I recently spent a little over a month outside of the Painted Desert in Arizona. This kaleidoscopic landscape on the edge of the ‘Four Corners’ area is renowned for its brilliant vistas. Frequently utilized as a backdrop for Western films, the stunning badlands are equally desolate and beautiful.
I’m itching to infuse a little southwestern influence into my home. The earthy shades and vivid hues provide a cozy, but invigorating, motif. Let’s take a look at few ways to bring the splendor of the Painted Desert into your home…
The arid mesas and buttes are populated by big horn sheep, a variety of lizards, birds of prey and a bevy of dinosaurs. Dinosaur fossils, that is.
[image source]
Perpetually sky-blue window treatments can mimic the stretch of open atmosphere, without competing with the actual view behind the glass. Screeching hawk not included.
[image source]
A rainbow of reddish-bronze hardwood almost mirrors the rusty iron-oxide pigments on display in the stratified layers of sandstone and shale.
[image source]
The muted tones of sagebrush and chaparral are extremely versatile, where it’s dotting the crevices of wild hills or…fabric hanging in your bedroom.
[image source]
“There’s gold in them thar hills!”
[image source]
No, seriously, it’s hypothesized that plenty of the luxury mineral still remains in this area…
[image source]
This area is the land of Navajo and Hopi and a woven, tribal-patterned rug is one of the quickest of fixes for getting that ‘desert vibe’. Toss in the living room or hang it on the wall.
[image source]
This tartan throw-blanket has the sand shades and ruddy tints, but that trunk – it’s so Wells Fargo-stagecoach! I feel like John Wayne should be carrying it.
[image source]
Nature makes the most artistic tableaus. Humans just try to keep up.
[image source]
Initially, I felt the palette was a bit limiting, but the warm auburn hues of the shale formations and the vast indigo sky are just the beginning. If you’re looking to paint, think smaller accent walls or bordering trim instead of a whole room in ‘fire truck red’.
[image source]
The incredible spectrum of colors featured in the native pottery style is pretty much the whole enchilada. A variety of these would be a great start.
[image source]
