During the early years of the 20th century, the Pueblo-Spanish Revival or “Santa Fe Style” became an important influence on the architecture of northern New Mexico. The style combined elements from regional vernacular idioms in a way that was unprecedented. But its unusual appearance prompted an important question: What should a Santa Fe Style interior look like? In 1915, archaeologist Sylvanus Morley claimed the interior design of these new buildings should be “a matter of personal taste.” Neverthless, a very specific ensemble of decorative art soon became characteristic. Inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, Native American design, and the traditional arts of Spanish New Mexico, Santa Fe Style rooms signaled New Mexico’s cultural identity as intentionally and effectively as the buildings that surrounded them. During the 1920s, an iconic New Mexico interior became formalized with a series of important designs including the de la Peña House. Artist Frank Applegate furnished the house which was featured in several publications, including the December 1930 issue of Ladies Home Journal (the most popular women’s magazine of the era). By the mid-1930s, the style had spread throughout New Mexico, where it appeared both in small domestic contexts and in large public commissions. In this illustrated talk, Lillian Makeda will discuss the historic designs that shaped the Santa Fe Style and that continue to epitomize the New Mexico room at its most distinctive.