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Here's what I think spells a winning SW combo- tile floors in 12" squares in a matte warm blended tone neutral, carpet in a textured deep beige or lt. brown, walls in a creamy stucco color or light caramel- I agree the dark earthy tones get heavy- and plantation shutters or wood blinds in white to match the trim or a dark coco brown. I like white or stainless appliances in the kitchen and brown simple granite without a whole lot of pattern. I like black iron or rich bronze ceiling fan trim, light fixtures and doorknobs with nickel as an option in the baths.
If I looked at a home with some dated features like busy built in walls or funky SW wall angles, these colors and fixtures would instantly give a warm and updated look to me and overcome some of these issues.
White walls look BAD in most SW homes! They look dirty and the light here is too strong! they only look good in California! Super light shiny tiles are a nightmare I had them in my last house and I made my husband promise mt not to buy a home with them unless we could afford to change them ASAP! Dated and so hard to keep clean. Polished bright brass fixtures and lighting says 1988, if you have them go get Home Depot black iron bargain fixtures and the home will instantly look 20 years younger.
Dated features that are still appealing include tile around tubs and counters, though solid surface is better, saultillo tiles that are timeless,Mexican and Pueblo touches( beams and ornament), and mid century features that go with homes of that era. And yes, please give me a bathroom door but I could live without one if the home was pretty.
Last edited by Kimballette; 07-19-2011 at 03:04 PM..
Reason: off topic
I am looking to get new countertops. Not a fan of granite. I love the HD laminate. I have approx 10 linear ft along rhe walls and the island (with sink) is 24.5 sf. Anybody have a ballpark figure of cost including installation? I'm just starting to shop around and if you know a good place to look that would be appreciated.
Has anyone noticed subdivisions of homes with the front door -- on the side of the house? I can't believe I didn't notice it at first - then I got to thinking about Christmas decorations etc... and the wreath on the ??? Hey where's the door? It's on the side .... Homes from builder DR Horton... Northern Phoenix area...
Question on decoration -- If your house has a very prominent thick reddish tile/cement roof - are you obligated to stay on a southwest/western theme in the house? For instance a very traditional home finishings inside of a New England place would not look 'right' correct? Stucco and tile is so prominent in many subdivisions - so I wondered if you actually wanted to do a proper design or get a designer - would you always be steered toward a western theme? I'm thinking of a short sale I have in progress - were it to work - it has a few wall niches and looks southwest - but am feeling a bit 'stuck' --- on how to approach this ...
As a kid we had all the 60's cool furnishings etc... moved from LA area to the Midwest and we were truly the odd man out - everyone thought our house was 'weird' for it's Jetson's furniture - all that midcentury stuff that my mom brought out of CA to the Midwest...
Many tile-roof houses are actually a style called "California contemporary" by architects. And the ranches dating post-mid-century can be found in any newer suburb in the US. Certainly territorial-style homes (flat roofs) and the older-style thick adobe are uniquely Southwestern, but the tile roofs in and of themselves lend themselves to other styles of decorating than merely Southwestern (the ubiquitous and overdone Tuscan style for one). There's no reason you have to have "Southwestern decor" just because you live in the Southwest. People who work in home furnishings are pretty amused by the folks who retire here from Michigan, Minnesota, etc., and immediately fill their houses with Mexican pine furniture, Kokopellis, and knock-offs of Native American rugs and pottery when they don't even know anything about the tradition or history of these designs.
When my mother moved to Tucson from Pennsylvania, I begged her not to bring her traditional furniture (Queen Anne legs, skirts on upholstery, dark colors) with her. It wasn't cost-effective to move since it wasn't particularly valuable, but she is a depression-era sentimentalist, so it was a no-go for more than one reason on selling her old stuff. She wasn't here for a year when she admitted, "I was wrong to bring this furniture; it just doesn't look right here." She has gradually been replacing things and going for a more modern, sleeker look in her California contemporary home.
So many houses here open on to a patio -- I think what's weird is to have contemporary patio furniture and a totally different style inside the house. I also think stainless appliances are very popular here because so many kitchens in contemporary homes open on to family rooms. White appliances, in fact white cabinets for that matter, look very kitchen-y and people don't want that look when they're seeing their kitchen every time they look away from the TV. I don't have anything against all white kitchens -- in fact I installed one in my Craftsman bungalow when I lived back East -- but they don't really go with either California or Southwest looks. White is a traditional look dating back to the era of closed off kitchens with butler's pantries and black and white tile floors. There are certainly circumstances where you can do an open kitchen in white with modern style, but it takes a pretty talented designer to make it cohesive with the rest of a contemporary home.
To address OP's question, I think timeless decorating requires sticking with simple designs, well-made with quality materials. I have a tuxedo-style sofa and Natuzzi barrel chairs in my livingroom. Tuxedo sofas were introduced in the 1930s and barrel chairs became popular in the 1950s, but they look great together since they are both tailored and emphasize function. Many of my wood pieces are old things I refinished, but I never pick anything that's carved or jazzy. I stick with simple forms and sleek hardware and I only buy things that are used for a purpose. I hope when people come to my house they focus more on the art on the walls than the furniture. I don't think anyone could peg my possessions to any particular era, so I trust that will keep them from looking dated.
People who work in home furnishings are pretty amused by the folks who retire here from Michigan, Minnesota, etc., and immediately fill their houses with Mexican pine furniture, Kokopellis, and knock-offs of Native American rugs and pottery when they don't even know anything about the tradition or history of these designs.
