The textures you choose for your home not only impact the way you experience your home through touch, but also how you experience it visually. If you imagine walking into a room with the softest, fluffiest pillows, and how that would make you feel verses if they were more smooth and silky, you can better understand how textures affect your emotions before you even touch them.
Barb is one of our designers here at Wenz, and has been passionate about designing and decorating since she was very young. It all started with decorating her Barbie Dream House with paper cutouts from magazines and catalogs. As an adult, she transitioned to helping her friends create an inviting atmosphere for their homes, and decided that she should make a career out of what she loves and become a designer. She is highly valued at Wenz as she has ample knowledge of the elements of decorating and design, and uses her expertise to create an inspired atmosphere and help her clients create the home they have always wanted.
In a recent interview, Barb shared with us two of her favorite textures and how they make her feel in her space.
Experiencing texture through touch and sight
The first texture Barb wanted to discuss was that of a leather sofa with down cushions. She says “I love the look and feel of a buttery soft leather sofa. With down cushions it is even more delightful to sink into, hugging you like a deep, soft hug.”
You can experience this feeling not only from physically sitting on the couch, but from entering the room and visually taking in the thick, squishy cushions, and the smooth, supple texture of the couch.
A couch like this has a lot of visual weight as it draws your attention, and just from looking at it you feel eager to sink into it. An inviting texture can provide some extra oomph to the relaxing appeal of your couch, and the room as a whole.
However, it’s important to balance out the room with contrasting textures that complement the other objects in the room, especially the largest object which is likely your couch.
Taken from brockhurststud.com
Creating balance through texture
The second texture Barb described was that of a deep pile, soft shag bedroom rug.
She says, “The deep lushness is the perfect way to start and end my day.” We can picture sinking our feet into this plush rug and the pleasant physical sensation this provides, but the rug will have visual effects as well.
A shag rug can often offer the perfect way to balance a room. Many of the lines in a bedroom are smooth and classic, from the bedding to the smooth finishes on the furniture. A shag carpet can offer contrast to the smoother, flatter textures, creating balance between objects in the room while being pleasant to the touch.
Who knows, if that’s the first thing your feet get to touch in the morning you might even be a little less upset about having to get out of bed!
Taken from memorabledecor.com
From these two examples of texture provided by Barb, you can better understand how much texture plays a role in interior design. Even if you don’t physically experience a texture in the room, you will likely experience some kind of feeling from taking it in visually. Through balancing out the textures in your home, and paying attention to how a texture affects the visual weight of any given object, you can better plan out your design and create the atmosphere you’re looking for.