10 Southwestern decor ideas for your adobe-inspired abode

The Southwestern United States is a visual feast — full of windswept deserts, blooming saguaro cactuses, and hundred-year-old adobe houses.

The natural and human-made wonders of this region have inspired iconic artists, like Georgia O’Keefe and Ansel Adams. (You can even use their prints as on-theme wall art in your Southwestern home.) The American Southwest has also influenced another type of art — interior design.

A unique style of home decor emerged in the Southwest. It was inspired by the region’s diverse history — combining Native American and Mexican motifs with Spanish Mission-style architecture.

Southwestern decor also reflects the area’s dramatic landscapes. Terracotta makes frequent appearances, looking like the region’s red sand desserts, and succulents serve as both houseplants and wall decor.

The result is a warm, earthy decorating style that’s inviting and irresistibly beautiful. You can add Southwestern style to your home by incorporating some of the region’s signature colors, materials, and design motifs.

Here are 10 pieces of Southwestern decor to help you get the look.

10 Southwestern decor ideas for desert-inspired design

Get ready to fill your home with natural materials, soft textiles, and prickly cactuses. These pieces of Southwest decor will help you create a home design as warm as the desert sun.

1. A terracotta sectional

Establish your Southwest color scheme with the most important piece of furniture in your living room — your sofa. This six-piece terracotta sectional not only adds a warm earth tone to your space, but it also makes the room more functional. The darker color protects against spills and stains, and the trillium blend upholstery is eco-friendly, animal-friendly, and hypoallergenic.

This sectional comes with plenty of plush throw pillows to match the upholstery. You can complete the look by adding a Navajo throw blanket made by a Native American-owned company.

2. A Spanish-inspired coffee table

During the 1600s and 1700s, Spanish missions were common across Southern California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. And the mission style of architecture, with its white stucco walls, red tile roofs, and wood beams, has been part of the region ever since. Even if you don’t have a Spanish-style home, you can bring this look inside by pairing white walls with dark wood furniture.

To find Spanish mission-style furniture, look for either traditional silhouettes with turned spindle legs, like the Meredith 2-Drawer Coffee Table, or minimalist rectangular silhouettes with a natural wood grain, like the Esther 6-Drawer Coffee Table.

3. A cowhide accent chair

Like much of the Western United States, cattle ranching was an important part of the Southwest’s history. Western decor honors this tradition by incorporating cowhide as area rugs, seat protectors, or upholstery. While the traditional decor of the region would have used authentic hides, today we can use real or high-quality faux hides.

This cowhide accent chair is made with a microfiber leatherette, so no cows were harmed in the making of your home decor. You can lean into the cattle ranching theme by pairing it with a ceramic cow head figurine, which is often used as wall hanging in Southwestern homes.

4. An entryway bench with Aztec-inspired upholstery

An entryway bench upholstered in an Aztec-inspired motif can welcome guests to your Southwest home and set the tone for your decor. Sneak a little extra storage into your entryway with the Cababi Upholstered Storage Bench. The black-and-white print is a perfect match for minimalist color schemes. Or you can add a boho-inspired pop of color with the Noah Upholstered Storage Bench in a vibrant orange and earthy beige print.

5. A rustic wooden hall tree

Another way to roll out the welcome mat (and another piece of furniture to place beside your actual welcome mat) is a hall tree. A hall tree invites guests to take off their coats and stay awhile. (It may be hot in the Southwest, but those desert nights can get very cold!)

This rustic wooden hall tree will allow you to incorporate more mission-style room decor. The dark wood contrasts elegantly with neutral walls, and the rectangular design harkens back to simple craftsman-style construction. The black metal framing gives a subtle nod to the wrought iron used in mission-style homes without sacrificing this piece’s clean, minimalist lines.

6. A mission-style dining room set

For more simple and sturdy craftsmanship — the kind that makes everyone feel comfortable gathering around the dining room table — look for a solid wood table with clean geometric lines.

This six-piece dining table set includes a table, four dining chairs, and a rustic bench all made from solid hardwood. The set features a dark brown finish to match the dark wood of your other mission-style pieces. The solid wood construction allows you to refinish the tabletop for decades of use.

You can add even more Southwestern flair to your dining room by topping your table with a Mexican serape table runner or a minimalist woven table runner made from natural materials like jute or linen.

7. A pair of antique leather stools

Natural materials feature heavily in Southwestern design, a region where people made the most of their environment. Because of the many cattle ranches in the area, leather was a readily available natural textile. And it’s still used in modern Southwestern homes to add softness and a rich, neutral earth tone.

These antiqued genuine leather stools are hand-dyed to create a worn-in brown finish. The result is a rustic leather seat cushion that looks like it was salvaged from the Wild West. It’s paired with black iron legs that pay homage to the ironwork of mission-style architecture.

8. A rustic wooden bedroom set

A sturdy wood bedroom set that shows off simple craftsman-style design will add another layer of natural materials to your home. The thick wood framing on this Brenner Panel Bedroom Set is reminiscent of the wood beams used in mission-style architecture. And the black metal accents pair with the ironwork of the period.

This set stands out against neutral walls and the honey hue of the wood plays nicely with terracotta accents. Add a few terracotta candle holders to the nightstand and a serape throw blanket at the foot of the bed for a cozy Southwest bedroom.

9. A nature-inspired bedroom set

For a modern take on Southwestern decor, this live-edge bedroom set uses natural materials to create maximum impact. The curves of the vivid wood grain contrast with the otherwise straight silhouette of the furniture. Meanwhile, the live edge adds organic lines that mirror the sweeping desert sands surrounding Phoenix and Santa Fe.

10. A classic metal bed frame

You could easily create a Southwestern design using just five materials: terracotta, wood, leather, iron, and woven textiles. While this classic metal bed frame may not be made of iron (that would be too heavy to move!), its metal frame mirrors the wrought iron accents found in Spanish-style homes throughout the region.

Incorporate it into your Southwestern decor by pairing it with natural woven textiles like a linen duvet cover and a serape throw blanket.

Design that takes you places

Southwestern decor can instantly take you to a part of the country with a dramatic natural landscape and a rich cultural history. It’s a beautiful way to decorate an adobe or Spanish-style home, but it can also help you stay connected to your favorite region no matter where you live.

Moreover, you don’t need to travel to Phoenix or Santa Fe to get the look. Southwestern home decor is as close as your local Coaster Furniture retailer where you’ll find the pieces on this list and so much more. Explore and find the pieces that make you feel like you’ve been transported somewhere warm, beautiful, and inspiring.

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