Decorating Guides
Decorating Styles
So Your Style Is: Southwestern
Does the singular beauty of the American desert speak to you? If so, Southwestern design style may be ideal for your home
What it is: Southwestern style evokes the beauty and romance of desert landscapes and the Old West. It blends old with new, rugged with refined and earthy with fanciful to create a style with unmistakable energy and warmth.
Why it works: Perhaps more than any other style, the Southwestern look immediately conveys a visceral sense of place. Its overt vibrancy and welcoming aura draws us in and transports us. It's a style of contradictions and complements, as dramatic as the contrast between a sun-scorched mesa and a snow-capped mountain peak.
You'll love it if ... You have a pair of cowgirl boots for every outfit. You dry homegrown chile peppers and make your own mole. Your screen saver is a shot of Arches National Park. You not so secretly love spaghetti westerns. Cacti are the only plants you can keep alive.
Why it works: Perhaps more than any other style, the Southwestern look immediately conveys a visceral sense of place. Its overt vibrancy and welcoming aura draws us in and transports us. It's a style of contradictions and complements, as dramatic as the contrast between a sun-scorched mesa and a snow-capped mountain peak.
You'll love it if ... You have a pair of cowgirl boots for every outfit. You dry homegrown chile peppers and make your own mole. Your screen saver is a shot of Arches National Park. You not so secretly love spaghetti westerns. Cacti are the only plants you can keep alive.
Style Secret: Sturdy Furnishings
Southwestern furnishings have solid (even chunky) profiles and a rugged sensibility. Mix and match pieces crafted from craggy wood, patinated iron and tin, and woven branches and grasses. Painted furniture suits this style as well, especially when it bears sanded edges or a distressed texture. For upholstered furnishings, choose natural, durable materials such as leather, cotton and burlap.
But remember ... Too many heavy elements can make a room feel leaden. Balance thick-bodied furniture with spindlier pieces to lighten the visual weight. Try a skinny cocktail table or two, a slim chair or a spare shelving unit.
Southwestern furnishings have solid (even chunky) profiles and a rugged sensibility. Mix and match pieces crafted from craggy wood, patinated iron and tin, and woven branches and grasses. Painted furniture suits this style as well, especially when it bears sanded edges or a distressed texture. For upholstered furnishings, choose natural, durable materials such as leather, cotton and burlap.
But remember ... Too many heavy elements can make a room feel leaden. Balance thick-bodied furniture with spindlier pieces to lighten the visual weight. Try a skinny cocktail table or two, a slim chair or a spare shelving unit.
Style Secret: Rustic Wood
Natural wood anchors Southwestern design, from traditional wooden ceilings, beams and columns to furniture and decorative accents. Hand-scraped or distressed finishes and a weathered patina suggest the rugged origins of the Southwestern aesthetic.
But remember ... Wood tones should be warm and resonant. Very pale woods such as maple, or too many dark specimens such as walnut, feel wrong for this style. Mixing painted and natural wood finishes is fine, but keep paint colors strong — too much white or cream will read more as cottage than Southwestern.
Natural wood anchors Southwestern design, from traditional wooden ceilings, beams and columns to furniture and decorative accents. Hand-scraped or distressed finishes and a weathered patina suggest the rugged origins of the Southwestern aesthetic.
But remember ... Wood tones should be warm and resonant. Very pale woods such as maple, or too many dark specimens such as walnut, feel wrong for this style. Mixing painted and natural wood finishes is fine, but keep paint colors strong — too much white or cream will read more as cottage than Southwestern.
Style Secret: Curved Lines
Southwestern decor goes easy on harsh angles in favor of gentle curves. Arched door openings, rounded corner fireplaces and sloping walls give Southwestern spaces a sense of softness and fluidity. Even corners, such as those on this kitchen range hood, are blunted and honed down.
But remember ... Curvy doesn't mean swirly. Rounded elements have strong profiles and unbroken lines rather than intricate curlicues and undulating swoops. The one exception? Scrolled metalwork, which works nicely with the aesthetic.
Southwestern decor goes easy on harsh angles in favor of gentle curves. Arched door openings, rounded corner fireplaces and sloping walls give Southwestern spaces a sense of softness and fluidity. Even corners, such as those on this kitchen range hood, are blunted and honed down.
But remember ... Curvy doesn't mean swirly. Rounded elements have strong profiles and unbroken lines rather than intricate curlicues and undulating swoops. The one exception? Scrolled metalwork, which works nicely with the aesthetic.
Style Secret: Desert Chic
They might feel out of place in a coastal bungalow or traditional Tudor, but the symbols of the Southwest have a certain dignity in regionally appropriate interiors. A well-edited collection of Native American icons, animal hides or cowhand tools — such as a coiled lasso mounted as wall sculpture — can make the look feel authentic.
