A Unique ProposalA Unique Proposal

If you love the desert and the sun but don't live in the Southwest, you can still bring that warm atmosphere into your home with your décor. Here are just two ideas to get you started.

Hang Southwestern Landscape Paintings

Southwestern landscape paintings can be incredibly beautiful additions to your décor because a lot of artists use the strength of the landscape's natural complementary colors. For example, you could get a painting with orange geological formations, which are set against a backdrop of blue sky.

If you remember learning about complementary colors in grade school, you'll remember that orange and blue are on the opposite sides of the color wheel, and they naturally look really good together. In fact, the Smithsonian magazine says that there is a scientific reason complementary colors look good together, as they stimulate different nerve receptors in the eye and each color brings out the other's intensity.

Besides looking at different complementary color palettes, you could look for paintings that have an en plein air style. En plein air simply means "painting outdoors." This type of method is different from studio painting, where an artist might use a reference photo and make up colors/light sources. En plein air paintings can be especially beautiful because the artists try to capture the natural light and shadows of the scenery. Instead of getting just one painting, you could get a series of en plein air paintings to display since some artists like to capture the same landscape with different variations of light and shadow as the sun moves and the clouds shift.

If you aren't sure where to start looking for artwork to display, consider reaching out to an art gallery or dealer that has Southwestern landscape paintings for sale. These types of professionals can work within your price range and can recommend pieces that would go well with the furniture and décor you already have in your home.

Pick up Real or Faux Desert Plants

Despite the arid climate, the Southwest has lots of unique vegetation, like cactuses, yuccas, mesquites, etc. While you may not live in a climate that's suitable for outdoor desert plants, you could get succulents—plants with thick, fleshy leaves that retain water—or smaller cacti for inside. While these plants will need adequate sunlight, succulents and cacti are very hardy, low maintenance plants and work well for indoor décor. If you are worried about the plant dying, there are faux desert plants that you can get at home goods stores that look very realistic; you could put them in wooden containers or ceramic planters. Smaller succulents could sit on shelves nearby your Southwestern painting and work as accent pieces.

These are just two decorating ideas to keep in mind for your home. An art gallery may have many other ideas on how to decorate your home with sculpture, mixed media, photography, and so on.