Designing for delight and dimension? Remodel your home with unique textured surfaces.
When most people embark on a home remodel, their minds naturally turn to revitalized spaced, updated colors and modern conveniences. However, designing for texture adds a layer of delight and added dimensions unique from these other elements.
When textures flow thoughtfully from room to room or surface to surface, they can playfully draw the eyes, hands, and feet into each space while performing subtle but essential functions.
Think of a colorful area rug comforting your feet in front of the kitchen sink contrasting with a subtly textured slate tile floor that leads to glass patio doors, which offer a view of the weathered cedar of the backyard deck. Separately, these textures are seemingly unrelated, but when combined through form and function, they create a multi-functional, beautiful space to walk through and live in.
Textured flooring, step by step.
You’d be surprised to learn how many flooring options are available for nearly every room in the house. When choosing a more textured flooring, you’ll want to consider how difficult it will be to clean, how delicate it is, and whether you like walking on it. Textures add interest but can also add maintenance and an adjustment for the whole family. Here are some cool floors to consider:
Classic hardwood. Did you know you can choose from a variety of textures for your hardwood floors? On the rough end, they can be hand-scraped, reclaimed, and even painted a farmhouse white. More commonly, you’ll find wood floors that are smoothly sanded and lightly varnished or beveled and heavily varnished. The finish on your wood floors should be chosen to fit in with the age and style of your home.
Slate and stone. Both slate and stone can elevate your floors—and your home value. Absolutely beautiful, slate tiles and stonework can be used in almost any configuration in every room. These materials tend to be more expensive and need professional installation for the most polished and integrated appearance. (We can help with that!) However, they function perfectly as heated floor materials, will last for centuries, and create a sophisticated look with unique textures you can’t get any other way.
Carpeting, but of course. Carpet offers the ultimate selection in textured flooring. And if you haven’t shopped for carpet in a while, you might be surprised by the wide variety of textures available. When shopping for a large area rug or wall-to-wall carpet, today’s options include natural sisal and seagrass, plush looped pile of all material types, subtle broadloom styles, and—you guessed it—the classic shag.
Add vertical interest to every wall.
When the topic of dimensional walls pops up, two questions usually race to the forefront. “How do I get rid of them?” or “How do I get one?” There are as many opinions about textured walls as there are wall textures.
For a modern farmhouse look, create an accent wall from wide planks. Smooth the planks down and varnish for a sleeker, safer texture (no slivers!). Use reclaimed wood or chisel in guffs and cracks for barn chic. This will warm up any bedroom, bathroom, or kitchen instantly.
For a traditional appearance, add white beadboard wainscoting in the bathroom, kitchen, or dining room. Create your own twist by contrasting colors or playing with height.
Wallpaper, too, is making a comeback. For those of us who spent hours ripping wallpaper off the walls of our previously owned homes, this can come as a shock. But wallpaper can be a fun addition in almost any color and design you can think of. Add elegance, whimsy, or excitement with textured wallpaper.
Heads up!
Three-dimensional ceilings have ventured far beyond the fabled “orange peel” of the 80s and 90s. However, a subtle contemporary look can make use of similar textures that add interest but go beyond the cookie-cutter ceiling.
If you crave a more dramatic appearance, take a page from your walls and consider adding a wallpaper or beadboard ceiling to a well-designed room to tie it all together.
For unmistakable art-deco glamor, consider copper (or faux-copper) ceiling tiles. These and other decorative ceiling tiles look especially elegant in kitchens, on high ceilings in open spaces, and in homes that are strictly designed to period. When it comes to textures, the sky’s the limit.
Don’t make the one crucial error many homeowners make when designing with texture—going overboard! We can help you remodel your home with a relaxing touchability in mind. Contact us today and let your fingers do the walking.