Hyphens when using "something + style" to describe something?

He lit the fire Cherokee style.

or:

He lit the fire Cherokee-style.

I have seen both. Which is correct?

And, if it's the second option, then what about "multiple words + style"? E.g.:

She organized the view spiral staircase style.

versus:

She organized the view spiral-staircase-style.

(which looks very wrong)

Solution 1:

You should use hyphens when the phrase appears as an adjectival phrase—just as you would any compound modifier—for example,

The Cherokee-style headdress was quite impressive.

In your example, it appears to be an adverbial phrase, in which case, I believe hyphens are not warranted. You may add an (optional) comma to avoid confusion:

He lit the fire, Cherokee style.

She organized the view, spiral-staircase style.

In the second, sentence 'spiral-staircase' is an adjectival phrase describing 'style'.