First, think of Southwestern style as a decor that brings natural materials inside. These natural materials are typical of the Southwestern United States: clay and wood. It’s how these materials combine that makes the four different categories of Southwestern decor.

Homeowners who love a rustic type of decor – or little cowboys and cowgirls – will appreciate Western style design. While it may sound stereotypical and kitschy, Western style is an authentic decor that emerged from the lifestyle of ranchers in the old west. This style makes generous use of rough-hewn, pegged and mortised furniture in wood, upholstered in leather. Cowhide accents in lampshades or pillows are common, while hardwood or ceramic tile floors are warmed by fringed cotton rugs or braided area rugs. The Western style commemorates the ranch lifestyle with motifs of horses and cowboys, boots and saddles and barbed wire, branding irons and wagon wheels. It’s historic and iconic, and for some people it’s the ideal Southwestern expression.

Southwestern rustic can take another form through that of Mexican imports. Before national borders were so strictly enforced, Mexicans roamed far and wide over the American Southwestern, bringing with them the bright, vivid decorations and crafts of their native land. Hand-carved furniture, hand-painted pottery and sinks, ceramic tile and natural-fiber area rugs are typical of this decor. A Southwestern decorating scheme based on Mexican imports creates a cheery home decor based on this vibrant culture.

The Native American version of southwestern decor has gained great popularity over the last 60 years. As more and more people traded their ideas of Native Americans from Hollywood versions to the genuine tribal cultures, decorators discovered the severe, stunning beauty of this decor. The clown-like dolls known as kachinas, the silhouette of the flute player Kokopelli, and the varied designs of pottery, hand-woven area rugs, wall hangings, sculpture and contemporary art all testify to the creative power of Southwestern tribal peoples.

When outfitting a home in Native American style, it’s crucial to be sure that the design elements are authentically made by Native American artisans, or manufactured under special grant from a tribal nation. U.S. federal law carries heavy fines for vendors who falsely market “Native American” products that weren’t created by a tribal member, in a pueblo or on a reservation. Genuine tribal products will be proudly labeled or presented as authentic, and a conscientious decorator will honor the handiwork of the artists who created them. In other words, a beautiful area rug in a geometric black, white and red pattern isn’t a “Navajo rug” unless made by a real Navajo!

Finally, Modern Southwestern is the style that most people associate with Southwestern decor. Santa Fe, New Mexico, is a major center of this style, but variations also have risen up in Phoenix, Arizona, and other parts of these two states. In addition to architectural elements such as adobe walls, ceramic floor tiles and exposed wood beams, Modern Southwestern takes its color palette from the desert, with shades of turquoise, pink, purple, tan, coral, brown and blue. In fact, the town of Sedona, Arizona, so fervently adheres to Southwestern style in all its building codes that the local McDonald’s Restaurant was required to change its famous golden arches to turquoise blue!

So whether its boots and saddles, hand-painted sinks for the bathroom or braided rugs patterned with red-hot chile peppers, Southwestern-style decor is bound to warm up anyone’s home.

It is said that the way your house looks represents you. We spend a lot of time at home and this is why it should be a place where we enjoy staying and which fills us with positive thoughts and energy. This is exactly what Feng Shui does, it helps us feel better and fills us with positive energy.

Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese knowledge that examines the natural and build environment. Feng Shui literally means wind and water and it is an amalgamation of ancient Chinese mathematics, interior design, architecture and simple rules of good housekeeping. It is a popular practice that is being applied to home and work places in order to create a balanced environment.

Feng Shui has quickly evolved from a new age trend to a widely spread decorating phenomenon between professional decorators and amateurs alike. Decorating in the Feng Shui style involves the movement of energy and moving blocked areas so that the energy moves at a balanced pace around the entire home. To be able to move the energy professionals and amateurs use many types of tools such as: mirrors, water, plants, color, sound, scent, etc.

Colours in Feng Shui.

In China decorating with red brings good luck. Red is said to be the only color of good fortune.

In Feng Shui yellow is considered an Imperial color that many Feng Shui masters make use of and some of them consider it more beneficial than red.

Green is considered to be the color of freshness, peace and growth.

Darker decorative colors can be either relaxing or depressing, light colors can be uplifting or annoying, extreme colors can be exhilarating or aggravating.

Wealth area and Family area have as the main element wood. In Feng Shui you should decorate with plants which have healthy leaves. Silk plants are allowed but do NOT decorate with dried plants because they symbolize ill health. It is recommended to add some blue items to this area because it represents water and water helps wood to grow. In Feng Shui, decorating with fish is a symbol of wealth. An inwards pointed ship laden with cargo is symbolic of excellent opportunities for new sources of income. In Feng Shui birds such as robin or oriole and the 3-legged toad are symbols of wealth.

Fame and Reputation area has fire as the main element so decorating with red is a good idea. Decorating with red and fire elements brings luck and recognition. Fire is represented by light so many fixtures, floor lamps, ceiling fans and candles are good choices for decorating. Adding the element of wood to this area helps because it fuels fire according to the element’s creative cycle.

Health, Relationship and Knowledge areas have as the main element earth. When choosing colors for this area focus on orange, red, yellow and even brown. In Feng Shui it is said that fire produces earth so you should add some light and red to the mix of earthy colors.

Children, Creativity area and Helpful People area have metal as the main element. Decorating with metallic wind chimes calling in the energy or other metals like wrought iron are a nice choice. In Feng Shui silver and gold bring good fortune too. Recommended colors for these areas are the mettalic ones, white and also earthy tones.

The Career area has as the main element water. Thus decorating with too much water brings negativity. Water in small amounts such as a fountain, an aquarium or a painting with water is excellent. Black and white are the best colors for this area. The Chinese Dragon ( Dom Jang) is a popular Feng Shui symbol wich brings good fortune and works well with a water fountain improving your career area.

With Feng Shui decorating you can incorporate various elements such as lighting, placement of furniture, mirrors and landscaping to optimize the human potential in a healthy environment. The aim of Feng Shui decorating is to balance the energy levels and redirect harmful energy.