Design Inspiration: Southwest Edition

Remodeling your space isn’t only about upgrading your appliances, choosing new flooring, and finally getting rid of those couches - it’s also a great time to add design elements to your room that reflect your personality and your personal style. While there are so many different style elements and designs that you can choose from, this article will focus on the Southwestern theme and how to incorporate this fun, colorful, and culturally diverse style into your home.

The Southwestern style is influenced by multiple cultures, all drawn together by vibrant colors and rich textures. Some of the cultures that came together to create the look we call Southwestern today include Spanish, Native American, and Mexican. These three cultures all brought together the best of their design elements to create one unique style that utilizes warm, earthy but bold colors and geometric shapes.

So how do you bring these style elements into your homes to create a room that has all of the Southwestern charm you know and love?

Add Southwestern colors: Southwest style is all about color. Think rustic terracotta oranges, deep reds, bold turquoises, and bright yellows. Draw inspiration from the desert, sunsets, and all the beautiful natural rocks and gems that are native to the Southwestern territory.

You can mix and match these colors to create a palette that is right for you and your space, or allow the colors to be accents that bring warmth to the whites and neutrals of your kitchen and home.

Bring in bold textures: Bold textures such as woven textiles, smooth cold tiles, and leather or suede accents help bring in even more of the Southwestern flavor to a space. You can choose to add a Southwestern tile floor or a kitchen backsplash as a design element with geometric shapes and maybe even hand painted accents.

Another idea is to bring in woven textiles in the form of kitchen towels or rugs, or leather seat cushions on kitchen chairs or bar stools for a bit of flare and rustic charm.

Bring in Natural Elements: The Southwestern style really works with bringing the beautiful landscape of Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico inside - working with natural materials, colors, and textures that draw inspiration from the red rocks, mountain ranges, and gorgeous sunsets. When designing your room in this style keep the natural elements in mind. Terracotta tiles, natural pine, and earth tones are all great design components to bring into your home.

Don’t be afraid to mix materials, play with color and texture and really keep nature in mind as you create your perfect space in this popular and culturally diverse style.