Route 66. Windows down. Wind whipping through your hair. Red rocks and big sky as far as you can see. Adobe walls baking in the heat. Saguara cactus looking otherworldly. This isn’t scenery. It’s art. It’s style.
Actually, this is the world of Southwestern interior design. Warm, layered, and soulful. Born of the sunbaked, unrestrained beauty of the American Southwest. And perfectly at home in your living room. Also, perfect for pairing with upholstery fabrics that come bearing art, life, and style themselves.
What do ya’ say we take a little road trip?
Southwestern Interior Design Style Simplified
Fundamentally, Southwestern design style is a celebration of place, telling the story of the feelings evoked by that place. Hence, warm ochres, sun-bleached pinks, roughhewn beams, natural texture, and fabrics that reflect the earth, the desert, and its surprisingly rich tones.
Certainly, it’s deeply reminiscent of its most notable influences, like Mexican, Native American, and Spanish traditions. Those influences call for natural materials, terracotta tile, and earthy color palettes. But it also comes in a bit like your cool aunt who wears those turquoise rings the size of small planets, drinks Tequila, and laughs just a bit too loud (and you love it!).
It’s one of those style vibes that’s more lifestyle than simply design style. But, fear not, you don’t need to move or radically reinvent your world to embrace it. Let’s take a look.
Why Southwestern Style Plays So Well With Other Design Styles
Southwestern design, like the desert, is a land of texture. That’s why upholstery fabrics get a moment in the sun in this style vibe. (Here at the largest online upholstery fabric store, we’re particularly pleased with that.)
Natural elements are a central inspiration point, and textures express themselves literally and in layers. Meaning, Southwestern design can easily blend with other styles, whether minimalist, farmhouse, boho, etc. — it plays well with others. So there’s no need for a full design redo to embrace it.
Southwestern design lives in a cozy, grounded sweet spot that feels solidly put together without being stuffy. It’s a bit of an enigma — authentic and Instaworthy, celebrating imperfection, whispering “Come as you are.”
But, ya’ know, besides all that, there’s not much to love about Southwestern design for your home.
How To Bring Southwestern Style Home Without Moving To Santa Fe
Now some simple, budget-friendly, design-mag-worthy ways to bring Southwestern design home. It’s about capturing that feeling back in the car, windows down, taking it all in, and it’s doable whether you’re decorating your hacienda in Albuquerque or zhuzhing up your studio apartment in Brooklyn.
- Start with Fabric Foundations.
Your sofa sets the stage for the Southwestern vibe. Think earth-toned, woven, tactile textures (the chunkier the better), but also soft fabrics like chenille, faux suede, or distressed leather. For color foundations, look for more sunset-on-the-canyon tones than hotel-lobby-beige, like a sand dune chenille or caramel genuine leather.
With foundations set, use accent chairs, ottomans, and more to add bolder patterns and hues, like burgundy and grey abstract geometric stripes, indigo Southwestern global pattern, or a basil green velvet. And feel free to bring a big pattern to your sofa, too. Your call.
Pro Tip: If adding Southwestern design to your current style feels too “something,” skip the commitment with a slipcover in a fabric like dove beige linen blend or an ivory, taupe, and ochre ikat jacquard. Elevated vibes without the commitment.
- Layer on Textiles.
One of the joys of Southwestern design’s freeform style is that texture doesn’t just come from the textiles but from using an array of them. So, if your approach to foundational pieces was neutral, earthy basics, now’s a great time to pile throw pillows on sofas, chairs, and beds in warm tones and bold patterns, like Sedona Southwestern pattern chenille or an abstract zigzag diamond pattern. Bonus points for playful pops like embroidered fabrics and fringe.
Maybe add dark blue and white kilims pattern curtains. And lean into other traditional decor, like throw blankets, floor rugs, rugs hung as tapestries, and more. Let them be imperfect and a little worn-looking, adding character and personality. (Plus, they dampen noise and make your Zoom background look way cooler.)
- Embrace Earth Tones.
If a color exists in the desert landscape, it’s in the Southwestern design color palette. Think of it as a love letter to the land. We’re talking terracotta orange, burnt sienna, cactus green, turquoise, sand, sky blue, dusty rose, and so many more.
That palette can find a home in your home with bold moves like an accent wall in a sundrenched ochre. Or smaller decorative accessories and pops of color, like turquoise art pieces, ceramic planters, and throw pillows.
Consider redoing a pair of armchairs in cinnamon abstract pattern or dining chairs in something like Azure blue and grey stripes. Even a beige-y neutral feels different when it’s part of an ensemble of sunbaked earth-tones, like sage green cotton duck, shadow blue chenille, and natural tone Crypton tweed.
- Bring in Natural Materials.
Love a good live-edge dining or coffee table? Perfect. Southwestern design revels in such things, like woven baskets, exposed rustic beams, bundles of sticks, and other natural decor — again, all reflective of the natural world.
It’s also why vintage pieces with reclaimed wood finishes or patinaed leather work so well. For instance, a hand-me-down mid-century modern armchair or sofa reupholstered in a thistle brown canvas denim, nutmeg terracotta orange linen, or a beige traditional pattern 100% cotton fabric. All right at home. Naturally.
- Accessorize Like You Just Hit a Flea Market.
Imagine wandering the aisles and stands of a Santa Fe or Tuscon flea market. What comes to mind? Probably a lot of cactus prints, colorful woven baskets, hand-thrown pottery, quirky iterations of table lamps, and plenty of plants. Yep, all that and more.
Southwestern design style lends itself to being a curated collection of curios. It sets you up to playfully add and subtract decor when it strikes your fancy, reflects some memory or adventure, or just simply looks cool. So do that. Bring home the kinds of accessories that feel earthy, real, and interesting — to you.
Open Road: It’s Time To Embrace The Freedom Of Southwestern Design
To really embrace Southwestern design style you need to live…anywhere. You can live anywhere. And you can work it into your style. Because it’s not about perfectly matching. It’s about texture, warmth, and story. It’s about being playful.
It’s fabrics in warm earth tones, bold prints, and raw and tantalizing textures, reflecting themes of sun, sky, sand, and a kind of soulfulness.
So reupholster an armchair in a pecan brown faux cowhide microsuede. Take your minimalist off-white sofa and add throw pillows in dark green Southwestern country pattern fabric. Whatever changes, small or large, make your home feel like the endless possibilities of a desert road trip.
And we’re here with all the fabrics you need to realize your Southwestern design vision. Turn your chairs and sofas into more than what you sit on. Let’s turn them into part of your story. Give us a call today.
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