m curious about that ribbon. I think I know the next BOHO post…is it ok to guess?

  23. Wow! Boho would be a hard one for me but you did it!!! I love that someone has finally figured out how to repurpose old encyclopedias… there must be millions of them on this planet right now! Great job!

  24. Fabulous, fantastic, flippin’ awesome! Very cool. 🙂

  25. I’m a big fan of BoHo decor. It remind me of my home growing up in Hong Kong in the 70’s and 80’s all that macrame, tropical plants and bamboo furniture. My mum was a big crafter too. I find peoples houses with BoHo decor really interesting.

  26. Gilmer Gal says

    I am pretty much over the country/cottage look. I’ve loved boho forever, but have just recently begun to make the daring change. So, yes! More boho, and thanks for the other blog links!

    • Sadie Seasongoods says

      Thanks, Tracy! I’m not giving up completely on cottage or farmhouse yet, but Boho is SUCH a breath of fresh air. And it feels especially appropriate as summer settles in, doesn’t it?

  27. Cheryl Atkinson says

    Hi there! First time on your blog and you are a keeper. I am now subscribed. I love what you did to the books. Anyone can paint a book but you added the Boho details and i love it! Thank you for the inspiration!

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