How to Decorate Your Master Bedroom in Mexican Country Style

The Mexican country style bedroom can be humble or magnificent, depending on the furnishings you choose.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Armoires
• Baskets
• Beds
• Bedspreads
• Chairs
• Curtain Rods
• Curtains
• Decorative Pottery
• Drawer Chests
• Framed Mirrors
• Lamps
• Light Fixtures
• Nightstands
• Pictures
• Baskets
• Chairs
• Pictures

1. Choose a bedstead that's an elegant antique or is in an antique style - carved wood or a simpler wrought-iron style. Or use a plain mattress with a wall-mounted, architectural salvage headboard such as a mantelpiece or an intricate section of wrought-iron fencing.

2. Pair the bed with lamp tables that hint at French or Spanish influences, or that are genuine or faux Mexican. Or you might use primitive bedside tables (save their much-prized peeling paint) for a rustic look.

3. Select lamps that suit the tables. Use more elaborate traditional styles, combining glass or ceramic with metal, with finer bedside tables. Plainer styles such as lamps with simple wrought-iron or rustic-pottery bases work well with humbler tables.

4. Go with a complementary bedspread and curtains - brocade or another fine fabric with formal furniture, or a quilt and homespun-like tab-tops for a less refined setting. Curtain rods in either case may be wrought iron or wood poles, but the finials and carvings can be elaborate when your room is on the formal side.

5. Stow clothing in trunks, chests of drawers, blanket chests and "armarios" (Mexican armoires) adapted from European styles. Salvaged doors with a distressed look can be used as the doors of an armoire.

6. Accessorize tabletops with photos in silver and wood picture frames.

7. Use baskets or Mexican pottery as catchalls for coins and keys, and as cachepots for plants.

8. Choose a wrought-iron ceiling light fixture, even a chandelier style.

9. Hang plain wood-frame, intricately carved, or gilt mirrors on the walls.

10. Situate a wood chair (a graceful French or handsome Spanish piece, or a rustic Mexican one) for slipping into and out of shoes. Many Mexican chairs have very straight backs that aren't designed for long-term comfort.

Tips & Warnings

• Some Mexican furnishings contain lead paint. Always err on the side of caution when dealing with these pieces, especially when children are around. You may want to avoid peeling paint altogether or seal it with a wax or hand-rubbed oil finish to keep it (and its lead content) from becoming airborne.