smittycdm Hang on, you’re telling me SW Style is actually back again?! Be still my heart, my husband will be thrilled. I can actually get rid, I mean, part with, all those rugs, weavings, pots, spurs, artifacts (hey, it was the ‘80s) that I picked up in Santa Fe, Rt 66, Acoma Pueblo on my way to ski at Taos. I had to drive from LA to Taos because I had just started my first job, yet could not resist stopping to check out a “deal” along the way.
Loved to visit those beautiful American landmarks on my way: Winslow, the Crater, Sedona when it only had motels, and many other things. And yes, I drove it many times by myself, drafting behind a big-rig. Delicious Frito Pie in the SF Drugstore on the Square. Thanks for the memories.

tsudhonimh Good grief, it's back!

Mercy Me Say it ain't so. I thought the kitschy-koo SW look had been laid to rest, for good. And deservedly so. This will certainly irk the living daylights out of my sister (and many others) who live in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. There is nothing worse than a theme-park look in a home.

Artisanaworks I say, find humor in the kitsch, but reverence and appreciation for the rich cultural history, design and craft behind Southwest Style.

debv8 It can get really 'too much'' when you live up here in Canada, but since my husband and I got married in Santa Fe 20 years ago - and have visited the SW many many times since, we cannot help bringing home pieces of what we love! and his daughter just got married in Taos last June! So guess what>> 2nd generation SW Lovers!!!!

Lanie Brown The first "idea book" I ever compiled - back when we tore pics from magazines and catalogs - was SW style, and guess what: I eventually got married and moved to Texas! But I brought my conservative mid-west style with me.

re8ecca As a Santa Fean, I can say that some of these items are just de rigeur around here - eg, the kiva fireplace and the ristras (aka "hanging dried red chilis"). My husband, a Navajo artist, and I have decorated our home with lovely original artworks from local Native artists, with nary a stereotype in sight (you know who you are, dreamcatcher)!

What I would love to see from Houzz is where actual Southwest design is really going these days, with the integration of clean modern lines into local geographic color palette and natural materials. A local mag, "Su Casa", has some related content worth a look.

Enough with the kitsch and tourista junk. The Southwest has something real to offer, but ironically hip cowboy boot lamps ain't it.

juliewa8 We live in Washington State and are buying a home in Arizona, and can't wait to decorate in the southwestern style! But I agree with re8ecca - we're not into kitsch (much) and would love to see some more sophisticated SW decor ideas.

smittycdm Hi, just one or two more comments: the one place that has all of the above & it looks totally cool & right, is the Taos Inn. Re: all my collected items, well, they are in Hold Everything pull-out boxes under guest room beds and Exposures boxes, in the same guest closets. I just never wanted to give them up.

madelinet Ive been looking for some ideas to update my New Mexico mountain vacation home so I clicked on this article. I have been slowly updating this house since we bought it furnished in 1999. The first thing I did was eliminate the touristy, kitschy items such as those displayed above. Southwest design has come a long way away from this. Would love to see some more attention paid to the current designs of the Southwest on Houzz.

janetmuir I completely agree with many of the comments above - contemporary southwestern design is far from kitsch and should be covered with the respect it deserves from Houzz. There is NOTHING more contemporary than a fine Navajo rug against neutral adobe colors. And the baskets are artistry . . . .