That would be me, and I'm not even there yet. My mobile home in TN has been decorated in southwestern for many years. So was my house before this one. Yep, knock-off rugs and pottery, because I couldn't afford the "real" stuff. I don't know the tradition or history of the designs. I just know what I like.
I'm totally not into the sleek, modern styles, or the IKEA type of furnishings. When I move to AZ, my house will be decorated much the same as it is now. I realize it will be a bit dated, but I figure if I ever sell the house, I'll re-decorate a bit to make it more modern looking. That's what I'm doing to my current house right now. I packed up most of the southwestern decor and re-decorated with more modern things that match the remodeling better, to make it look more updated to sell. Bought the modern stuff used and cheap, and will leave it behind and take all my southwestern decor with me.
What is the new trend for carpet in the Phoenix area. Tired of same o, same o. But is textured carpet the new thing that will stay a while? Where to buy?
I put berber downstairs into a home we built in Indiana, and plush upstairs. That was 7 yrs ago and when the berber fell apart like a cheap K mart sweater, we put in a coco frieze textured. The carpet consultant had attempted to steer us towards this when we built, but it looked like shag to me.
Now I love frieze, and we hated to leave it in our IN home-we now have it in our new rental. Its a nice look, the multi tones hide dirt and the rich texture in pleasant to look at and walk on. Just stick with a moderate height, not a hi shag look. Any home center has it, and its reasonable. Ask for frieze- pronounced "free-zay". I think its a safe bet to install for several more years.
My favorite part of our new SW lifestyle in creating an outdoor dining space. We had no outdoor table when we moved but I found a great wooden set of planked wood table and 4 chairs on trashday while exploring neighborhoods. In Gilbert people just leave all the junk out once per month. It was dog eaten on the edges, so I painted it turquoise and glazed it brown and olive- now it looks like the PotteryBarn distressed SW style! There is a store here called the Potato Barn that is very cool! I got a PotteryBarn type carved wood console table for our new flatscreen ( we had a massive tube TV in IN!)that was less than half the PB price, equal in quality to be sure.
I love IKEA, but some of its too modern for me- but if love modern you may want to consider starting fresh with IKEA when you move here. Just make sure you have a hex wrench expert handy!
I put berber downstairs into a home we built in Indiana, and plush upstairs. That was 7 yrs ago and when the berber fell apart like a cheap K mart sweater, we put in a coco frieze textured. The carpet consultant had attempted to steer us towards this when we built, but it looked like shag to me.
Now I love frieze, and we hated to leave it in our IN home-we now have it in our new rental. Its a nice look, the multi tones hide dirt and the rich texture in pleasant to look at and walk on. Just stick with a moderate height, not a hi shag look. Any home center has it, and its reasonable. Ask for frieze- pronounced "free-zay". I think its a safe bet to install for several more years.
My favorite part of our new SW lifestyle in creating an outdoor dining space. We had no outdoor table when we moved but I found a great wooden set of planked wood table and 4 chairs on trashday while exploring neighborhoods. In Gilbert people just leave all the junk out once per month. It was dog eaten on the edges, so I painted it turquoise and glazed it brown and olive- now it looks like the PotteryBarn distressed SW style! There is a store here called the Potato Barn that is very cool! I got a PotteryBarn type carved wood console table for our new flatscreen ( we had a massive tube TV in IN!)that was less than half the PB price, equal in quality to be sure.
I love IKEA, but some of its too modern for me- but if love modern you may want to consider starting fresh with IKEA when you move here. Just make sure you have a hex wrench expert handy!
Very creative of you and I love the table you redid. We were having trouble finding pendant lights for our new counter and could only find expensive art glass that we liked. My husband stumbled on some frosted turquoise glass flower pots that we drilled holes in and turned into pendants. They are certainly one of a kind, lol. I also like IKEA for storage ideas.
What I see a lot of around here which I don't particularly care for are the doorless master bathrooms, with a water closet. What's up with that? Firstly, if one partner gets up in the middle of the night or earlier than the other, the glaring light from the doorless room can very annoying to the remaining sleeper; the water runnnig in the sink can seem quite loud in the still of the night, without a door to buffer some of that sound. Secondly, I like having some privacy while relaxing in the tub and reading a book. A door would also mute the soft music I like to play in the background. Thirdly, I dislike having to make sure I take that relaxing bath before my husband goes to sleep, so as not to disturb him due to that open room. (He gets up for work well before dawn during the summer and sometimes goes to sleep much earlier than I do.) My preference would be to take a bath before I go to sleep. Additionally, it's impossible to squeeze both a small trash can and a magazine rack in most water closets. Some of the water closets are so small, one actually has to sit on the toilet before having enough room to close the door, if so inclined.
I know I can decorate the doorway to the bathroorm with drapes, but to me that's a bit tacky - especially if the drapes are not tied back framing the doorway. I like "regular" bathrooms with a door to the room. When we were looking at existing newer homes, that didn't seem to be an option. Lastly, I think doorless bathrooms will look dated sooner than later, too.
I totally agree with the "doorless master bathrooms!" We bought our home in Chandler in November, 2009. When we were searching for homes all we saw was the doorless bathroom. One of my favorite things in the house we did find was a huge/high-ceiling master bathroom with an actual door!
I also agree with the other posts about AZ homes not having the nicer finishings such as crown molding, nicer baseboards, etc. We have slowly started adding those things to our home. Crown molding in the dining room now.
Last edited by Kimballette; 07-24-2011 at 03:48 PM..
Reason: fixed quote tags
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My mobile home in TN has been decorated in southwestern for many years. So was my house before this one. Yep, knock-off rugs and pottery, because I couldn't afford the "real" stuff. I don't know the tradition or history of the designs. I just know what I like. 
