Popsugar Living Bohemian How to Make a Boho-Chic Minimalist Bedroom At Home With POPSUGAR: How I Turned My Bedroom Into a Whitewashed Beach Bungalow 29 May 2020 by Chris Roney Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Chris Roney As POPSUGAR editors, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. If you buy a product we have recommended, we may receive affiliate commission, which in turn supports our work. There's a passage I love in the book Small Pleasures about how small islands and their obvious boundaries — "limited, defined, contained" — tap into a pleasing sense of control in our psyches, a remedy to how busy daily life can be. That's the appeal of minimalism to me, especially living in Brooklyn, NY: designing a space that cuts through the noise and quiets my mind. In my case, that means an open floor plan, lots of light, and decor that's intentional. Enter my simple, whitewashed bedroom. It's a room I try hard to keep tidy, as inspired by the hotel rooms I lived out of for the first two years I worked from "home" for POPSUGAR before settling down in NYC last year. I'm inspired by off-whites, earthy tones, and sea blues — all mainstays of my months-long stints in Greece. Wherever your small islands are, and whatever colour palette puts you at ease, I hope the calm of my room inspires you to carve out a peaceful space in your home, too. All-White Linens Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Chris Roney There's something about crisp hotel-white bedding that just puts me at ease. I love a more soft mattress, so I chose the all-foam Casper Original Mattress in Queen ($986, originally $1095) and all-white Casper linens. (Urban Outfitters' Ria Rattan Bed ($949) is on my wish list.) Casper Original Mattress in Queen $986 from casper.com Buy Now Ria Rattan Bed $949 from urbanoutfitters.com Buy Now Breezy Bedside Details Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Chris Roney I want my bedroom to feel light and airy, which means being sparse about furniture. I chose the chic Ria Nightstand ($199) for the look of its '70s-callback rounded edges, the bamboo tone, and the woven rattan drawer. Plus, it's nice to have some of your favourite books at arm's length. On my shelf is Small Pleasures by The School of Life, along with favourites from Donlon Books like Women by Chloe Caldwell and Crudo: A Novel by Olivia Laing. (This Ria Magazine Holder ($49) is a good match for magazine-lovers, too.) Ria Nightstand $199 from urbanoutfitters.com Buy Now Ria Magazine Holder $49 from urbanoutfitters.com Buy Now Blue Accents Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Chris Roney I'm a huge lover of Greece, so my colour palette is plucked straight out of Mykonos: pearly whites, rich blues, and more chalky natural tones: terracotta, cork, and jute included. I got these now-discontinued coasters from Anthropologie for $5 each somehow, but the home-goods store has since dropped a new iteration on the same gemstone blues with the Agate Coaster ($14). Aside from being pretty, I like the feel of the Oakmoss + Amber 8 Oz. Soy Candle ($22) from Brooklyn's own Candlefolk, because the glass jar is perfectly weighty. The vase is from Sprout Home in Williamsburg, which is taking orders by phone for curbside pick-up in New York City and Chicago. Agate Coaster $14 from anthropologie.com Buy Now Oakmoss + Amber 8 Oz. Soy Candle $22 from candlefolk.com Buy Now Boho Wall Hanging Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Chris Roney This big bohemian-style jute wall hang is the heart of the room, and it comes from Dear, Musketeer, a Tasmanian design studio on Etsy with some of the best jutes on the internet. Of what's available right now, the Jute No.1 Wall Hanging ($128), Jute No.2 Wall Hanging ($90), and Pink Ombre Wall Hanging No.1 ($73) are all gorgeous, reasonably priced, and ship worldwide. Jute No.1 Wall Hanging $128 from etsy.com Buy Now Jute No.2 Wall Hanging $90 from etsy.com Buy Now Pink Ombre Wall Hanging No.1 $73 from etsy.com Buy Now Warm Lighting Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Chris Roney Maybe you've seen Gantri all over Instagram, but the Cantilever Table Light in Sand ($98) lives up to the hype. (I was so set on these ball lights, I lived by candlelight for weeks until these bad boys shipped.) It produces a