The term boho or bohemian was originally used to refer to the Roma gypsies, who had a very earthy and carefree life. The word “bohemian” immediately brings to mind bright colours, fringes, danglers, funky accessories, and bold patterns.
Boho interior decor is when you deck up your house in this non-conformist way, with lots of layers, knick-knacks, and colourful elements. The whole style is very artsy and eclectic. Although boho houses look great from a distance, there are specific problems in maintaining this decor style for the long term.
This is why designers are a little apprehensive about using this style for homes.
10 Reasons Why Designers Don’t Like Boho Anymore
There are a few very practical reasons not to choose the boho style for your home decor. Let’s check those out.
1. It Can Be Messy
Boho styles thrive on layering, eccentric decor pieces, wall hangings, cluttered furniture, and other such artistic tastes. All these elements combined can turn out to be quite messy for a home. After all, your living space should be equipped to support your daily activities without getting in your way.
It is also a pain to clean boho spaces as there is generally a combination of different materials, fabrics, and furniture pieces. From macrame hangings to mirrored room separators, these may sound very attractive but can be tough to maintain over time.
2. It Is Definitely Expensive!
Designing a home is anyway an expensive affair. If you choose the boho style, you have to add a lot of elements to make the look work. That includes wicker, hemp, macrame, ethnic prints, organic fabrics, and so on.
These can push up your budget and make the design work very expensive. After all, you need the right colours, materials, and art pieces to create the right design. This can be a nightmare for designers working on a schedule and a tight budget.
3. People Often Don’t Understand It
Hotels and cafes work on aesthetics alone, but homes need to be comfortable and cosy. While boho designs look very comfortable from far, more often than not they are inconvenient to live in. That’s why people don’t often understand why someone would choose to have such a design scheme for their house.
The goal of a designer is to decorate the house in a way that residents can connect to it. What’s the point if people just don’t get the logic behind the design?
4. Matching All the Elements Can Be a Pain
By now you know that bohemian houses have a lot of elements that must work in harmony with one another. The crazy, fun style calls for bright colours, bold wall hangings, unique furniture pieces, and earthy decor.
Now matching all these elements to create a unified style is a big and painful task. The material costs also run high, which may lead you to choose the second-best alternative to the element you envisioned. This may ruin the entire vibe and make the place look overwhelming and loud.
5. Boho Is No Longer Trendy!
There was a time when boho chic was a very popular trend. From interior design to clothing choices, bohemian style ruled all markets. But sadly, that time has almost passed. Boho is not as cool as it once was.
In fact, people often consider boho to be pretentious and offputting. To prevent that from happening, your boho design must be blended perfectly with practicality and worldliness. Design experts agree that boho is facing a decrease in popularity and thus are trying to phase it out slowly.
6. Everyone’s Moving to Minimalism
Where once a large number of people preferred layers and quirky designs, the trend has now shifted to minimalism. After the pandemic, people have started spending more time at home and realised the importance of having fewer loose pieces around the house.
Designs have now become more realistic, minimal, and functionary. This opens up more space in the house and lets people plan activities inside the house without too much space being taken up by aesthetics.
7. It’s Just Too Much!
No matter which side of this argument you’re on, you cannot deny that the whole boho vibe is a bit too much. It takes more time and money to be created and maintained. Adding bohemian art pieces and elements like extra pillows, quilts, wall decor, hammocks, etc. just add to your cleaning woes.
You also keep stumbling over stuff in your house. It is especially a nightmare if you have kids or pets in the house. Decorating a boho house can be a lot of fun, but keeping it clean and pretty is a whole other story!
8. Your House Looks Cluttered
There is no end to the clutter in the bohemian style of interior decor. If you go out and out boho, you have to add small furniture and art pieces around the house to make it seem thematically eclectic and quirky.
This leads to a cluttered look in the whole house. Often, things that look good on pen and paper end up looking gaudy in reality. This is a very real fear of designers when they are working on boho elements.
9. It’s Just Too Casual for Some
Mixing different details, textures, and fabrics makes the space feel casual and relaxing. But does everyone want that vibe at home? Boho can be too casual for people who want their houses to be neat, utilitarian, and polished.
Other designs look more put-together and organised, compared to the boho style of interior decor. And even though this is just a matter of preference, you will find that more people lean towards classy than bohemian.
10. It’s Simply Not Practical
This is basically a summation of all the above points. To say that boho designs are not practical is an understatement. They are tough to assemble, tougher to clean, and a nightmare to maintain over time.
One bohemian space at home is still manageable, but to have the whole house look bold and nomadic is probably not a good idea unless you can invest a significant amount of your time in the upkeep of your home.
Bohemian houses look great in movies and pictures, but designers will tell you how terrible they are in real life. And even if you keep the design perspective aside, the fact remains that homeowners are now not too keen on eccentric designs that just add more tasks to their chores list.
That’s partly the reason for an unfavourable attitude towards boho style by experts in the interior decor industry. You can still go for a boho design if that’s your thing, or choose any other scheme that would suit your taste. Contact HomeLane for personalised help with your home decor needs so you can make the right decision.
