Decorating With Southwest Area Rugs

Southwestern rugs are colorful floor coverings with vibrant colors such as red, gold, orange, yellow, and green, mixed with earthy colors like brown and lighter sand colors. This style of area rug compliments rustic, country or western décors perfectly. They are very popular in spacious log homes, a simple log cabin or a rambling conventional ranch home. Made primarily from wool, they lend a cozy warmth to any room. Decorating with Southwest area rugs isn’t limited to one area of the country either, so whether you live in the Southwest or simply yearn to live there, these beautiful rugs can bring the feeling of that part of the country to you.

Southwestern rugs are patterned after the original handmade designs of Native Americans and come in both small (throw rug) and large (full room) sizes. They feature everything from horses, the Kokopelli character, buffalo, hills, mountains, deserts, and cactus. Some are geometric in style with diagonals and bold stripes and can bring many colors into a room. Sometimes a story or history of a people is told on a Southwest area rug. When decorating with Southwest area rugs, consider centering everything else in the room around the colors featured in the rug.

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Once you’ve decided on style of rug, your next consideration is the colors around which you want to center your décor. One idea might be to paint your room a deep turquoise and use colorful rugs on the floor, as wall hangings, or both to bring additional color into the room. Or, you could keep the walls an earthy tone and use the rugs in the same manner. The great room, the den, or a finished basement are all wonderful rooms in which to incorporate the Southwest theme. Other great places for a Southwest area rug might be the foyer or a guest bathroom.

Once you have decided on the color for your wall and the throw rugs you are going to use, furniture is your next big decision. Some people prefer to keep their furniture in the earth tones and use throw pillows in the bright colors to bring out the colors in the Southwest area rugs. If new furniture isn’t necessarily in the budget, use slipcovers in an earth tone or a bright color, always choosing one of the primary colors in your rugs. Darker woods, cabin-style furniture and rustic-style furniture all look fantastic in a Southwest style room.

Accessories are key to bringing the room together. If you have reds, browns and golds in your rug, you’ll want to have at least two or three items of each of those colors in the accessories around the room. Turquoise and ivory accents will bring an unusual punch of color to the room as well. Earth-toned pieces and wooden accents are essential for breaking up the color a bit and also will bring out the earth tones in the Southwest area rugs or wall hangings. Use native pottery, tribal masks or other Native American accents to brighten up a room. If you have curtains in the room, consider using jewelry with a Southwest look or authentic jewelry from a reservation to use as tie backs.

Southwest area rugs can be found online or on an actual reservation. Many of the Native Americans on the reservations are continuing the tradition by making Southwest area rugs by hand. Above all, when decorating with these unique rugs, have fun!