From the Floors Up

Textures in Your Home’s Design

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Interior design is an outlet for you to express yourself and tailor your design to your specific needs. In fact, there are many attributes to consider when designing a space. We have seven elements to consider when designing your home: space, lines, form, light, color, texture, and balance. Yet, these elements are more than just the visual aesthetics of the space. A well-thought-out space integrates all the “what you hear,” “what you smell,” and even “what you touch” aspects. Our most perceptive sense is our ability to feel; therefore, it is critical not to neglect the element of texture in your design. What we physically come in contact with in a space creates a huge part of the experience. If you want a room to feel relaxing and comfortable, you better have furniture that is relaxing and comfortable. To help you better understand the topic, here is what you need to consider when adding texture to your home:

Physical Textures

The physical textures in your home are what you physically feel. This can mean, if your room is meant for comfort, you may have soft carpet textures on the floor. You may also include blankets and throw pillows on the couches. These small features are ways of having physical texture in your room. If you are trying to create a space that is more rustic, you may want more raw and authentic natural textures like woods. Texture is essential in finishing off how your room feels.

Visual Textures

On the other spectrum, we have textures we see but may not come in contact with touching. These can be stucco walls and ceilings or unique plastered wall arts. While we may not physically touch these elements in the room, their visual texture can add depth to the atmosphere. This concept is important to consider, as well, so try to have several forms of texture in every room.

Do not neglect texture from being apart of your design theme. Step back and ask what is your room’s general design purpose? Do the textures in the room help create that thought? If not, make sure texture is always aligned with your room’s purpose.

Wall Treatments Beyond Paint and Paper

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Beyond paint and wallpaper there are other options for decorating the walls in your home. Thinking a bit out of the box you can come up with a variety of unique and different treatments for walls. These include fabric, upholstered panels, leather, wood and stone.  Of course in the kitchen and bathroom tiles and stone are common wall treatments.

Fabric can be applied to walls in a similar fashion as wallpaper. Applying it with starch and water makes it easy to remove and a great option for a rental property. Adding padding behind the fabric and finishing with trim will create a traditional look that can also help block sound.

Upholstered panels, as seen in this room, are great for a media room or home theater where they can muffle sound from outside as well as in.  Along with carpeted floors, these panels create a sound barrier for the room. Panels can be covered in coordinating upholstery to your furniture or flooring. Leather and suede are also good options for these panels. Panels can also be cut and created in a range of sizes, from squares to larger vertical panels.

Wood panels, beadboard, wainscoting and board and batten are all additional options for wall coverings. Wood can add pattern and texture to the walls. These can be stained or painted to match your décor.

Next time you are making over a room or hall, consider one of the above options beyond a coat of paint or wallpaper for a look that is anything but ordinary.

Slate Adds Drama

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Slate has such variety of color that it is a tempting choice for many homes. However this wall of rectangular slate tiles shows how texture alone can create a dramatic look. Although slate’s colors can range from something simple like this grey to a variety of colors such as rusty red, gold and browns in one piece, it’s the texture that captures the eye in this situation.

It’s all about light here – the cuts and planes of each stone catch the light differently, leading to the feeling that there are different tones of grey on this wall. Actually each tile is the exact same color.

In contrast, the photo below shows a wall with some differing tones of grey. The pattern is more constructed, with rectangles surrounding small squares of stone. This pattern has additional emphasis from the darker toned slate tiles added to the design.

The end result is more eye-arresting than the wall above while still staying color neutral. Slate’s versatility allows it to play a role both inside and outside the home. It works on walls as an extra architectural touch and also can be used on floors.

Generally, slate floors don’t show this level of texture. Slate can chip so it’s important to keep the surface smoother when it will receive wear to avoid that.

If you love the natural look of stone, slate will fit the bill. Come on in and discover how slate may work to add personality and drama to your home design.

From the Floors Up

From the Floors Up blog was created with the goal of providing a destination for consumers, designers and those interested in the flooring, design, and kitchen and bath industries. Here you’ll find, current, accurate and informative information that is always just a click away!

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