You’re a huge fan of the West! You love to watch or read Westerns and get excited whenever you see a unique new piece of Western decor. You’ve decided to create a Western living room, whether it’s a rustic or modern Western space, but now… it’s one thing to look at decorations and another to make them all look good together. You can get started with some of these Western Decor Ideas For Your Living Room.
1) Western Boot Vases
Western boots, or “cowboy boots,” are an iconic part of the American West. Countless people have walked away from amusement parks or boot outlets in popular tourist attractions with these boots on. That said, did you know that they can be part of your living room decor, too? We found this vase that looks like a brown and turquoise Western boot. The authentic colors and wear marks on the boots add a touch of realism, too.
2) Western Movies
If you love watching Western movies, you can make them a part of your Western living room! You can add plaques from your favorite Clint Eastwood movie like these “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” plaques, or find wall art with your favorite quote. This is definitely the place for signed photographs, and if you have any family photos or movie art, they’d look marvelous on a gallery wall in a prominent place. For a gallery wall, try to have some horizontal and some vertical pieces, or even vary the shapes with some round and some rectangular frames.
3) Rustic Wood Furniture
There are different types of Western living rooms, from Hollywood Western to rustic to authentic modern. For a rustic Western look, you’ll want some rustic wood furniture like the piece in this video. The neat thing about a rustic look is that you can find inexpensive pieces at flea markets and online and just fix them up a bit like Tanya from Free Range Cottage did. The nice thing about fixing them up is that you can choose the stains you use. If you want, you can buy new rustic-looking pieces that are ready to install, though.
4) Cow Skulls
You’ve probably seen any number of cows in old Western movies, and maybe you’ve seen cow skull decorations. It’s traditional to paint or decorate cow skulls somehow, but nowadays, there are so many unique ways that people can display cow skulls. You don’t even need a real one! If you don’t want real skulls in the house, try something like the decorative hanging sculpture in this living room, or find something else cow skull-shaped to display.
5) The Lord
Religion is vital in the West, despite the low number of churches relative to other regions. Many people come to the modern West because they’re looking to live in a time period that hasn’t existed for a long time and looking to practice that in a solitary Western manner, for that matter. So a religious wall decoration like this one that tells people you still believe in the Lord is an excellent way to show that you’re a true Westerner at heart.
6) Miner Lanterns
It’s hard to watch a Western movie without seeing at least one mine, whether it’s a railroad tunnel or coal mine, and miners played a major role in building the real American West. That’s why mine-themed decorations are appropriate if you’re designing the living room as a monument to the old West, with historical themes that are often overlooked. For example, you can try putting these lamps that look like miners’ lanterns on end tables for reading.
7) Unstained or Lightly Stained Trim
One thing a lot of people don’t tell you about the West is how dry it is. While many shows are set in pine forests of the Northwest, still more depict the desertlike atmosphere that’s most common. If you want to mimic the rustic environment and dried-out wood of an old-time western home, unstained or lightly stained wood could create a rustic Western look. You can see the effect it has in this farmhouse living room. Reject fence posts that don’t pass factory inspection are also an excellent DIY project resource if you live in an area with many ranches.
8) We Don’t Call 911
At some point or another, you’ve probably heard the assertion, “we don’t call 911.” This can be a threat, but it’s ultimately an assertion of independence that’s often essential in the rural West. If paired with some six-shooters, this “We don’t call 911” sign would be an excellent decoration to create a Western vibe in your living room. This is a more modern Western decoration, roughly equivalent to word art in other decorating themes, but it has a rusty look and is three-dimensional.
9) Blue and Orange
While many people picture the natural tones and dusty look of a cowboy from their favorite movie, there are many vibrant colors that were popular in the old West and particularly the Southwest. Blue and orange are popular colors, as is red. Of course, turquoise would be the most authentic shade of blue, but any will do if you include them with Western decorations. For example, the orange and blue patterned pillow in this living room has a Western design that helps set the theme.
10) Native American
There are many reservations in the West, and they often retain more of their original culture than the Native tribes in the East. Since European civilization advanced more slowly in the West and the area is more rural, Native Americans lived their traditional ways of life more recently in the West than elsewhere, with the exception of the West coast. Native American designs are often associated with the old West, and few Westerns manage to omit them, so getting decorations with Native patterns like these throw pillowcases would be an amazing way to recognize that.
