Lone Star Style: Bring Home a Little Texas with Western Decor

Well, kids, the bluebonnets are definitely in bloom. Taking inspiration from this beautiful flower, bring a little Texas into your home. Western style is strong on the runways, and with our rich heritage and natural resources, it's easy to show your spirit.

Keep your design choices simple and unfettered. There's an ease in living with (mostly) bare necessities. Just make them each the most lush and comfortable necessity available. By using an unstructured décor, avoiding pattern-matched valances and throw pillows, you'll convey a rustic chic instead of country kitsch. For the accessories you do choose, make them Texas-sized. Bold choices in art can act as catalysts for the rest of your interior. Search for sepia-toned photographs, vintage advertising featuring cowboys and girls, scenic or equestrian oil paintings, and 19th century maps. Seek reprints of illustrated maps from Texas' first years of independence or those featuring land grants.

Build your color scheme around the shades of a faded flag. Choose rich blues from turquoise to indigo. Instead of crisp whites, choose creams and sandy beiges. Accent with touched of red - coral, barn red, or rust. Stucco, raw brick, and plank flooring all work well. If you choose a deep rust or blue paint, keep the look clean with crisp cream molding. Window treatments should be easy. Let in plenty of sunlight and spring breezes with long shirred curtains in muslin or sheer cotton.

Get the look of twilight on the prairie with golden lighting. Dispersed through rawhide shades, mica sconces, lanterns, and hurricanes, both candles and bulbs emit a flattering glow. Antique sugar molds, available at the farmer's market, make wonderful candleholders, too.

By keeping the foundation simple, you'll have the luxury of introducing more color and texture with textiles. For the living room and bedroom both, indulge in washed denim, brushed canvas, rough wools, faded cotton prints (especially in small tossed florals), eyelet lace, and of course, buttery brown and caramel-colored leather and suede. Hand-worked details add Western flair: quilting, beading, suede fringe, elaborate burned leather, whip stitching, and nail head trim. Don't be afraid to combine the rugged with the romantic, like pairing a delicate calico comforter with tooled leather throw pillows. Keep your feet cozy with wool throw rugs, or a few rag rugs you can make yourself from fabric remnants.

Focus on furniture with character. The weather beaten look of rough unfinished woods or distressed finishes on modern pieces make them seem they've been loved for years. You can even use outdoor furniture indoors. Rust and oxidation are right at home. Don't forget to gather some wildflowers!

Though cowboy-motif accessories are inarguably cool, introduce them sparingly. Too many icons can give your place the air of a souvenir shop (or an eight-year old boy's bedroom.) Instead, use metal and bone to tie the look together. Hand hammered iron hardware is a perfect choice. Look for custom ironwork online or at estate sales, too.

Gates and ranch signs make dramatic art pieces indoors. Antlers are very hot this spring. If you're not comfortable with the real thing, designers are casting replicas in stainless steel, resin, and Lucite for use in lamp and table bases as well as wall hangings. Forged in sleek materials, the antlers bring a little rock and roll style to the ranch. If your style is more Cowboy Cool than James Dean's Giant, make the look more contemporary with harder touches. Bandana prints in bold colors, black leather, concert posters and gem-stone studded accessories can rock alongside traditional western elements.

Finish your dude ranch by displaying your collection of boots, hats, or belt buckles. No flapjack-sized bull rider buckles in your closet? What kind of Texan are you, anyway?