Your Ultimate Guide to Textures in Interior Design

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Design: Ariane Design Co.

Have you ever walked into a space and sensed the room felt flat, like something was missing? Likely the room lacked texture and dimension. This feeling often happens in single-coloured rooms and makes the space feel lacking in dimension or depth because everything is the same colour. 

Adding texture to a room isn’t difficult if you do it purposefully and with proper planning and coordination. To help you understand the role texture adds to your space, here’s our ultimate guide to using textures in contemporary interior design in your home. 

Why textures are important in interior design

Our eyes crave a break from monotonous environments. They don’t want to see flat, uninteresting spaces but rather spaces full of dimension and intrigue so they can explore. This is why adding contrasting textures to interior design is so important. 

We often talk about designing rooms around focal points or pieces in interior design. Texture can create focal points that stand alone or complement other focal points in the room. They can also be used to provide subtle dimension in a space. 

Textures can be incorporated into your space through textiles (blankets, chair fabrics), wall paint or textures, plants, floor styles, accessories, furniture, and art.

Textures have a direct influence on:

  • Lighting: textures bounce light differently and create shadows you don’t otherwise get with a flat design. 

  • Mood/Emotion: Textures can evoke different moods (i.e., Soft textures can promote calm, and sharp-edged surfaces can promote strength and creativity)

  • Visual Depth: Some texture can make a room appear bigger than it actually is because you’re adding visual depth.

7 timeless textures for contemporary design

Here are some timeless contemporary design trends using texture:

Natural, sustainable textures (Stone, wood, bamboo)

In today’s environmentally aware society, homeowners are leaning into natural and sustainable materials in interior design. Not only do they add a natural element to your space, but they’re also sustainably sourced or made. 

The most common natural, sustainable materials used in contemporary homes include stone (for its unique patterns and textures suitable for walls, floors, countertops and decor items), bamboo (items made from bamboo add a tropical nature feel to your space, and can be found in floors, as decor items, and as a plant like the “lucky bamboo” plant), cork (cork makes for a surprisingly soft and resilient flooring choice), and wood (which will talk about in more detail next).

Medium (or natural) woods

Natural woods, or wood veneer, add a warm, inviting tone to your indoor space. It’s a versatile natural material that can be incorporated through your floor choice, furniture pieces, and even wood panelling on your walls or an accent wall. 

Medium tones work best in most timeless contemporary interior design projects, but we occasionally recommend walnut for mid-century-inspired decor.

Coloured glass

Coloured glass decor accents add a touch of colour, depth and, as some might say, a mystery to your space. Choose glass colours to match or contrast with your room theme and place them on a floating shelf or table, and adorn them with your favourite fresh, seasonal flowers.

Plants

Speaking of flowers, plants and flowers add lively personalization and life to your indoor spaces and unique textures. Fresh flowers in a vase add colour, energy, and texture to your room. Succulents (including aloe and cacti) are easy to care for and are great for adding small pops of texture around your room. Larger, potted plants like ferns or Monstera deliciosa (lovingly known as the “Swiss cheese plant”) are great to fill empty spaces in room corners or beside sideboard tables and couches. 

Consider adding a few real or faux plants in each space to help balance your room with natural, living textures.  

Use contrasting textures

Texture can be overdone. For example, you can overuse wood textures in a space, making it look cluttered and crowded. The use of contrasting textures adds additional dimension and intrigue to a room. For example, you can combine a stone-washed brick accent wall in your bedroom with soft throw pillows and linens on your bed.

Textured walls

Many people think they are limited to different colours of flat paint for their wall texture, but there are many other ways you can add texture to your walls. These texture techniques can be added to all four walls of the space or added to an accent wall. 

Add texture to your walls with:

  • Limewash: Limewash paint is made from crushed limestone heated and mixed with water and coloured pigments to create a chalky, textured paint that gives off an old-world romantic vibe. 

  • Roman Clay: Roman clay can be applied through paint and gives your walls a slight sheen when you leave it unsanded. It has the appearance of stone but feels soft.

  • Venetian Plaster finishes: This plaster is made from fired limestone or marble dust and water. It creates an earthy yet soft texture with unique depth due to the limestone or marble dust. 

  • Wall coverings: Use a large tapestry or art to add dimension to your walls. These can be customized to your room’s theme.

  • Murals: Get a custom-made mural painted on your walls for something unique. These are common in baby nurseries but can be done in any room of your home. 

  • Wallpapers: Introduce wallpapers with patterns, tactile surfaces and visual illusions to add depth to enhance the overall ambiance. 

  • Art: Consider the textures of the pictures and the frames in your choices. 

Antique and vintage furniture

Antique and vintage pieces are full of unique textures and materials and add personality to your space. When adding these styles to your home, avoid using vintage- or antique-inspired items, and invest in authentic pieces.

(As a reference, an item is considered antique if it’s over 100 years old and vintage if it’s over 20 years)

Where to get texture inspiration for your interior design

Texture is one of the most essential considerations in your interior design project. Without it, you’ll feel that something is missing from the space: physical or perceived dimension. 

Our team at Ariane Design Co has incorporated many types of textures and texture applications in homes around Vancouver and beyond. Book a complimentary discovery call with Ariane today, and she can help you incorporate the best textures in your next design project.