Tradition With a Twist
Don’t be afraid to think outside the box when it comes to incorporating Spanish Colonial-style furnishings into your home:

• Use an old piece in a new way. “Try using a bargueño, a Spanish traveling desk, as a nightstand,” suggests David Farca of Touch of History. “And sometimes, a door makes a great headboard.”
• Mix it up. “We’ve found that anything from the 17th century mixes well with Spanish Colonial, whether it’s from France, Italy or even Japan,” says designer Sue Calvin. “Our architecture in the Southwest is large-scale and bold, and these furniture styles not only stand up to it, but look great mixed together in a room.”
• Think about how the furniture works within its environment. Allan Bone says, “Old doors provide a great bang for the buck, as they are wall art and also provide unique texture and presence through the patina they have earned over the years.” He notes that well-positioned lighting can illuminate wall-hung rejas [hand-forged iron window grates] to create intricate shadow play.
• Look beyond furniture. Farca reports that many of his clients are turning to Spanish Colonial designs not just for furniture, but for architecture, too. Calvin concurs: “When we’re involved in the building process, we often try to incorporate Spanish Colonial doors, windows or hand-painted tiles into a home’s architecture.”

Authenticity Check
• For the most authentic furniture, stick to characteristic pieces—a cupboard, caja, side table or an armchair—crafted from local pine or juniper. Look closely and ask a lot of questions. Whenever possible, buy directly from the makers, either in their shops or at one of the Southwest’s excellent craft markets.
• Quality, handmade pieces still are made with dovetail and mortise-and-tenon joinery, and either left natural or lightly coated with a transparent stain to show off the inherent beauty of the wood. Many of the region’s furniture makers jump at the chance to design custom pieces, which offer a distinctive and authentic Southwestern accent to your home. -LM

Consider these options:

Allan N. Bone Gallery
7610 E. McDonald Drive, Suite A
Scottsdale, (480) 922-9533
labodega-antiques.com

Anthony E. Martinez
Santa Fe, (505) 424-3989
anthonyemartinez.com

Rústica Inc.
200 S. Park Ave.
Tucson, (520) 623-4435

Southwest Spanish Craftsmen
314 S. Guadalupe St.
Santa Fe, (505) 982-1767
southwestspanishcraftsmen.com

Spanish Market
Downtown Santa Fe
July and December, (505) 982-2226
spanishmarket.org