How to Add Southwestern Flair to Any Room

A Southwestern decorating scheme will add primitive flavor and rustic chic to any room (or an entire home or apartment). Now rustic and primitive doesn't have to mean rough and tumble. You can have a lot of "spice" by: finding a focal point, making a plan, and choosing a color palette. Here's how:

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A rug with a Southwestern/Native American design
• A eggshell or cream colored wall (or walls)
• A lot of natural sunlight
• Rough-hewn look furniture or natural colored slipcovers
• Plants, flowers and favorite or assorted knick-knacks

1. 

   Choose a focal point for your room (like a large rug or vase) and pull the colors for the rest of the room from it.

2. 

   Paint a wall (or walls) a pale, neutral color, such as eggshell or cream. A pale background will really make the Southwestern colors "pop". And that's what you want!

3. 

   Keep floor and window coverings to a minimum. An unstained wood floor with a lot of natural light will give your room a cool earthy appeal
   (You can also use Roman shades, which gives you privacy while still allowing plenty of light to enter).

4. 

   Pick furniture with a rough-hewn look or have your existing furniture slipcovered in canvas or in bone color.

5. 

   Now you can accessorize with plants, flowers and favorite or assorted knick-knacks that fit the overall color scheme or focal point. And enjoy!

Resources

• ehow Home and Garden Topic Guide