Textures and materials: how to combine them

The Rule of Three Textures

Every room needs at least three different textures:

• Smooth and shiny: glass, crystal, chrome, glazed ceramic, mirror.
• Matte: washable paint, honed stone, matte ceramic, matte-painted metal.
• Natural and rough: wood, rope, rattan, linen, wool, plants.

Repeat Each Material

A material that appears only once looks accidental. Repeat it at least twice, in different places in the room: wood at the table and on the mirror frame, gold on the chandelier and on the wall lights, smoked glass on the bathtub and on the sink. The eye makes the connection and the room looks thoughtfully designed.

Contrast Highlights the Materials

Shiny next to matte, smooth next to rough: contrast makes each material stand out. A crystal chandelier on a matte ceiling shines more than on a shiny one. A rope chandelier on an exposed concrete wall looks warmer.

Monochrome Rooms

A room in a single color (all white, all beige, all gray) risks looking flat. Textures are the solution: the same white in shiny ceramic, in linen, and in painted wood looks like three different colors.

Metals

Use at most two or three metals in the same room, with one dominant. In the bathroom, the rule is even stricter: a single metal for everything that touches water.

Plants as Texture

Plants are the simplest natural texture. A tall plant (180–250 cm) in a corner softens the straight lines of the furniture; quality artificial plants do the same, without the worry of watering and light.

Designer's tip: when the room feels "cold" even though the colors are warm, it is usually missing natural texture. Add wood, textiles, or a large plant before you change the color of the walls.

Common Mistakes

• Everything shiny: shiny furniture, shiny tiles, shiny metal.
• A material used only once, with no echo in the room.
• Four or five different metals in the same room.