You do not need expensive works of art and one-of-a-kind furnishings to decorate your home in a Southwestern style. Many affordable alternatives--from accessories and do-it-yourself projects--give an interior southwestern flavor. Use paint and textiles to create a dramatic backdrop for pieces that you use for a new purpose and finish in Southwestern style. Does this Spark an idea?
Walls
The most affordable way to make maximum impact with Southwestern decor is through wall color. Paint all four walls a warm earth tone or mottled yellow faux finish or punch up an accent wall in a bold hue. Try rusty red or deep orange. If you prefer neutral walls in pale brown or antique white, add a southwestern motif with stencils. Try a line of arrowheads, cacti, snakes, abstracted lightning bolts or squared-off swirls for a southwestern Indian aesthetic. Packaged wall murals are an affordable way to cover an entire wall with a southwestern image such as canyons, caves or desert landscapes.
Furniture
The good news about southwestern decor is that distressed and vintage pieces are right at home here. Your current furniture may only need a cosmetic update to give it a southwestern look. For example, a plain couch gets needed texture with a woolen throw in jagged or diagonal lines of stone gray and beige. A wrought iron bed frame gets vintage charm with a thin coat of antique whitewash that is distressed to let bits of metal show through. A wooden bookshelf, cabinet, armoire or tabletop exudes a hand-crafted, rustic look with a small, intricate border painted on with stamps or stencils or a trim of terra cotta contrasted with a trim of cobalt blue.
Accessories
Use accessories to extend the look. Rough wooden frames extracted from thrift store paintings are ideal for hanging wall art, family photographs and mirrors. Details such as hammered tin, punctured metal, exposed wood and chunky hardware add bold lines and texture. Invest part of your decor budget in a focal point where you entertain, such as a wool rug in the living room or a weathered wooden table in the kitchen. Hang a Mexican-style wall shelf with niches and fill it with items from nature such as river stones, twigs, dried wildflowers, Indian corn or cacti.
Tags: Southwestern style, that distressed
