A country-style home can evoke the feeling of being on a farm. Decorate your home in the western style and it is a totally different feeling. Now you’re on a ranch, you feel like cowboys and cowgirls could walk in the door at any moment. You know you want this feeling and maybe even have some ideas for it, but you don’t know where to start. Follow us and we’ll see what we can do to help!
There are many items you can use to give your home that ranch feel, but let’s start with the walls first. Paintings of ranch scenes in rustic-looking wood frames are a good start. You can find them almost anywhere art is sold. Also try antique stores, sometimes you can find a neat old painting in them that would be perfect. If you want to showcase the humorous, yes, humorous side of ranch life, try wood or wood-look signs with funny quotes or sayings. My grandparents had one in the kitchen of a real cattle ranch that said, “Cows may come and cows may go, but the bull around here goes on forever.” This was in the kitchen above the coffee pot. They also had one outside the door saying “Forget the dog, beware the owner!” You may have even seen them in stores or online. How about a horseshoe mirror or coat racks made out of horseshoes? Use your imagination and search the antique stores! You’d be surprised how much horse and ranch related stuff ends up in antique stores everywhere!
Look for statues to place in various areas around the house as well. Place an old pair of boots or a boot sculpture by the door. Remington statues have always been popular, but they are very expensive. You can find similar sculptures for much less money. Candle holders, plates, vases, lamps and other kitchen accessories can also be found in the Western theme. I’ve even seen a rattlesnake bottle holder that would be perfect for a get together with friends! If you really want the feel and want to buy new furniture, choose leather, faux suede, or a Southwestern pattern. Oh yeah, and don’t forget a cowboy hat hanging on a horseshoe coat rack. Make it a double horseshoe rack, add a bow next to the hat and that pair of boots on the floor below them. To give the exterior a western feel, place a wagon wheel against a fence or wall in the garden, or you can place an old plow in a flower bed with low flowers growing around it. A wagon wheel and wooden bench on the front porch invite guests to sit back and enjoy the day. Start with one room and see how it goes. If you like it, have fun with the rest of the house!