Southwestern Decor: Accessories & Furnishings Turn a House into a Home

When you think of southwest style home decor, you probably picture the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico. While that's where the style started, you'll find homes decorated in Southwest style from California to the Carolinas. The style derives from the earth tones and rustic landscapes of the Southwestern United States, but it fits in just about anywhere. Homes with Southwestern decor evoke feelings of comfort, of substance, and of style.

Southwest home decor combines Mexican, Spanish, and Native American influences. The warm, subtle colors - like cactus green, adobe red, and neutral tones-come from nature, and are accented with vivid blues, turquoise, and yellow.

Southwest furniture tends to be rustic. Artisans still make Mexican equipal, or pigskin, furniture the time-honored way - lashing cedar splints and tanned pigskin together using maguey rope, a type of fiber rope. The result is Southwestern style furniture that is lightweight, long lasting, and surprisingly comfortable.

Hand-carved Mexican furniture is brightly painted with classic colors and designs. Unique chairs, tables, and benches are practical and comfortable conversation pieces. Other furniture, such as chests, armoires, cabinets, and bureaus, tend to be substantial. Typically made from dark wood, the wood may be distressed to make it look old and rough.

Accessories define the Southwest decor, especially handcrafted items. Mexican hand blown glassware - including pitchers, margarita glasses, shot glasses, and drinking glasses - have bright rims of cobalt, aqua, or green. Modern hand-painted Talavera pottery recreates the designs and styles of its 16th century origins, adding imagination and originality to the decor. Wrought iron lamps, candleholders, wall sconces and accents; hand woven rugs placed on the floor or hung on the wall; and colorful native blankets go hand-in-hand to create the Southwest ambience.

Decorative items may include Indian drums, alabaster or clay sculptures, Native American baskets, and the popular Kachina dolls. Metal mirrors and wall art represent Southwest themes like buffalo, elk, cactus, deer, and eagles. Mayan and Aztec circle of friends pottery depict the geckos, flute players, and symbols and idols of long ago cultures.

Framed in rough wood, rustic paintings of pueblo life add three-dimensional texture to any room. Paintings show the plants, animals, and landscapes of the pueblo, as well as religious and secular scenes. The scenes give a good sense of what life was like in a different age. Other wall pieces for the southwest home include wilderness scenes laser cut from metal. Handcrafted by artisans, no two pieces are exactly alike. You can also decorate your walls with sand paintings. With their earth tones and rough textures, sand paintings evoke the lives and the landscape of the pueblo.

Simple objects found in nature, like stones, twigs, and feathers are right at home in the rustic southwest decor. Cactus plants add even more authenticity to your motif.

Welcome your friends and family to your Southwest interior with a traditional-themed doormat. You can choose from colorful geometric designs and classic images of horses, cowboys, rodeo, and cattle. These warm, bright, and invigorating mats will give your guests a taste of what awaits them in your newly decorated home.

To learn more about subjects like Southwestern Decor please visit the web site at: http://www.southwestandbeyond.com

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+Chris Robertson is a published author of Majon International. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2011 (Mon Jun 14 2010) Majon International. Majon International is one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing and internet advertising companies on the web. Visit their main business resource internet marketing web site at: http://www.majon.com