By Janice Milliner
One of the most understated design concepts that most folks forget to take in to
consideration when pulling together a room is texture. As color brings about a
mood to a room, so does texture.
Though it's rather faddish to say, with all this talk about 'feeling the love' these days and being a designer, I cannot help but wonder about what texture might say if it had a voice. The truth is, texture is all about the relationship. If you've ever found yourself in a room laden with Venetian plaster, marble columns and stone floors, a cool sense of the old world whispers so strongly that you want to reach out and touch it. If you find yourself surrounded by dark wood panels, it evokes a warm feeling of subdued introspection. It's how a library became known as a 'study' and a 'study' became a 'den', and why we equate them all with reading and writing and great philosophical debate. If you were to transcend the same room into light wood panels composed of a soft lambskin rug, wicker accessories, grassy wall coverings and linen window treatments, you may suddenly become organically mindful.
Of course, lets not forget metal. Depending on how it is used, metal can give us a sense of either feeling post-modern, old world, industrial, or sterile!
Who doesn't love the look of a room filled with luxurious tapestry, silk or fresh combed cotton? Then again, glass can clearly work mood wonders, as does the aromatic andtextual properties of leather, making us feel heartily strong.
Texture makes itself aware to our senses as deeply as color does but in a much more subtle way. However texture, unlike color, usually beckons us in our emotion to experience it on a 'hands on' level.
To conclude; A monochromatic room is divinely defined by mere texture and if your world were colorless, you would grasp its impact on your senses much more readily. When designing a room, consider not merely how a color makes you feel, but what kinds of textures compliment the mood that you are hoping to achieve.
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