Cowboy decorating - Brief Article

Sunset, May, 2000 by Daniel Gregory

A Western look that's easy to live with

Michelle Zehnle relaxes in her favorite armchair, which she used as a focal point in her living room (above right).

You don't have to buy a roomful of cowboy-style furniture to achieve a romantic Western look; one carefully chosen and judiciously placed piece can set the tone for an interior. That's the lesson illustrated by Golden, Colorado--based graphic artist Michelle Zehnle in the decoration of her living room. She used a tan-and-white cowhide-covered armchair from New West of Cody, Wyoming, as her theme setter, and surrounded it with an effective mix of less stylized contemporary and country-style pieces. The result is regional flavor that doesn't look like the parlor of a dude ranch.

The room evolved over time. When Michelle and her husband, Dennis, moved into the new house, their living room furniture consisted of a honey-colored wood coffee table and an end table. Zehnle's first purchase was the big, contemporary olive green sectional sofa, from Ethan Allen. "We have a large family, in addition to two young children, and we do a lot of informal entertaining, so comfort was a priority" she says. The sofa's color also attracted her eye. "Green is my neutral; I used it as the color to build upon," she says. Zehnle already had several kilim accent pillows to break up the sofa's long expanse.

Next came a country-style armoire to house the television and audio equipment. The richly textured red finish complements the green of the sofa, establishing the room's dominant color scheme. Subsequent additions, from the kilim area rug to the rose-patterned cotton curtains, continue the red and green palette, creating a distinctive frame for the tan and off-white hues of the armchair, walls, ceiling, and fireplace surround. The interior design works because the palette is orderly and restrained, without being dull. It corrals that armchair and keeps its cowboy style from running away with the room.

Western style tips

Furniture designer Michael Patrick of New West, a firm that specializes in reinterpreting classic Western design (800/653-2391 or wvvw.newwest.com), offers the following advice for homeowners who are interested in achieving an understated cowboy aesthetic.

* As with any room, let form follow function. Key your decorating to the purpose of the room: If it's a casual purpose like watching TV, keep the decorating casual.

* Use warm colors and textures derived from the land and the environment--including earth tones such as brown, green, and dark red and textures such as wood grain and rock. These are the essence of Western design.

* Carry out the theme with a limited number of smaller elements--wall hangings, accent pillows, or cafe curtains--using Western textiles, from saddle blankets and rugs to fabric with cowboy motifs.

* Avoid a busy look by sticking with one or two patterns throughout the room; for other textiles, use solid-color fabrics, including leathers.

* Found objects can add to the effect--a horseshoe or distinctively shaped rock as a table decoration, for instance.