Decorating a second home or rustic retreat can pose its own special challenges. You want to create a different feel for your vacation spot than you have for your main home, yet it must be welcoming and warm. Alpaca rugs, pillows, bedspreads and wall-hangings are a great way to help you do this. Though you may be unfamiliar with alpaca, I can give you a lot of reasons to favor it when accessorizing your rustic getaway.

Alpaca fur is quite special. Most of it comes from alpaca herds high in the mountains of Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. Grown in the frigid temperatures of the Andes, alpaca fur is lightweight, yet extremely warm and soft. The alpaca hairs that make up the fur are stronger and softer than even Merino wool. And tiny curls in the fibers create an unsurpassed silky sheen and softness. Alpaca bedspreads, area rugs and fireplace hearth rugs have a wonderfully smooth and "cushy" feel, without the prickliness associated with ordinary wool.

Alpaca fur rugs and other accessories are thick, luxurious and often incorporate natural outdoors and Southwestern themes that complement a country getaway. Alpaca comes naturally in a warm palette of colors, from total black to grays, reds, browns, silvers, creams and white. Native artisans have used this wonderful variety to create dramatic western and southwestern designs featuring wild horses, bears, buffalo, and howling wolves. The wide color palette available makes it easy to add alpaca accessories as key design elements of your loft, lodge, or country cottage.

Alpaca is also nearly free of lanolin and other oils. This means that dust mites don’t like to live in it, nor do the allergens associated with dust mites. Having no oils makes it harder for dirt to stick, so rugs, bedspreads, and anything else made from alpaca will stay cleaner. And its hypoallergenic qualities make it quite suitable for nurseries, playrooms and kids’ bedrooms. And since alpaca is a remarkably light fur for its volume, it can easily be used as a wall decoration. Simply place your wall hanging where you want it on the wall, and affix it there using pushpins. The pins won’t hurt the alpaca, and the thick fur hides the pinheads from sight.

Here are a few design suggestions to let you see the possibilities:

• Soften up a hardwood floor or fireplace hearth with a fluffy all-white alpaca fur rug. Adding a soft underlay for additional padding can create a special "dreaming space" for you right in front of the fire

• Cover that less-than-exciting couch with an alpaca throw featuring a bold, geometric "indian blanket" pattern

• Fill the space over the mantelpiece with an alpaca tapestry of galloping horses or playful brown bears

• Snuggle in bed on those chilly desert nights under your Kokapelli pattern alpaca bedspread or comforter (Kokapelli is a flute-playing Southwestern fertility deity)

• Warm up the area in front of the sofa with a soft, dense alpaca fur rug perfect for digging your toes in. Integrate a rustic style coffee table or matching alpaca pillows for a more finished look

• Accessorize the walls with alpaca tapestries in high-impact geometric patterns

Or for something completely different, put your own creativity to work! Alpaca rugs, bedspreads, pillows and wall hangings can be custom made to your personal specifications. Most people don’t realize how easy it can be to have a beautiful alpaca accessory created for their personal space. Through US-based businesses, you can work with native craftsmen and craftswomen in Peru who will economically translate your original designs into a finished product. Choose whatever shape, size and color scheme you need to fit your personal design objectives. Modify an existing pattern or supply one of your own. In just a few weeks you can have something to meet your exact decorating needs and in addition you will have the personal satisfaction of owning something made especially for you!