I love that look, too, although I don't have it at home. It has many variations. Santa Fe, NM, is very, very beautiful.

Gorgeous! I live in Arizona, and I agree, there are a lot of different variations on the theme. In Sedona, there's a marked Hopi influence; in Phoenix, it's more of a Mexican style. Some of my favorites combine modern standards - industrial, steel, concrete - with very romantic and rustic Spanish colonial and Native American styles. I long to renovate my rental with red clay roof tiles, poured concrete floors, timber ceilings, Saltillo, and wrought iron.

A few summers ago, I got to stay overnight at Edie Sedgwick's old house in southern California. It was a beautiful, sprawling ranch house with a sort of Spanish meets ranchero style. Here's the link, although the pictures look a lot different than what I remember. It didn't use to be for rent - it was the home of the Reserve's director.
http://sedgwick.nrs.ucsb.edu/facilities/ranch-house

These are nice, but in the first one... even if it is an antique, if I walked into a house and saw a rhino horn on display like that, I would have a hard time not vomiting all over their pristine rugs and immediately leaving. I enjoy a good antique curiosity as much as the next person, but I can't separate someone displaying a horn like that from the absolutely inhuman cruelty it has come to represent. Not cool.

Definitely a look I love.

The first photo is of an Italian interior. Although certain Mediterranean features can be found in the New World due to the Spanish influence, there is nothing uniquely SW in the photo.The carpets are either Orientals or Aubussons, the art is typically Italian. Moreover, ain't no rhinos in the SW: completely agree with Holler.

I liked the 1st one the best, mostly because there was something so medieval about it (not SW at all!).
@ HOLLER: Here's hoping its a fake Rhino horn!

I just told my husband last night that the 80's are coming back in style, design-wise. I've seen teal couches, wallpapered light switches, and more. I predicted that southwest style would be cool again. Now if I could just predict the stock market.....

Hope it's fake too. But still pretty unconscionable to use it as decor . . . .

Love the Southwestern style! I lived in Tucson for five months while studying abroad, and, actually, it looked like a slightly smaller version of the first picture... (Minus any rhino horns, promise!)

Agreed about the first picture not really being south west design except for maybe the ceiling

It might not look southwest, but it certainly looks colonial. Spanish can look quite similar to Italian.

OMG, rhino horns, really? And the magazine didn't see these reactions coming before they sent that issue to print.

Geeeeezzzzzz, I think we are supposed to be looking at the overall decor (which is not 80's, the southwest and its style has existed for a bit longer) and not picking apart what may or may not be a real rhino horn. Agree, not cool if real but...
I do live in Arizona and love the romance of the old masonry and sausalito tile and yes, turquoise. I love how mexican, native american, and rancher culture translate into home decor.

I grew up in Arizona, and remember when "southwest" style really started to take off in the late '70s - early '80s. At first I didn't mind it, but after awhile I thought it became sort of oppressive and cliche. Hotels, shops and offices started to plaster "southwestern" colors, furniture and accessories all over spaces where they were completely out of place.

Now whenever I see it I just reflexively cringe. It does look alright I suppose in an appropriate setting, but if I never see another room tarted up in turquoise, pink and brown again it'll be too soon.

The examples above are very nice. It can be difficult to do SW and avoid having it turn out like a Mexican restaurant.