Architecture & Web Art

Utopic Architecture and Web Design

  • Architecture
    • Administrative Buildings
    • Apartments
    • Clubs, Bars
    • Commercial Buildings
    • Day Care Centres
    • Gas Stations
    • Hospitals
    • Hotels
    • Houses
    • Museums – Pavillions
    • Office Buildings
    • Residential Buildings
    • Stadiums
    • Town Halls
    • University-School-Sport Facilities
    • Workshop, Comunity Centers
  • Interior Design
    • Lamps & Lighting
    • Bathroom Furniture
    • Living Room Furniture
  • Web Design
    • Photoshop
    • Illustrator
    • Logo Design
  • DIY
  • Concept & Proposals
  • Utopia
  • Resources
    • Architects
    • Designers
    • Interviews
You are here: Home / Interior Design / Adding Southwestern Flair with Wall Art

Adding Southwestern Flair with Wall Art

December 25, 2010 by Dan

The southwestern style of decorating is popular in almost every area of the country. Although you might primarily think of this decorating style in the New Mexico and Arizona area, you’ll find homes decorated in this style in areas as diverse as Florida, Washington, and Ohio. The southwestern style of decorating has a relaxed and easy feel to it, providing the perfect backdrop for rest and relaxation. Warm colors, terra cotta decorating accents, richly woven tapestries, wrought iron, and hammered tin are features that are commonly found in this style of decorating. If you’d like to bring the look of the southwest to your home, here are some decorating tips to help get you started.

Southwestern Wall Art

You’ll find plenty of variety when shopping for southwestern-styled wall art. Southwestern metal art decor is quite popular, as are beautifully and traditionally designed wall tapestry panels. Tapestries that feature traditional southwestern Indian patterns can add a lot of color and design to a room. Terra cotta pottery can also be used to add the authentic look and feel of the sun-baked southwest area. When decorating in a southwestern style, try thinking in terms of how to bring a bit of the outdoors inside your home. For example, instead of just displaying a collection of terra cotta pots, plant a variety of interesting cactus plants in them to add an authentic look. You can also find ways to combine design and function, such as using traditionally colored and patterned tapestry throws on your furniture. When decorating your walls, focus on beautiful metal art, especially pieces that feature rustic wrought iron. Wall art that features scenes from nature, horses or other desert animals can also add a nice visual accent to your overall decorating style. Art pieces with a sun motif or those which feature desert scenes can also add a colorful and authentic touch.

Effective Decorating Accents

When decorating your home with southwestern style, sometimes less is actually more. Simplicity and sometimes even a stark approach to decorating can be more authentic than adding too many details. For example, simple iron door toppers can add a decorative and yet unobtrusive touch to almost any room. Instead of cluttering the walls with numerous decorative pieces, create a strong focal point with a vividly colored and patterned tapestry panel. Focus on colors that blend nicely with warm natural shades, such as terra cotta, sunshine yellow or beautiful turquoise. Wrought iron or copper accents will both blend beautifully with the southwestern color palette. Stone, tile or naturally finished hardwood floors will all look great in a southwestern-styled room. To add a bit of color and warmth, try adding one or more throw rugs in beautiful colors. Round out the overall look with a collection of pottery or other rustic decorative pieces. However, never use too many decorative accents, as this can produce an undesirable cluttered look and feel. Keeping the overall look simple and a bit sparse will create the natural southwestern look that you are trying to achieve.

Filed Under: Interior Design, Wall Coverings Tagged With: accent, architectural, art, decorate, detail, metal, southwestern, wall

About Dan

Dan Fargo,the editor-in-chief of Archtopia, an online magazine dedicated to architects and designers.

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Modern Extension of Edwardian Terrace House in London

Decorate Your Home with a Touch of the Tropics

Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects : The Glasshouse

Small House with Concrete Base and Modern Design

Top 5 Home Improvement Tips for 2011

cartier foundation

The 8 Architect Wonders of the World

GoodGuide’s – iPhone App Can Scan for Green Products

Fearon Hay Architects – Sandhills Road House

Decorating Your In-Home Day Care

Really Cool Sink by Decor – Qkiaoi

NYC Turned to Pixels | by Patrick Jean

Best Wood Bath Tubs, Wash Basins, and Showers by UWD

Home is Where the CPR Is!

Trends in interior

9 Interior Trends That Never Go Out of Style

Holland University by Erick van Egeraat

Earth, Wood & Steel High-Desert Home – A Modern Rustic

Hohyun Park + Hyunjoo Kim – Z-house

Remodeling Your Home?

Beautiful and Yet Functional Home Decorating

Matsys Designs – Sietch Nevada – Urban Prototype

SEARCH

Recent Comments

  • a on PizzaKobra by Ron Arad – Flexible Table Lamp
  • http://evasi0ns.org/ on The 15 Greatest Beds: Past and Present
  • Smithg117 on Interior Design CA Colleges
  • best computer screen recording software on 101 Inspirational Quotes from Famous Architects and Artists
  • free web traffic links bonus #1 on 3 Great Ways to Decorate Your Home with Metal

Copyright © · Architecture and Web Art