Adding Texture: Enhancing Your Home's Interior Design
Visual texture is a powerful yet often overlooked element. It's not just about how a surface feels to the touch but also how it appears to the eye.
Understanding and incorporating texture can transform a flat, uninspired space into a dynamic, visually pleasing environment.
Let's delve into what visual texture is in interior design and how you can effectively incorporate it into your home.
What is texture in interior design?
Texture refers to how things look and feel - the perceived surface quality of a piece of furniture or decoration. This perception can be influenced by light, shadow, colour, and material.
Unlike tactile texture, which you can feel with your hands, visual texture is experienced through sight. For instance, a wall might appear rough or smooth, soft or hard, based on its visual texture, even if it feels entirely different to the touch.
Why is visual texture important in interior design?
Adds depth and interest
Visual texture prevents a space from feeling flat and monotonous by adding accenting to the space. With various textures in the space, you create layers that add depth and interest, making the room feel more dynamic and engaging.
Balances a space
Texture can be used to balance a room by contrasting different elements. For example, pairing a rough wooden coffee table with a smooth, glossy armchair creates a harmonious blend that prevents any single element from overpowering the space.
Highlights focal points
Textures can draw attention to specific areas or features within a room. A textured accent wall or a patterned rug can serve as a focal point, guiding the eye and adding visual intrigue.
Enhances emotional response
Different textures evoke different feelings. Soft, plush textures can make a room feel cosy and inviting, while sleek, smooth textures can impart a sense of modernity and sophistication.
How to incorporate texture into your home
Use textured fabrics
Textured fabrics like velvet, linen, sherpa, and wool can introduce softness and richness to a room. Such textures can add both visual and tactile interest, enhancing the sensory experience of the space.
Choose upholstered furniture with textured fabrics to add a sense of luxury and comfort. A leather sofa with a glossy smooth finish, or a velvet armchair with a luxurious sheen can become the centrepieces of a room.
Use cushions and throws in different textures to add layers to the sofas and beds. For example, if you have a fabric sofa, you can decorate it with knitted throws or velvet cushions.
@beigewhitegray combines the Jonathan Leather Sofa with a fabric sofa.
@bymeghang keeps the seating area comfy with a large knitted throw. Pictured: The Colette Swivel Armchair in Teddy Brown.
Combine textured furniture
Textured furniture can significantly influence the overall character and mood of a room as different textures convey different styles and atmospheres.
For instance, combine rough wooden dining tables with polished metal dining chairs to make the dining space more contemporary and sophisticated. Leather and fabric are also a classic combination that brings contrasting textures together to balance each other out.
With different textured furniture, @kennyfortaleza creates a dynamic living space. Pictured: The Harper TV Console.
The Theo Round Dining Table with a glass table top fits perfectly with the Austen Chairs. Picture credits: @elainshan.id
Layer textures with rugs
Just like how having no texture at all creates a flat space - the same also goes if you have the same texture throughout your house.
That said, rugs are an excellent way to introduce multiple textures into a room because they cover large surface areas and can anchor the design of the space.
Layering rugs can add depth, warmth, and visual interest, making the floor a significant design element rather than just a background.
Recommended read: Ultimate Guide to Living Room Area Rugs
The Cassidy Swivel Chair features performance fabric, while the Cora Wool Area Rug is made from 100% wool. Also pictured: The Aria Arch Floor Mirror.
The Mira Wool Area Rug creates the perfect zone for the Fable Performance Fabric Sofa and Xander Leather Swivel Armchair.
Incorporate wall treatments
Walls are one of the largest surface areas in a room, meaning any changes to them will have a substantial impact on the overall look and feel of the space.
Textured wall treatments can transform a bland, flat wall into a striking feature that sets the tone for the entire room. They serve as backdrops for other elements like furniture, artwork, and decor, and can enhance these elements by providing a complementary or contrasting background.
Wood panelling and decorative moulding like wainscoting can frame a room and create visual separation between walls and ceilings or floors. They can be also used to enhance the architectural integrity of a space and add a touch of luxury.
If you live in a rental home, opt for something low maintenance like embossed wallpapers with raised designs to add detail and texture.
The wooden panels on @liz.amaya.style add character and warmth to the living space. Pictured: The Fable Performance Fabric Sofa and Albie Travertine Round Coffee Table.
@lindseypedey creates a charming and cosy bedroom with a patterned wall and wainscoting. Pictured: The Dalton Storage Bed and Faro Sculptural Floor Lamp.
Add small decorative accessories
Small decorative items can add texture and personality to your home without overwhelming the space. They are easy to change and update, allowing for style shifts.
Ceramics and pottery are great options to incorporate texture into your home. They emphasise the wabi-sabi notion that appreciates beauty that is imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete in nature. This would tie in beautifully with the Japandi interior design.
Textured art pieces add a three-dimensional aspect to your walls, breaking the flatness in the space. Hang tapestries, 3D wall art, or mixed media art to add dimension and intrigue.
@foongfamilyflat adds character and personality to their living room with a several decorative elements. Pictured: The Marlow Performance Bouclé Armless 2 Seater Sofa.
This minimalist bedroom by @kerrieann.jones features the Rochelle Performance Bouclé Bed and Mika Burl Wood Side Table.
Bring in natural elements
Natural elements like wood, stone, and plants offer rich textures that introduce a sense of groundedness and connection to nature.
Choose plants with different textures to create visual interest. For example, pair the feathery leaves of a fern with the smooth, waxy leaves of a succulent. This contrast highlights the unique qualities of each plant.
Other natural elements you can consider incorporating into your space include stone, such as marble dining tables and stone sculptures, or wood like hardwood flooring and wooden furniture.
The Wayne Armchair finds itself in a cosy space by the TV. Picture credits: @interiors.by.bec
To maintain balance and cohesion, @twopotatoesinasack opts for the Sawyer Rectangular Dining Table to blend into their home seamlessly. Also pictured: The Sloane Cane Chair.
Introduce texture into your home
Texture in interior design is more than a visual detail; it’s a crucial element that brings life and personality to a space. By understanding visual texture, you can create rooms that are not only beautiful but also rich in depth and character.
From fabrics and furniture to walls and accessories, the possibilities are endless. Embrace the power of texture to elevate your home and make every room a tactile and visual delight.
