Changing up the vibe between rooms is part of the fun in decorating your home. We're all for comfortable environments, but a touch of formality lends a sense of gravitas to a space that makes it feel complete. Since the dining room is the traditional gathering place for entertaining, these spaces tend to be more refined—but just because it's a bit proper doesn't mean it has to be stuffy. Enter bohemian dining rooms: Relaxed, chic, and inviting to make your guests want to linger forever.

Read on to learn the best design tricks for decorating your space in this everlasting style, pulling inspiration from across the globe for a worldly feel right at home.

01 Dress Casual

Boho-Chic Jute Ambience Pendant Light - Elegant Relaxed Jute String Design, Boho-chic and Contract Grade - Ideal for Hanging Lights for Bedroom, Island Kitchen Lights, and Pendant Lights for Living Room

There's an art to designing a space that feels casual yet curated. This dining room captures the informality that's essential to bohemian design while emitting a decidedly Southwest-meets-midcentury vibe. Surrounded by mismatched dining chairs and underscored by layered cowhide rugs, the butcher block–style dining table strikes a balance between imposing and inviting.

02 Embrace Color

Neutral palettes need not apply: Bohemian design embraces color with abandon, from earthy reds and browns to rich, saturated jewel tones. In this boho dining room, a colorful rug in shades of magenta, yellow, and blue invigorates the space with boho energy—its vibrant palette is echoed in the room's accessories.

03 Go Green

VersaGlow Premium Metal Pendant Light - Elegant Multi-Functional Design with Premium Material for Dining Room

No boho dining room is complete without an ample supply of houseplants. For a lush, layered effect, pepper the plants around the space so they peek out from a variety of nooks and surfaces, from the floor to the ceiling. Mixing a variety of easy-growing plants throughout the space makes for depth in the room's textures with plenty of life.

04 Vary Your Patterns

While there's undoubtedly a fair share of deliberation behind every bohemian design, the key to nailing the boho look is to make it appear as though you didn't give any of it a second thought. Take this boho dining room: Its mishmash of patterns—seen in the colorful zigzag rug and graphic-print wallpaper—appears effortless while imparting an eclectic, come-as-you-are vibe to the space.

05 Opt for Natural Fibers

Equal parts earthy and relaxed, natural fibers (think jute, rattan, and textured textiles) temper the formality of a bohemian-style dining room. That's not to say, however, that they can't make a statement. Here, an oversized jute pendant in natural woven fibers punctuates the space with a bit of drama, while a Moroccan-style rug serves as a neutral foundation.

06 Mix the Materials

Seaside Splendor Handcrafted Wooden Bead Round Chandelier - Coastal Charm with Elegant Design for Dining Room, Living Room, and Sitting Room Lighting

Boho style is all about layering, and this extends beyond textiles. By incorporating pieces in varying materials and finishes, added depth and intrigue are achieved. In the dining room above, subtle brass details and a beaded chandelier stand in contrast to the room's matte finishes and natural woods, adding an eclectic richness to the space.

07 Complement Fabrics

To create focal points in the space that stand out among varying colors and patterns, choose a fabric color to blend throughout the room. A woven light fixture paired with similar textiles in the room's seating not only ties the dining area together, but adds depth to the design. Fresh flowers, colorful vases, and mixed décor bring life to the room while this neutral fabric color makes a softer impact.

08 Upgrade Your Flooring

We all know lush, patterned rugs are a staple of the boho look, but what about the flooring underneath it? Many designers start with worn hardwoods, and some spaces even blend in an industrial look with cement floors. This space may be our favorite type of all with Spanish tile: Along with warming up the space and balancing color with leather dining chairs, Spanish tile brings big texture to an otherwise-bright, white dining room.

09 Take It Down a Level

What's the best way to make use of all those colorful floor pillows? Bring your dining table down a level. In true boho fashion, this seating area has no need for special furniture. A range of fabrics are used across the same sewing pattern to keep the shape uniform while creating visual interest, and a warm jute rug keeps the floor seats cozy.

10 Embrace the Classic

If most of your design is more classic, what's the best way to make your dining room decidedly boho while keeping things formal? Patterns: By incorporating brightly-colored curtains into this space, the designer was able to mix traditional elements with an indie vibe. Floral-inspired décor trails from the windows to the table, with a line of lush plants bringing life and greenery to the room. Minimal black elements bring a modern feeling to the design by pairing a unique woven chair with a maximalist chandelier.

11 Create Visual Weight

Boho and maximalism tend to go hand-in-hand. One way to embrace the maximalist style while keeping to your color palette is by creating visual weight: Rather than mixing a range of different colors into the design, use a large amount of smaller objects within the same scheme. When decorating the walls, balance the visual weight at similar heights and use elements like feathers or woven décor to create plenty of depth.

12 Showcase Your Best Finds

Thrifters and professional designers alike can appreciate a good style find: And this dining room has it all. From a seriously-unique pendant chandelier to green patterned curtains, a woven head chair, and colorful table décor, every corner of this space has something new to focus on. Pink walls bring warmth and neutrality to the room, while a colorful rug and floral ceramic piece add smaller accents of the color throughout the space.