11) Barnwood Picture Frames
Barnwood is one of the best ways to create a rustic look. The wood has a rustic, weathered look that’s perfect for mimicking the years of wear, tear, and weathering that things would go through in the Western deserts or in times when homes were more rustic. Barnwood picture frames like these ones from Amazon are one way to create a rustic Western look. However, you’ll need to combine them with Western-themed photographs and other distinctly thematic decorations.
12) Southwestern
It’s a lot easier to find Southwestern art and patterns than any other type of Western decorations. Southwestern decorating is popular, and it’s probably the most vibrant look you could get. You can use some of the advice from this Casa de Cowboy video to create a Southwestern room like theirs, or simply create a neutral look and layer Southwestern decorations on top of it. For example, you could start with a simple beige couch and off-white walls, but then get Southwestern throw blankets and wall art.
13) Cowboy Boot Wall Decorations
Western-style riding boots, or “cowboy boots,” are one of the most iconic and popular Western decorations, but how do you include them in your room? After all, shoes aren’t usually a decoration. If you’re not creating an authentic rustic living room, you can use them almost anywhere to create the aesthetic you want. For example, you can get cowboy boot wall art like this. The piece is flat enough that you could use it to spice up a gallery wall since it has a very different texture from most pieces.
14) Texas Longhorns
Texas is, of course, one of the most well-known parts of the West, and we wouldn’t be giving you complete advice if we didn’t mention them at least once. Texas is, of course, famous for its longhorns, and this region is called cattle country for a reason. This image of a Texas longhorn would be in its proper place on your gallery wall, along with some Western boot sculptures and photographs of your favorite actors. Try black and white photos of your family, too.
15) DIY Rustic Wood Beams
For a rustic Western theme, exposed wood beams would probably be one of the best major changes you could make so that the entire room would feel Western. This is a more in-depth change than just hanging decorations, but it also adds so much more to the theme. If you like the idea of making your own rustic beams, you can use this BHG article as a guide. That said, you can always hire a contractor to make sure it’s done right.
16) Black and White Horses
If you want an old-fashioned vibe, like your favorite black and white Western, black and white photographs are one way to create that impression. Even better, you can get photos of black and white horses like these. After all, horses are a lot of what made the West since they were the primary form of transportation before the railroad. These horse photographs even have flat landscapes that resemble something you’d see in the American West.
17) DIY IKEA Hack Western Decor
If you don’t want to pay a ton of money for thematic decorations from an expensive home decor store, you can make your own decorations and even furniture from cheaper sources. IKEA hacks are popular, so we found a Western IKEA hack. In this video from Urbn Muse, you can learn how to make several Western-looking decorations that have a more authentic look than typical resin decor from a home decorating store. The neat thing about DIY decorations is that you can customize them with the colors you like.
18) Waffle Weave Yellow Checks
Yellow checks were popular in the West, and yellow checkered decorations would be excellent, authentic historical decorations for your living room. Even if you don’t like the color yellow, a waffle weave checked blanket like this has a texture and pattern that looks good with Western decor. You can get this same blanket in several different colors if you don’t like the yellow and use it as a throw decoration for the back of your couch.
19) DIY Barnwood Decor
Barnwood comes already weathered, making it the perfect wood choice for Western decorating, particularly if you want a rustic look. By making your own decorations, you can choose something you like and tweak it to make it even better, either by making minor design changes or by changing colors. A barnwood decoration like this piece would look amazing in a Western-themed living room, and the horseshoes are an excellent addition. You could even spruce up a piece of furniture by just adding horseshoes.
20) Burlap
Burlap is useful for making farmhouse decorations, and you can use it to create ranch-themed Western decorations, too. You can use this Stone Gable article to see some of the decorations you can make with burlap and the excellent furniture modifications you could do with a little know-how or a good online tutorial. You can even keep it simple with a table runner for a side table or create a small woven placemat like the one in the article if you know how to weave.
21) Tin Can Decor
Tin cans are another good resource for making your own Western decorations since you can spruce them up to hold flowers or other small decorations. Try punching stars and other Western imagery into them or wrapping them in checkered cloth or burlap. You can also purchase end tables like these from Amazon that are like a cross between tin cans and the barrels Western business owners used to leave outside for people to wash up at.
What kind of Western do you like? How are you sprucing up your room and creating the room you like? There are so many ways to create this theme, and we’re excited to see your comments about your living room! Tell us all about it below.