But remember ... Avoid kitsch. There's no need to pile walls and shelves with dreamcatchers, turquoise and silver bric-a-brac, Navajo rugs and smudge pots. The pair of longhorn skulls mounted in this space have a minimalist, sculptural quality that marries well with the simple, spare decor.
They might feel out of place in a coastal bungalow or traditional Tudor, but the symbols of the Southwest have a certain dignity in regionally appropriate interiors. A well-edited collection of Native American icons, animal hides or cowhand tools — such as a coiled lasso mounted as wall sculpture — can make the look feel authentic.
But remember ... Avoid kitsch. There's no need to pile walls and shelves with dreamcatchers, turquoise and silver bric-a-brac, Navajo rugs and smudge pots. The pair of longhorn skulls mounted in this space have a minimalist, sculptural quality that marries well with the simple, spare decor.
Style Secret: Colorful Tile
Hand-painted, brightly patterned tiles are a Southwestern signature. Their distinctive designs and happy colors lend a festive air, and they hint at the artisanal character that defines a Southwestern space. Use them to line the edges of countertops, stud backsplashes or cloak an accent wall.
But remember ... Don't mix too many different tlle patterns in a single room — otherwise they'll compete with one another and add up to visual chaos. And as a rule, these tiles are best used sparingly so that they don't overtake the space. The planter box in this courtyard has just enough presence to make it an engaging focal point.
Hand-painted, brightly patterned tiles are a Southwestern signature. Their distinctive designs and happy colors lend a festive air, and they hint at the artisanal character that defines a Southwestern space. Use them to line the edges of countertops, stud backsplashes or cloak an accent wall.
But remember ... Don't mix too many different tlle patterns in a single room — otherwise they'll compete with one another and add up to visual chaos. And as a rule, these tiles are best used sparingly so that they don't overtake the space. The planter box in this courtyard has just enough presence to make it an engaging focal point.
Style Secret: Earthen Pottery
Pottery in rich terra-cotta and earth tones is just right for the Southwestern sensibility. Mingle matte and glazed finishes with solid colors and painted designs for variety and interest.
But remember ... Choose pottery with a hand-thrown feel and an assortment of different shapes and sizes. A grouping of mass-manufactured terra-cotta planters won't have the same impact as pieces that bear the mark of the sculptor's hand.
Pottery in rich terra-cotta and earth tones is just right for the Southwestern sensibility. Mingle matte and glazed finishes with solid colors and painted designs for variety and interest.
But remember ... Choose pottery with a hand-thrown feel and an assortment of different shapes and sizes. A grouping of mass-manufactured terra-cotta planters won't have the same impact as pieces that bear the mark of the sculptor's hand.
Style Secret: Textural Surfaces
Highly textured walls, ceilings and floors hint at the traditional materials and construction methods that characterize Southwestern style. Choose stucco, plaster and adobe with a rough, hand-troweled appearance, enhanced by decorative paint treatments and offset by thick, coarsely woven fabrics.
But remember … Layers of texture stand out most when they’re broken up with smoother surfaces. Incorporate sleeker materials to keep from creating a space that feels one-dimensional.
Photos: Get more Southwestern style ideas
More ‘So Your Style Is’:
Traditional | Arts & Crafts | Hollywood Regency | Rustic | Old World | French Country
Transitional | Contemporary | Midcentury Modern | Industrial | Eclectic | Coastal | Cottage
Preppy | Art Deco
Highly textured walls, ceilings and floors hint at the traditional materials and construction methods that characterize Southwestern style. Choose stucco, plaster and adobe with a rough, hand-troweled appearance, enhanced by decorative paint treatments and offset by thick, coarsely woven fabrics.
But remember … Layers of texture stand out most when they’re broken up with smoother surfaces. Incorporate sleeker materials to keep from creating a space that feels one-dimensional.
Photos: Get more Southwestern style ideas
More ‘So Your Style Is’:
Traditional | Arts & Crafts | Hollywood Regency | Rustic | Old World | French Country
Transitional | Contemporary | Midcentury Modern | Industrial | Eclectic | Coastal | Cottage
Preppy | Art Deco
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Shrinking violets, look elsewhere — there's nothing shy about the Southwestern palette. Rich hues such as salmon, terra-cotta, brick red, turquoise and squash gold come straight from the desert sky and landscape. Pepper a mostly neutral room with saturated accent tones, or go bold and drench the entire space in color.
But remember ... Too many strong shades in a single room will fight one another. Limit your color scheme to two or three dominant selections to keep things under control. Dusty red and turquoise in the kitchen above radiate warmth and cheer against a mellow ochre backdrop.