Add Some Spice To Your Home Decor With Southwestern Style Decorating

In the 1980s, a Southwestern decor craze swept the United States, bringing the look of this unique slice of the American frontier into homes from Oregon to Maine and beyond. While the howling pink coyote that characterized that trend has since been relegated to the dustbin of design history, an updated, sophisticated look that combines unique ethnic and cultural elements with a more contemporary decor approach has emerged as a more refined alternative for lovers of Southwest style.

Across the board, the kitschy interpretation of regional trends that characterized home design in past years has been discarded in favor of a more subtle evocation of the unique attributes that make places like the Southwest so irresistible.

Gone are the chili lights and cow skulls that represented clumsy attempts at Southwestern decor in the past. Today’s sophisticated alternative combines contemporary and transitional furniture and design elements with a subtle Southwestern palette and unique, understated ethnic touches.

Shimmering shades of light teals and turquoises, coral, terra cotta and adobe-inspired tans provide the backdrop for eclectic furniture with distressed finishes and primitive details. Bold accent colors drawn from the dramatic natural palette of the desert Southwest are also important.

Art, accessories, and accents bring a lively sense of place to Southwestern interiors. Paintings, pottery, and sculptures featuring Hispanic or Native American themes and subjects are common, as are indigenous pottery and artifacts.

Roughly textured fabrics and textiles also provide a level of heightened authenticity in this decor style. Architectural details that mirror those found in many traditional Southwestern dwellings, such as arches, kiva fireplaces, and plastered walls, can also help complete this look.

Window treatments should be minimal, drawing on natural materials or regional textiles whenever possible. Whether you want to honor your Southwestern heritage or you just crave a little extra spice in your life, Southwestern decor presents an easy-to-achieve alternative to ho-hum interiors.

By: Matt Trostle -  Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Matt creates articles for GreatPricedFurniture.com North Carolina’s largest online furniture store. Offering premium furniture including a large selection of bedroom furniture

New Southwest Table Runner Ideas For Your Home Decor 

Southwest table runners can bring life to your home decor. Do not settle for placing them on a table somewhere.

Southwest Rustic Decor | Mission Del Rey Southwest

Spring is here and it is time to get your new southwest rustic decor to welcome your guests.

Native American Prayer Fans Used in Your Home Decor

Painted feathers make a very unique style for your soutwestern decor. 

Southwest Rocking Chairs | Southwest Furniture & Decor

Great Southwest Furniture Design creates one of the most beautiful rocking chairs around. 

Hand Carved Southwest Blanket Chests | Southwest Furniture & Decor 

Another element of Great Southwest Furniture Design are our custom hand carved Southwestern style blanket chests. 

Southwest Leather Furniture

Typically, people assume that a Southwestern style of decorating only belongs in the Southwest homes of New Mexico, Arizona, and maybe California, [...]

Technorati Tags: southwestern decorating, southwestern design upholstery fabric, southwestern designs, southwestern fabric, southwestern pottery, southwestern rugs, southwestern window treatments

Tags: southwestern decorating, southwestern design upholstery fabric, southwestern designs, southwestern fabric, southwestern pottery, southwestern rugs, southwestern window treatments