A Southwestern State of Mind

By Laura Neilson
July 15, 2011

By now, you don’t have to be well-traveled (or a resident of Santa Fe) to pick up on the distinctly recognizable aesthetic of the American southwest that’s been sweeping up the fashion set. From feathers and turquoise-studded silver jewelry to pentagrams, pyramids, and Navajo patterns, a spate of southwestern styles and characteristics have quickly become major trends across the country—and not just in the form of apparel and accessories, but lifestyle and home décor pieces, too.

Southwestern Trend

Lori Leven's new store, Love, Adorned, has a definite southwestern vibe

Call it a romantic yearning for wide open expanses, bright skies, and otherworldly-looking desert landscapes, that many of us urban dwellers can only imagine inhabiting. Or perhaps an envy for that free-spirited bohemian that many of us can only imagine being. In either case, these notions for the great American southwest are taking shape far and wide.

Love, Adorned, a new shop in New York’s Nolita neighborhood, perfectly embodies that southwestern state of mind, but in way that city folk can embrace and take inspiration from. Bright and airy, the space is brimming with an array of jewelry and ethnic-inspired accessories, leather pouches and satchels and hard-to-find toiletries as well as books, plant-filled terrariums, furniture, and blankets that, if anything, will leave you absolutely lusting for that overdue road trip to the southwest.

Southwestern Trend

Owner Lori Leven (see our interview with her here) has traveled through the southwest, often en route to a gem show in Tucson, and plans to embark on a cross-country road trip in late summer. “The décor is an ever-morphing feeling that I’m having,” she says of the space. Not all of her stock is specifically southwestern—far from it—she notes, adding that some pieces are sourced from as far away as Morocco and as locally as Brooklyn, although there are distinct Southwestern Trend similarities. The eclectic mix of colorful patterns and nature-born materials (wood, feathers, etc) are strong characteristics of southwestern design that above all else, remind us how ethnically-varied our own country is in terms of styles and cultures.

Overall, it’s the way that everything comes together for a selection that’s both diverse- and cohesive-feeling, lending itself to Love, Adorned’s undeniably cool and laidback vibe. Dreamcatchers and feather accessories comingle with shell mirrors and vintage denim, while sculptural-looking crystal jewelry pieces are laid out in old display cases near beaded leather purses, Navajo blankets, and old tree stumps repurposed into stools and side tables.

Piecing together southwestern décor in your own home doesn’t necessitate a journey to the desert, especially if you have a few key pieces in mind. On eBay's Home and Garden category, where there are over 2700 listings with the term "southwestern" and over 700 with the term "Santa Fe," we found plenty of prime picks that can imbue your abode with some serious character. Many are at reasonable prices, leaving you with the ability to redecorate and still stake that road trip.