From Cowboy Ranches to Adobe Farms: How to Make a Western-Inspired Interior Without Being Kitsch

Many of the more rustic elements of English or European country house decor combine surprisingly well in a rustic Western space. Emma Burns lists “floral chintzes, voiles, toiles de Jouy, patchworks, sprigged cottons, striped poplins, nubby linens, vintage market finds and Indian prints” as fabrics that worked well in her cabin interior. After all, the influence of European immigrants has been strong in this part of the world, and such designs can lend lightness and beauty to the more monumental elements of log cabin walls, stone fireplaces, and antlers. Emily Janak brought in textiles from Pierre Frey, Brunschwig & Fils, Antoinette Poisson, and other French textile houses to soften the Wyoming log cabin she decorated, even salvaging a pair of Molesworth armchairs in Schumacher fabric. All of this can pair wonderfully with the textiles that everyone agrees should be at the center of any Western interior, traditionally made Native American rugs, especially Navajo designs. The art, craftsmanship and connection to nature that these textiles convey are deeply appreciated by all designers who have anything to do with the West. Vintage textiles may be the most coveted (and valuable), but Maida Branch makes beautiful reproductions in an authentic, traditional style. “Even if they are reproductions, whether they are made with wool and natural dyes or made from wool, they will hold up the space no matter the design.”

And this authenticity is the root of what a Western interior should strive for (or what we, in other landscapes, should take away from this style). As Meta Coleman says, “There is honesty and simplicity in the materials. It is an unpretentious style, rooted in the desire to highlight the beauty of nature and the Western landscape.”