Our boho mid-century modern living room is finally (semi) finished! This space is where we spend most of our time working or watching Netflix. I love how airy and bright the space ended up being!
The first step after we purchased our home was to paint all of the walls white (they were grey). We LOVED the coved ceilings in our 1951 home and luckily they were already white. Our hardwood floors were also newly refinished.
When I started envisioning this space I was planning on far less color and more clean lines. But, I realized I am not good at minimalism haha. This was the last space we finished, so it was fun to play off of our other rooms and add in boho and mid-century modern touches to the living room.
Furnishings and Decor | Boho Mid-century Modern Living Room
The hardest part, honestly, was finding the perfect sectional! That and the mismatched, but coordinating, throw pillows (eek). I did a lot, A LOT, of research for sectionals because 1) they are expensive and an investment 2) I really wanted something comfy but structured.
Stores I found had the best options: Interior Define, West Elm, Article, Joybird. Most of these stores are custom orders, AKA that couch is going to take a while. I ALMOST ordered from Interior Define, but just could not wait 18 weeks!
HOT TIP: I have heard that West Elm fabric PILLS! So only order leather or velvet.
West Elm came through with this coffee table that was 50% off when I snagged it! The style probably isn’t for everyone, but I love the little tray part. The other big design element you see is the rug. It’s a 100% wool rug from RugsUSA (gifted). I am a little worried about how the weaving will hold up over time, but for now, I absolutely love it!
Our boho white kitchen makeover is finally finished! Check out how we turned around a dark and dated space for under $3,500.
How it Started
When we bought our house, it had just been flipped by a management company. They did a great job but left the kitchen pretty basic. As a galley-style kitchen, it seemed small and the dark cabinets didn’t help.
We started the project around December 10, 2020, and finished on February 10, 2021. This is with us mostly working on it on the weekends! Overall it was a pretty quick turnaround.
How it looked like when we purchased it:
The Design: Boho White Kitchen Makeover
Hi! I’m Emily and I’m not an interior designer! I love design and decorating and have always been very visual. If you are really lost, I definitely recommend finding a contractor or service that will help you design your space. You don’t want to go too trendy or bold for resale!
For our white kitchen makeover, I had elements I already knew I wanted and worked from there. The very first thing we did was remove the upper cabinets on one side, which made a HUGE difference. It immediately opened up the room, and we weren’t losing too much cabinet space.
We picked a white quartz remnant because our countertop square footage was fairly small and we could get away with a remnant which is cheaper. Full disclosure, a family member gifted us the countertops, but honestly, it wasn’t that much more than laminate! Our estimate for laminate was about $1,000-$1,500 (Lowes) and quartz was $2,000. Not only is quartz a more durable surface than laminate, but it will add more value to your home. We used the company CKF in Omaha for the countertops.
For the backsplash, I picked a white hexagon tile that is classic, but a bit more interesting than a subway tile. Light grey grout helps the shape of the tile stand out more than white would. We did consider going all the way up the wall with tile, but the cost just wasn’t worth it to us. Our tile was installed by Footprints Floors in Omaha.
The finishing step was our open shelving! My dad and I went back and forth trying to decide on wood, shelf types, and brackets for a while. Ultimately we picked light wood from Menards and gold brackets from Amazon. I like how the brackets aren’t obnoxious and tie in the gold of the faucet.
The Process: Boho White Kitchen Makeover
Brandon and I are not handy. Let’s just start it off there. We decided what our limits were with DIY in the kitchen and what we would need to hire out. Here is a list of everything we knew needed to update and how we were going to do them:
*I did not include the cost of decor as I already had some of it and it is optional.
The Final Result
I am in love with how our white kitchen makeover turned out and had so much fun styling it! For the open shelving, I spent a lot of time on Pinterest figuring out how to make them look clean while still being functional. Things we don’t use as often, like glasses—we both have water bottles—I put on the upper shelves! Choosing different heights on the shelves and scattering the pink pieces really balanced it out.
Adding different types of wood, like the bowl and cutting boards, adds some warmth and texture to the space since it’s all white! My plants and rug also give the space that little touch of boho cozy that it needed.
