A great choice of decor for a home's family room would be a southwestern style. With the diverse ideas of decorating that can be used, a southwest family room will be a place of warmth and welcome. Young and old alike, will enjoy this special informal room with its bright cheerful colors, and look forward to gathering there.
When you consider decorating your family room with a southwestern flair, you may decide to choose a central theme. This theme should make all who enter feel an inviting welcome. Themes may include western ranch or lodge, old style mission, as well as south of the border Mexican. One such idea is to use an old Mexico influence complete with the look of a cantina. The first step in creating a southwest room is to paint the walls in brightly colored hues of reds, yellows and oranges.
Even if you choose to use neutral color walls, bringing in pieces of furniture with bright color is a sure way to liven up the room. If you are tired of your existing furniture, change the look with inexpensive slipcovers. Seating should be comfortable and if possible add pieces that include wrought iron and wood, important elements for an old Mexico feeling. A costly but creative choice for covering your furniture, is the use of cow hide. Large stuffed throw pillows may be used for floor seating and look totally at home. Southwest touches like pottery that is hand painted and Native American made baskets add rustic charm.
In your room, try and incorporate a cantina style bar for a real southwest old Mexico feeling. Stools covered in a spotted cow hide leather give the look of a Mexican cantina and provide extra seating for your room. Punched tin star lighting, which is ever so popular in Mexico, would be an authentic touch over your bar area.
Another fun style of decorating your southwest family room is to strive for a rustic western lodge or ranch feeling. Dark leather covered furniture would work nicely in the room as well as using Brindle cowhide covered pillows and hides as the central area rug. When you walk into the room, one could almost expect to see cowboys. Western style throws may be used to add interesting patterns and texture. It's the small decorative items you choose that tie the theme together. Simply think ranch when making choices.
Artwork plays a vital part of the southwest theme. Great choices would be pieces of art and paintings that contain cowboys, Indians, horses, ranch scenes, flower dotted mountains and cactus covered prairies. Favorite colors used to create this look would be blacks and browns with accent colors of rust and turquoise. For a really western touch, add a pair of worn cowboy boots with dried flowers over your mantle. Young buckaroos will love sitting at a special place made just for them by using an old saddle over top of a foot stool. A lasso and cowboy hat make nice wall ornaments. You can be creative in your choices as you transform your family room into the wild, wild west.
As your southwest family room comes to life, you'll come to love this fun relaxed style you've created without guidelines and decorating rules. Your senses will be delighted with an atmosphere that feels welcoming. You'll find your imagination will guide you into the choices that give you and those you love, a happy and unique place to call home.
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Craig Chambers is the founder of Mission Del Rey Southwest, offering unique hand crafted southwest family room decor. Visit his website to get money saving rustic decorating tips and his popular Free Book - The Rustic Southwest Decorating Guide:Southwest Family Room Decor