When seeking a new interior decor style for any part of your home or, simply, accent pieces, believe it or not you may want go back in time and consider Southwestern rustic furniture. This decor affords you the ability to have furniture that is children-resistant due to its toughness, which kids the problem with other types of furniture that children so easily scratch and destroy. Varnishes are used to seal and preserve the wood, and they come in a variety of colors to enhance your already existing furniture or, make a bold statement in any room where the pieces are placed.

An additional advantage to Southwestern rustic furniture is the different styles from which to choose. On the same token, their simplicity makes a definite statement within itself, which clearly denotes, "Less IS more". Luckily, Southwestern rustic furniture has something for every room to include armoires, cupboards, headboards, cabinets, benches, trunks and, yes, even rustic barstools just like the ones in the cantinas of the Old South West.

When you buy Southwestern rustic rurniture, be prepared to have it for a very long time. These individually hand-made pieces are the Tonka Toys of furniture - tough and durable. There is no kid on the face of this earth that is able to destroy or damage them. Some of the different woods and materials used to manufacture Southwestern furniture are pine, fine alder, bent wood, mesquite and old salvaged wood. Other materials uses are twigs, cactus and oak. Rustic pine furniture and oak furniture are highly appreciated.

Remember you can find pieces of Southwestern furniture in Mexican furniture stores.

Rustic Southwestern furniture not only comes in the unfinished, coarse wood look but, also in different colors to fit your already existing decor. These pieces are stained and sealed for protection against termites and other wood-destroying insects. The stains are either sent to you by the company accompanied by and depending on the piece(s) of furniture you've ordered, with material samples which will complement your furniture. Another alternative being offered allows you to send in your own stain color and material, if you already know exactly what you want and would best fit the room where the furniture will go in. There are also colored waxes you may choose from. These are applied by hand, coat-after-coat-after-coat until a thick almost impermeable surface is attained.

Today, Southwestern rustic furniture is not limited to the look of the early pioneers - coarse and unfinished. Even though "coarse and unfinished" is still used and available, now you have more choices in styles, finishes and combination of materials to pick from. If the pieces of furniture you've purchased are for a vacation cabin or farm, then the use of hides instead of cloth materials could be an alternative you may wish to consider. Once again, you have several choices to pick from to match the furniture you already have.

For example, you can have an armoire of plain, unfinished pine wood. Other pine furniture pieces you may use to balance out or accent this or other major piece(s) of furniture may be a twig armchair or a log sofa. A material that is being used and, which is quite remarkable not only for its sturdiness but its visual appeal is cactus, which some companies even import from as far away as Chile. The part of the cactus plant which is used for the making of furniture and accent pieces such as mirrors is, actually, the decayed portion which, due to its exposure to such unforgiving and harsh weather, gives it uneven and unique shadings and hues. Other very popular styles of Southwestern rustic furniture is that which combines wrought iron in pieces such as dining room chairs and tables, headboards, night stands, and coffee and side tables for your living room. Wrought iron designs which complement the Southwestern rustic style are those reminiscent of the old Spaniard influence during the time of the Conquistadores. Old hardware may also be incorporated to give it that look of having been made with pieces left around "the farm" - old, rusted hinges and handles are very popular with trunks and drawers. Another source of material being used are old pieces of wood such as beams and planks, which are being salvaged to hand-make some of the most exquisite Southwestern rustic furniture pieces imaginable.

Any home decorated in the Southwestern rustic style must have a bar - whether it be located in the living room, basement or the den area and, which is reminiscent of the Old Southwestern cantinas. These days, the barstools come in several choices of styles and materials to fit your taste and budget. Some of the ever-popular materials are the sturdy willow log and oak. New tendencies in design include marble inlay designs, as well as different materials such as cactus and wild marsh grass for the seating portion of the barstool, for that distinctive and original look, which also provides longevity to the piece. You can order them stationary or that swivel, with or without back and armrests.

All in all, you simply can't go wrong with today's Southwestern rustic furniture. Whether you opt for the simple, coarse look or the elaborate salvaged pieces with exotic cactus or marble inlay, you know you will have beautiful furniture for a very long time.

Adding a Native drum to your living room as a rustic table is one of the best and most inexpensive ways to add that Southwest flair to your home. A Native American drum can also be used as a musical instrument to enhance the atmosphere when you have guests over.

A good combination of rustic furniture is to place a Native American drum coffee table and drum end table together with a few Southwestern accessories. This will give your home a nice accent. Indian drums also have a certain authentic flair to them as they are widely used in Native American ceremonies or while singing, dancing or during a powwow.

Another interesting and authentic fact behind Native American drums is that the tribal leaders for some Native American groups beat them as a way to get in touch with the Great Spirit and spirit world. The drum itself is considered scared and shows great reverence for the spirit they believe resides within it. This spirit is believed to be Mother Nature and to be able to speak to the person drumming.

The authenticity and beauty of these drums hasn't escaped the notice of many interior decorators that use the drums when decorating their homes. They appreciate the rich heritage that comes with each drum.

Finding these Native American Drums for your rustic themed furniture is fairly. As with all things, check online first as there you can find plenty of Southwestern and American Indian stores.

If you feel like adding a little authentic flair to your home, invest in a Native American drum table.

Using a leather lamp shade is a perfect fit for your home if you're trying to keep a consistent Southwest rustic theme. The different shade colors are perfect for any home type whether it be a Southwestern home, cabin or country house. The shades are made from pig skin and stitched together with natural rawhide laces. You can even use these shades to decorate the chandeliers in your home.

Dyed leather lampshades are pretty popular and used in many restaurants to create a rustic lighting atmosphere. The glow they create has been described as "warm" and "cozy" so these leather lampshades will fit even in your house.

Need a unique glow to your kitchen? A soft pig skin suede shade would be the best option to get what you want. Adding this shade to your Southwestern chandelier (perhaps a wagon wheel or another western inspired item) will combine that typical warm glow with beautifully shaded leather. One such example was a gentleman who had chosen to accent his rustic antler chandelier with a gold colored pig skin shade which brought hid dining room together.

One basic advantage to pig skin shades are that they do not split like rawhide shades. This makes them more resilient towards higher wattage lamps.

Placing a Southwestern rustic leather shade in your bedroom will add some natural beauty flair to it. What's even better is decorating an authentic Southwestern lamp with a leather shade.

If you own a cabin or a lodge and wish to enhance the decor of it through exotic lighting, you should choose to use a wildlife or knotty pine look. Placing a painted leather shade with depictions of moose, elk and deer is a good choice for a cabin setting. Two of the most popular scenes include cowboy cattle drives and horse images.

Adding leather lampshades to your home or cabin is an inexpensive and easy way to inject a little Southwestern rustic beauty into your life, especially if you place them on the tables, floor lamps and chandeliers.

Southwest rustic furniture is not difficult to care for. If you do not remember anything else, remember to NEVER use soap and water. This will cause the grain to rise and ruin your furniture. Something else to remember is that you must be consistent with the brand of polish you use. If you mix oil-based and wax-based polishes, your furniture will appear streaked. Also, never dust dry.