Southwest-style architecture, typically found in the American region it's named after, has several features that typically classify a home as southwestern style.
Stucco or stone walls. These materials do a fantastic job of insulating the home from the blazing summer heat and keeping heat inside the house on cold desert nights.
Flat or shallow roofs. Since most Southwestern house plans are built in the desert, the lack of rain or snowfall makes the need for a sloped roof irrelevant, and flat roofs are more cost-effective and easier to build.
Red tile roofs. This throwback to Spanish colonial homes is a giveaway for Southwest house plans. The red clay used in the tile is also highly reflective of the sun's heat, helping to keep the roof, thus the home, cooler all year round.
The architectural elements described above developed to create a southwest-style house partially to cope with the weather in southwest North America several centuries ago while integrating many existing design elements of Spanish colonial and Mediterranean architecture at the time. The result is an organic style that blends with the elements.
Haciendas, large estates with dwelling houses, conjure images of large, luxurious homesteads. While this can certainly be true, just as often, Southwest house plans can be scaled down to reflect a more modest lifestyle with smaller footprints and less land. America's Best House Plans include a range of Southwest house plans between 972 square feet to over 8,000 square feet with a medium range of 2,500 square feet.
In general, Southwest-style homes are appreciated for their beauty and simple appeal while adding a nostalgic and specific design charm characterized by warm earth tone color palettes, rough textures, terra cotta brick, and patterned tile work, and either flat adobe roofs or the ever-present red tile clay roofs. Often, there are neutral color palettes, but a dramatic flair exists when adding bold reds, bright yellows, deep greens, sea turquoise, and warm oranges to the mixture. Outdoor lush gardens or minimal desert terrain add a sense of wonder and awe to the landscape, and the addition of indoor elements like brightly colored rugs, oversized furniture, and signature colors that define the Southwest offer refreshing appeal and a nod to nature. A common thread with Southwest house plans is the sense of warmth and character these homes bring to the landscape and those who build and occupy them.