Indian Tapestry

How To Create A Southwestern Theme For Your Fireplace Mantel

The southwestern style is a very natural and comfortable style for any room and using your fireplace as a focal point in a southwestern room is not only natural; it is almost a given. The rustic look or Southwestern style causes you to recall home and hearth and naturally centers on the fireplace. Decorating your mantel in southwestern style combining metal wall art and natural elements can make your room feel cozy, homey and naturally appealing.

Mexican and American Indian Accents
To get a real southwestern style feeling in your fireplace you will want to use rustic texture and geometric shapes. Both Indian and Mexican influences create natural and balanced design pulling colors largely from nature. Neither one is fearful of bold and bright color, either. Both influences use natural textures as well as natural materials. In a room with lightly colored walls, hang a roughly hewn log for the mantelpiece to bring a little of the outside inside. Another alternative is to paint the wall directly above the fireplace a darker version of the wall color. For illustration, if the walls are a light ivory color, you may choose a butter yellow above the fireplace or even add outdoor metal wall sculptures. This allows you to showcase the fireplace as the focal point of the room without it being too overpowering.

Color and Texture
Hand woven baskets and fabrics as well as hand-thrown terracotta tiles and pots are abundant in Southwestern style. A cluster of hand made tiles over the top of the fireplace makes an exciting display. Hanging a cluster of native baskets is not only a conversation piece, but it is colorful as well. A tapestry or wall hanging either in earth tones or bright colors pulls the eye up and over the fireplace cementing it as the room’s focal point. Add to the room’s authentic feel by displaying a hand thrown pottery vase on the mantel that is overflowing with colorful wildflowers. By adding additional texture in the form of wrought iron wall sconces or candlestick holders you are rounding out the textures displayed on the mantel and bringing a southwestern look to life. When displaying items on the mantelpiece, you can line up pairs of items for a symmetrical look, or display items in groups of three for a less ordered appearance to your display.

Final Touches
Of course the southwestern style is strongly influenced by both Mexican and Indian style, so the rustic blankets and baskets from each culture are probably more alike than different. By utilizing a large, hand-woven basket as a holder for a few colorful native blankets, you will invariably have a comfortable quilt to lie beneath as you watch television or read. The native blankets are generally very colorful, and add a beautiful bright spot to the fireplace. Of course you can choose to use blankets that are all in one color family like earth tones, or you may choose assorted bright colors like turquoise, yellow and magenta. The bright colors give the sense of a basket of wild flowers freshly picked from the garden.

Southwestern style is always appropriate. The look is simple and colorful and works just as well in the summer as it does in the winter. It is the perfect foundation upon which to put your holiday decorations, and it is beautiful on its own, any day of the year.

If you liked this article, read this one about tropical bird decor.

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