How to Use Rustic Style Furniture to Recreate the Southwestern Style
Of all the different decorating ideas and concepts scattered throughout the United States, the Southwestern style has to be the most distinctive and the most informed. Wherever you live, homeowners dream about replicating the non-pretentious, laid-back, busy and common look. The typical Southwestern abode is based around a staple of rustic style furniture selections and any would-be designers should aim to try and replicate to achieve authenticity.
Probably the most common component of rustic style furniture in the Southwest is wood, with the darker variety preferred. You should not look for complex detailing, but for a substantial yet simple approach. A few striking accents may be incorporated but you must aim to achieve a weathered and distressed look. Very often, major architectural features are wooden, with exposed beams and hardwood floors commonplace.
When you are selecting rustic style furniture as part of your new look, minimalist is the byword. You do not need to compose an exact plan and the less staging you perform the better as you will going for an uncomposed and natural look. Coloring should mimic nature, as you bring the very outdoors inside your home. Think of the variety of natural colors associated with water, sky and earth. Don’t be tempted to go for primary, shiny colors and always try and end up with a distressed look, even if you have to use sanding methods to achieve it.
If you have never created a Southwestern look using rustic style furniture, you should do some research first to understand the result that you are trying to achieve. Traditionalists recommend you try and understand the association between all the elements. Imagine native Indians, adobe construction, ceramics, accents made from wood and animal castoffs and an abundance of natural elegance.
When it comes to pulling in the colors for your rustic style furniture look, imagine the glory of a typical Southwestern sunrise or sunset across a landscape of rich colors. Determine the fabric choices for your furniture items, but remember that while vivid colors are perfectly acceptable, never make a room look too busy and use calming, more solid compositions to balance your finished look.
Wrought iron is considered a staple look of Southwestern rustic style furniture and is perfect when you’re selecting smaller furniture items such as coffee tables or end tables. The beauty of the approach to this style of decorating is that mixing and matching are perfectly acceptable and you can incorporate a variety of different rustic styles into each room should you wish.
You should choose your main rustic style furniture items to be made out of wood or leather. Your tables chairs and sofas may start off with a rather bare are neutral appearance but will be making heavy use of appropriate accessories, lighting and wall fixtures.
Rustic style furniture should be very functional, yet also warm and inviting. Oversized items work very well and can be perfectly accented with throws or pillows.
For additional material on rustic style furniture, get the popular free Rustic Southwest Decorating Guide by writer Craig Chambers, founder of Mission Del Rey Southwest, for unusual ideas and rustic decorating advice. www.missiondelrey.com.