nice warm light that dims to a candle-like glow — great for setting the mood. Cantilever Table Light in Sand $98 from gantri.com Buy Now Unique Windowsill Decor Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Chris Roney Stumptown Coffee Roasters makes a mean mug, and this ceramic one doubles as a catch-all on my window sill. Stumptown rotates its mug designs, and the Have a Nice Day Mug ($12) is just as cheery. Have a Nice Day Mug $12 from stumptowncoffee.com Buy Now Fresh Flowers Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Chris Roney If ever there was a time to enjoy fresh-cut flowers, it's right now while we're spending more time at home. But with many stores still closed, options are limited. (Or, were.) Then came Venus Et Fleur with the Maison collection — real hydrangeas, gardenias, and garden roses that last a full year with no maintenance. (Yes, you read that right.) These flowers bring me so much joy. I got The Sylvie Vase With Eternity® Roses and Eternity™ Hedera Leaves in Baby Blue ($219), and it has to be the most tasteful arrangement I've ever had on my bedside table. The roses look straight out of Cinderella, for one. The upfront price is not cheap, but when you consider how incredibly long they last, it's a small price to pay for a year's worth of perfectly pristine flowers (in a matte-white porcelain vase, arranged by a white-glove floral designer). I'm already eyeing the Fleura Vase With Mixed Eternity™ Flowers in Lavender ($489) for my mom's birthday. The Sylvie Vase With Eternity® Roses and Eternity™ Hedera Leaves in Baby Blue $219 from venusetfleur.com Buy Now Fleura Vase With Mixed Eternity™ Flowers in Lavender $489 from venusetfleur.com Buy Now A Large Mirror Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Chris Roney Mirrors can be pricey, but nothing opens up a space quite like an extra-large one. This Infinity Brass Round Wall Mirror 48" ($399) from CB2 used to hang in my friend Garrett's hair studio. Now it has a second act on my bedroom wall, bouncing light everywhere. Above it hangs the cotton net tote I used to lug to the beach every day back in Mykonos: the Anthropologie Filt French Market Tote Bag ($20). Infinity Brass Round Wall Mirror 48" $399 from cb2.com Buy Now Anthropologie Filt French Market Tote Bag $20 from anthropologie.com Buy Now Meaningful Art Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Chris Roney This original art is by the British artist-designer Patrick Church, who POPSUGAR sat down with in February. I love Patrick's use of colour, and it's the blue that sold me on this one. The Right Room Scent Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Chris Roney I know direct sunlight isn't the best for fragrances, but it is nice to have them out. I use the musky P.F. Candle Co. Room Spray in Teakwood + Tobacco ($18) to give my linens a fresh feel after I make my bed. On myself, I spray Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male Eau de Toilette Spray most days, or Jo Malone Velvet Rose & Oud Cologne Intense for something sweet. P.F. Candle Co. Room Spray in Teakwood + Tobacco $18 from urbanoutfitters.com Buy Now Dried Florals Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Chris Roney This wall came with a nice sturdy hook, so I put it to use with this dried palm frond from Sprout Home that reminds me of the beach. West Elm sells dried and preserved florals like the Dried Green Palm Leaf Stem Bunch ($25), as does Anthropologie with florals like the Bleached Areca Palm Leaf ($48) and my favourite, the Dried Coconut Palm Fronds ($68). Dried Green Palm Leaf Stem Bunch $25 from westelm.com Buy Now Bleached Areca Palm Leaf $48 from anthropologie.com Buy Now Dried Coconut Palm Fronds $68 from anthropologie.com Buy Now Plants Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Chris Roney The Urban Outfitters Rattan Plant Stand ($129) was my first buy for this apartment, so the fact that it matches the bedside tables perfectly is no accident. The butterfly brass fixtures also match the trim on the mirror and the hand-distressed CB2 Sahara Brass Planter ($50). Urban Outfitters Rattan Plant Stand $129 from urbanoutfitters.com Buy Now CB2 Sahara Brass Planter $50 from cb2.com Buy Now BohemianAt Home With POPSUGARHome DecoratingSmall Space LivingInterior DesignBedroomsDecor InspirationApartments