Dear Alice | Textures

In this week’s podcast, we’re talking texture! Texture might be the most neglected aspect of interior design which is so unfortunate because of how quickly they can change the feel of a room when utilized to its fullest potential! This week’s episode can be found on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcast.

First and foremost, use different textures to bring interest into a space! Offset hard surfaces like dining tables and islands by bringing in some softness to make it really dynamic. We’re also always going to use different scaled textures like faux fur, velvets, leather, woven fabrics, sherpa, etc. You know when you’ve been in a home where people use just one textures; all leather, cherrywood or shiplap- just use a texture it in a or two spaces because there really is such thing as too much of a good thing. You don’t want to end up looking like you live in an old cabin by an excessive amount of one texture. Texture is great if you don’t want to use a lot of color and also if you’re into a specific color and need to break it up a bit more. If you’re going to lean more into neutrals and whites- get more high textured pieces. Make sure to use fun or easier to clean textures on your accent pieces like fur, sherpa and leather compared to different woven fabrics for bigger pieces of furniture like your sofas.

Not having any sheen in a fabric makes it more dry; think of your linen or woven textures. You can add more wet finishes to balance it out as if you were getting dressed for the day. If you’re room isn’t feeling right, try playing with those wet and dry textures. Get some skin in the game- leather, fur or animal print hide; it can feel really well traveled.

Don’t do matching loveseats or accent chairs with a sofa. A good change in texture and color would be nice to add some interest; having a complimentary pillow story will be the icing on the cake. No matter what, you’ll be starting in with your rug so you can get dimensional inspiration from it. Most people want to look “expensive” so you’ll want to invest in dense textures and scale although it doesn’t inherently mean it’ll be the most expensive fabric!

Some people can’t stand certain textures like velvet so make sure that what you choose will fit in in perfectly to you and your family’s life.

Lastly, think of your pets- you might not want to get a looped pattern if you have cats so they don’t claw them up and get their nails stuck in them.

And if you take anything from this episode- never order a bunch of fabric without getting a sample first; you’ll thank us later! Any questions or podcast ideas? Email us at dearalice@alicelanehome.com