The Importance of Texture in Interior Design – Taking the Rough with the Smooth

Touch — the “Feel Good” sense…

A kiss, a hug, a simple pat on the head or a gentle squeeze of a forearm… we show our affection through touch.

We are tactile beings. Touch makes us feel good — releasing the feel good hormone oxytocin. Pet owners live longer because stroking our pets calms us, relieving stress. This is Science Fact.

“This is the world’s first magnetic resonance image of a mother kissing her baby. Her kiss has caused a chemical reaction in her son’s brain which generates a burst of oxytocin – a hormone that generates feelings of attachment and affection. Beautiful.” Credit: NH Neuro TrainingLess

Calling for a multi-sensory approach to design.

So it leaves me completely bewildered that we consistently ignore this crucial sense. We experience our environment through our senses but when we design we routinely only address the sense of sight.

We know that music affects our mood and soothes us. So we will instinctively  turn on some gentle music at the end of a long day.

It is a well known trick of the real estate industry to have a home smelling of freshly baked cookies when showing a house for a sale. The scent creates a warm, friendly and homely ambience. It is certainly no secret that scented candles and room fragrance sales have seen phenomenal sales growth, as consumers look for ways to make their homes more inviting.

So why oh why do we ignore the sense of touch – the physical manifestation of love!

TEXTURE

Warm, textured throws makes the bedroom so cozy!

Craving a little bit of rough.

With so much of our time spent touching, shiny smooth man-made materials, screens or keyboards – This sense has been deprived for too long.  Raw hewn natural wood, textured grass cloth walls, woven cane and rattan, embroidered fabrics  are all making a comeback. But it is not simply in organic, natural themed rooms where we can enjoy textile elements. No one can deny the meteoric rise in popularity of lush velvets, it is the rich tactile quality that appeals to  us after so much exposure to hard smooth metals and plastics that surround us every day.I have always been partial to a bit of fur for the same reason. Recently, we have been rediscovering Anagalypta wall coverings to give a subtle layer of texture to our designs. And I am really loving the new Bouclé fabrics that many of the fabric suppliers have launched in the last few weeks. Expect to see so much more of them in 2022.

For a more glamorous look, nothing can beat the iridescence of a room wrapped in a silk.

And the recent trend towards trims and braids is as much about adding texture as it is about adding detail.By exciting this additional sense, we can add new dimension to our designs, elevating them, bringing them to life like a black and white picture being reworked in colour.

Bring in the texture and feel the love.