Turn your home into a retreat that speaks of the beauty and color of the Southwest landscape and culture. Southwestern style is unlike anything else and places an emphasis on an inviting, warm atmosphere while melding influences from Native American and Mexican cultures.

Your foundation color should find inspiration in a neutral adobe or terra cotta tone. Select accent colors that occur naturally in a tawny Southwestern landscape, including green, both vibrant and muted blues, and the warm-toned yellows and oranges of mountain ranges and mesas bathed in sunlight.

Southwestern style rooms require hard floors, like wood or terra cotta tiling that flows with the room's more natural, shaped-by-the-land vibe. Toss on a couple of beautiful, hand-crafted Navajo rugs with simple, geometric patterns like stripes or diamonds for authentic Southwestern flavor.

The type of fixtures you decorate your room with depends on your preference. Lamps with pottery bases in earthen colors are an appropriate choice, but so are sconces with hammered tin shades, floor lamps with wooden frames and Tiffany-style lamps with darker, geometric patterns that recall Navajo rug designs.

Less polished than furniture found in a traditional room, Southwestern pieces should be more solid looking and rustic. Nevertheless beauty can be found in the grain of the wood, and the craftsmanship of its characteristic straight lines, molding, slats and iron decoration. Mission furniture is a handy style to use in a pinch, as the designs are the soul of practicality and function.This style is actually rather minimalist in approach.

Accent your living space with some lovely pottery and indigenous paintings and sculpture to achieve a more authentic look in your Southwestern styled home.

If you're still looking for inspiration for your Southwestern styled retreat, plan a trip to New Mexico, Arizona, or Texas. These states are rich in Native American and Mexican culture and should give you an excellent idea of how to create an authentic style in your home.