Tucson's Beguiling Barrio Style

The minute I discovered barrio style in 2017, I knew it would live forever in my imagination

Mexican, Native American and Western influences converge in this bedroom setup created by Tami Mitchell and her staff at Midtown Mercantile Merchants in Tucson. (Photo: The Velvet Chaise)

In 2017, not long after publishing my first book She Sheds: A Room of Your Own I was invited to do a book signing in Tucson. Tucson is a small desert city that kind of grows on you. I know that because I’ve been going there since the early 70s as a little kid when I visited my dad, who moved there to take care of his elderly parents. Two of my cousins still live in Tucson and I love it because it holds family members, memories… and one of the best design styles I’ve ever seen.

My book signing host Tami Mitchell owns Midtown Mercantile Merchants, a vast antiques and vintage shop that is well known in the Southwest. In honor of the occasion she created a she shed environment, which she called “barrio style.”

I was instantly captivated by its color and mix of ethnic origins. The result was striking and so well done it looked real. I wanted to throw myself onto the brass bed and pretend I was in a Pendleton ad.

Barrio Style Guide

Small adobe homes made with mud bricks and plaster dot the streets of the Barrio Viejo neighborhood in Tucson. Many of these structures were razed to create a more modern landscape but this one remains to show you its cheerful beauty. (Photo: Chantell Moulin Nighswonger | weboughtanadobe)

Ever since then I’ve looked for more good examples of this look. It’s hard to find and I don’t know whether it’s because the genre is not well defined or because I’m calling it by the wrong name. But if Tami dubbed it barrio style, then that’s what it is.

Maybe I’m so far ahead of the design curve it hasn’t caught on yet.

Fast forward to now, when I found this enchanting Tucson adobe owned by Chantell Moulin Nighswonger and her husband. She knows barrio style! (And by the way, this pretty little adobe is available as a vacation rental.) Though small, each room is exquisitely appointed with all manner of handmade and comfortable furnishings. The bedroom in particular captures the barrio style at its finest.

A peek at the Adobe bedroom reveals velvety blue walls hung with pottery and decorative mirrors. The bed’s low wood frame and neutral coverings exudes calm among the color. (Photo: Chantell Moulin Nighswonger)

Like all interior design styles, the barrio style evolved to be in harmony with its surroundings and the home’s architecture. Tucson homes, whether adobe or simple stucco ranch style, are designed for coolness—minimal clutter, no wall-to-wall carpeting, thick walls unadorned by crown molding. The older homes are heavily influenced by Sonoran buildings, with flat roofs, exposed beams and high ceilings. They embrace solid, low-slung furniture, leathers and blanket-style textiles, painted tile and metals like brass, bronze and iron.

The decorative elements often juxtapose feminine and masculine, old and new, colorful and natural. It’s a really fun style in which to experiment: you’ll discover that a geometric patterned rug will bring out the best in a curvy Victorian settee. Cowboy art marries well with a pewter cross or sunburst hanging. Barrio style suggests a world where worlds converge in a totally beautiful way.

I invite you to take a tour of barrio style and consider how this aesthetic might bring life to your rooms.

Detail of the bedroom reveals a starkly functional reading lamp “sconce” with a pull cord. Photo: Chantell Moulin Nighswonger)

Concrete and saltillo tile floors are softened with well-chosen area rugs. (Photo: Chantell Moulin Nighswonger)

Nothing fancy or high-end about this kitchen; it just feels homey. At right, note the contrast between the thick wood shelves and the delicate metal brackets. Photo: Chantell Moulin Nighswonger)

My mother loved Mexican design for its exuberant reflection of the people and their culture. This little eating area resembles a Mexican café, next to a painted tile alcove and distressed china cabinet. Photo: Chantell Moulin Nighswonger)

This pretty bathroom celebrates the design impact of metal, from the oil-rubbed bronze sink fixtures to the art nouveau mirror frame and fanciful double vanity light. Photo: Chantell Moulin Nighswonger)