For those who don’t know, the Western-style aesthetic is back in popularity. And this trend isn’t just extending to fashion items like cowboy hats and Western boots. It’s also extending toward home decorating.
Whether you want to recreate a saloon from your favorite Western or simply add some Southwest charm to your home, there’s no shortage of things you can do.
Unfortunately, when many people design their Western-style living room they can sometimes feel decision fatigue. While you might have a vague concept in your mind, making it a reality can be a different story.
That’s why we made this guide. In it, we’ll be going over some tips for bringing the great West into your living room.
1. Decide on a Color Scheme
When you think of the Western landscape what colors typically come to mind? For most people, the landscape is captured in differing shades of brown.
There are also warm pops of red and orange, with bursts of bright blues and greens from the skies and foliage. Use this natural color palette when deciding on a paint tone for your room.
You can also use bleached bone tones to highlight some of these colors. Just make sure you don’t go overboard when painting. We recommend sticking to two or three colors at the most.
Remember that you can also add brown color with leather furniture. As we’ll mention in a later section if you combine these with wood tones it can make the pieces pop.
2. Incorporate Wood Where You Can
It makes sense that people often associate wood with the Wild West. Whether it’s log cabins or hardwood saloons, this was a common building material back in the day.
If you’re able to design the room, wood on the flooring or in the walls can do a lot to add a Western feel to your living room. Don’t be afraid to blend different types of wood with a stone feature either.
Whether it’s cedar or pine, different styles of wood can often contrast and dynamically complement each other.
If you can’t afford to design wood for your room, consider investing in some wooden chairs or tables to give it a more rustic feel.
3. Invest in Western-Style Art
Now it’s time to fill those walls with some artwork! There are plenty of different options you can go down when selecting art. One common route is to choose a few paintings or prints or iconic Western landscapes.
Places like Monument Valley are perfect for capturing this feel. Another common area to explore art is with Native American pieces. Places like the Navajo Nation are famously associated with Western times.
Try to buy rustic textile art from indigenous creators to support their culture. Or you can hang up some posters from classic Western movies.
Or, if you’re an artist, consider painting something for the room! This is where you get to express your creativity in the living room space.
4. Buy Some Iconic Western Pieces
Paintings aren’t the only pieces of art that you can bring to your room. Another option is to hang up animal skulls or other types of bones. Or, look for a pair of antlers or a stuffed deer head.
These pieces can make any space feel like a cozy Western hunting lodge. You also can’t go wrong with a cowboy hat displayed artfully.
Lassos, wagon wheels, horseshoes, horse saddles, and vintage firearms are some other types of iconic Western pieces that can make your living room feel like living history.
5. Extend the Decoration to Your Doors, Lights, and Windows
Do you have a transition space between your living room and kitchen? If so, consider investing in the iconic swinging doors found in a saloon. Or get some lampshades with classic Western prints on them.
Even a few old-fashioned lanterns that are just for show can transform a space. Don’t forget about the windows! Old-style wooden frames are great or just a Native American-inspired curtain set.
6. Keep It Simple
One common mistake home decorators make when attempting to design their Western-style living room is squeezing too much in. These individuals feel that to get the Western point across every inch of the wall needs to be covered in cowboy art.
Sadly, this can create a cluttered, claustrophobic feel that no visitor will like all that much. So when creating your room remember the philosophy that less is more.
To make a room feel Western, you only need four to five pieces of good decor. The key is to highlight them in a way that makes the eye naturally draw towards them.
This is much more preferable to the eye than flooding your living room with every Western piece of decor and furniture that you can find.
Where Is the Best Place to Buy Western-Style Decor?
If you only have one or two pieces of Western-style decor, you might be wondering where you can expand your collection. Online is a great place to start.
Because the style is so popular you can find just as many hand-made pieces as mass-produced ones. So regardless of your budget, you shouldn’t have that much trouble finding what you’re looking for.
If you need a recommendation you can’t go wrong with the western home decor offered by this seller. However, remember that online options aren’t your only offering.
If you live in a Western state, we recommend checking out your local thrift shop. Or visit the flea market or antique shops.
This is where you can find the real gems in Western decor. In some cases, you might even find a historical object that dates back decades or even centuries.
Appreciate Help With Your Western-Style Living Room? Keep Exploring
We hope this guide helped you learn more about bringing the Wild West into your home with a Western-style living room. While it’s fairly easy to make a generic Western room, it can be hard to bring more personal touches to the design.
So don’t be afraid to insert a little bit of yourself into the room to make it more of your own. Want more home design content? We have loads of similar content on our site so keep exploring to find it.
