How to use textures in interior?

Have you ever stepped into a room, where everything seems perfect? Nevertheless, space leaves you with a feeling of emptiness. Modern concrete walls and digital communication through emails and emojis created a smooth glass and metallic jungles, where we miss real tactile experience. Flat interiors don’t resonate with our inner peace and ruin a feeling of warmth and harmony.

Thus we see new interior design trends deviating to curvy and wood furniture as well as a big emphasis on tactile interiors. Today we are going to talk about layering textures and its superpower in elevating an interior.

Textures superpower

Luxurious interior designs are widely focused on pretty objects that look great and might even be functional, but lack the tactile experience. Touching a fluffy texture of rug while dancing on Friday, touching a cold marble surface while drinking your morning coffee or noticing how sun rays reflect on the coffee table’s bronze elements. It is all about the feel and touch of an interior space just as much as what’s in it.

How to create these warming tactile experiences in your design? Let’s first explain what texture means in interior design.

What is Texture?

Texture can be defined as “the sensations caused by the external surface of objects received through the sense of touch.” To make things more understandable, the texture is how things feel. While textures are usually not given the right praise it deserves, the right combination of fur, glass, metal or wood adds depth to your design.

Bad examples of using texture in the interior

Leaving aside the topic of designs’ subjective nature. I believe we can all agree that the following texture combination is visually unpleasant to look at. The big pattern is too distracting and creates a feeling of irritation and discomfort. Let’s explain the reasons why.

Although, we see a similar color palette and neutral tone combination is good. Moreover, furniture and plan designs are on point. We see the right choice of proportions. However, a wrong combination of textures simply ruins it all.

We can highlight 3 main rules that you need to consider while playing with textures:

1. Textures should follow one style only
2. Big and small textures should be combined
3. Contrasting textures should be blended with more neural, less contrasting elements

Textures combinations that always look stunning

Leather and Wood

Leather and wood are timeless classic combination used in many mid-century modern furniture pieces. The textured combination always looks stunning and adds a masculine character to any interior scheme.

Interior designers usually recommend avoiding using high textured leather with high textured wood elements. Ideally, you want to see leather stand out next to sleek, waxed finished wood finishes.

Metal and Glass

Metal and Glass give a little more oomph to any room. Bronze heavy elements soared with glass transparent nature combine the best of the two words. Bronze dining and coffee tables are true show stoppers.

Surrounded by upholstered furniture, fuzzy pillows, and wooden shelves, light-reflective surfaces of metal and glass inject glamour to an interior and acts as a visually striking contrast.

Small steps to incorporate texture into an existing color scheme

Pillows, lamps, greenery, and chairs can bring a room together, where the interior lacks warms. Together or separately these simple pieces can easily add dimension and a splash of fun into any room.

Pillows

Affordable and few clicks away from you — pillows are true game-changers. From fluffy and colorful to leather and metallic pillows is an easy step to transform any chair, sofa or bed.

Lamps

Decorating vertical spaces is as important as decorating horizontal spaces such as throwing a blanket on a sofa near a few pillows. Vertical lamps with different textures ad harmony to the compositions and allows you to layer lights to bring brightness to the dullest corners.

Lamps with glass and metallic finishes beautifully reflect the light and ad vertical balance.

Plants

There is nothing like a small jungle in a room. Plants create a feeling of healthier and connected with a natural atmosphere. Something we strive in a concrete jungle. They not only clear the polluted air but also harmoniously inject texture. A big Fig tree or ZZ plant next to a sofa are great options that don’t need much of your attention.

Seating

A bold colored lounge chair or statute like stools transform any interior and make it look stunning. A curvy furniture trend is a particularly interesting option for those seeking something artistic and fun.

And textures of seating that range from walnut wood, leather, marble, Japanese bronze or plastic — a playground of options that you can choose as a contrast to existing interior design.

Simply compare what is already present and add new seating furniture in contrast. It will change the whole dynamic of your apartment.

Take outs from this article:

One last time I’d like to bring your attention to the importance of textures in interior design. We’d looked at bad examples of overplaying with textures that come from different styles, very contrasting and bold. A balance is what differentiates a good interior design from a bad one.

1. Leather and Wood furniture is a perfect composition if leather’s texture dominates.
2. Glass and Metallic finishes add a reflective surface that visually changes the dynamic of the interior.
3. Pillows, Lamps, Seating furniture, and Plants are simple yet powerful finishing tools to bring together any interior composition.