If you find yourself starting your first home remodeling projects, it’s good to get acquainted with the main notions of matching and combining textures, so that you can obtain a beautiful and balanced result in terms of textures, finishes and materials.
The mixing and matching of different materials can lead sometimes to hilarious if not disastrous results. Working with fewer textures, the chances of making mistakes in setting up an interior décor decrease. But if you want to go for more than a monotonous and simple décor, you should be aware of some rules that you can easily follow.
Smooth surfaces and embossed surfaces
This type of combination of textures (smooth and embossed) is one that is often encountered in interior design, especially in the finishing of walls and vertical surfaces. This combination of textures can be obtained with wallpaper, tile, natural or decorative stones, brick, decorative panels that mimic various materials or 3D, decorative plasters and other modern finishes.
If you like this combination of textures, consider the following: the embossed finish has a heavier impact and should therefore only be used as an accent to reveal and embellish a particular wall portion. This means that all other walls have to be smooth. For example, for a bathroom remodeling you can use ceramic tiles for wall finishing, the other vertical surfaces can be covered with the same color but perfectly smooth. In the living room, you can emphasize the wall with the fireplace or the one behind the couch, and in the kitchen you can highlight the wall next to the dining room.
Wood in combination with smooth surfaces
No matter how much you like wood, it’s good to avoid using it excessively if you don’t want to turn your house into a rustic mountain cottage. As an accent, the wood brings charm and elegance to any room, provided it’s balanced with plain, smooth and neutral surfaces. A combination that is both spectacular and has a strong decorative impact can be achieved by inserting a massive, highly textured and rough-looking furniture item into a minimalist interior that abounds in luxurious surfaces and finishes. An eloquent example is a large, solid wood table with an unfinished look, surrounded by ultra-modern chairs.
In terms of finishing, this effect can be achieved by covering with unfinished or worn-out wood just a portion of the wall (around the fireplace, for example) in a minimalist room.
Wood and natural stone
These two natural materials are among the favorites of designers and the general public, being suitable for both classical and modern interiors. In principle, both being two materials from nature, they are very easy to match. However, you should act with care in choosing the textures of the two materials. For example, if you choose to cover the floor with laminate or wood flooring with a smooth and glossy texture, the natural stone you will use for the walls should have a rough texture, with a rough appearance. And vice versa, if you want to apply a smooth and even glossy stone on the accent wall, the floor and the other wooden elements (furniture, for example) should mimic as much as possible the wood fiber.
Wood and leather
First of all, it has to be said that this combination will not look as good if leather will be replaced with a material that just mimics it. Therefore, avoid improvisations of this kind. Combining and matching these two materials, you’ll obtain a lush, classic, vintage, industrial or ultra-modern interior. Leather finishes, just like quality furniture, are expensive and not as accessible. But if you want something unique, you can make an effort to buy some decorative leather panels to accentuate a portion of a wall (the one behind the bed from the bedroom, for example bedroom) or use a leather couch as a statement piece, which will become the center of attraction in the living room.
And because leather is a pretentious material, it’s important to preserve its role as a star, avoiding too many other textures in the same room. However, wood has been and will remain a good company for finishes and furniture made of leather, provided that the finishes or wood elements you choose don’t have a very bold appearance. Regardless of the color of the wood (of course it will have to match the leather elements), it’s good to opt for a smooth and pleasant texture without a pronounced gloss.
Wood in combination with ceramic tiles
This choice of wood with ceramic tiles is often used in open space arrangements: the flooring in the living room area is covered with hardwood and the one in the kitchen area is tiled. In modern home remodeling trends, this combination of textures is also found in bathroom finishes, where combinations of moisture-resistant floorboards or floors with ceramic tiles are used. And if you complete the room with some green plants, you will get a modern, colorful and visually distinctive space.
Glass in combination with different textures
Decorative glass panels, mirrors or glossy metallic surfaces are present in many modern remodeling projects, both because of the visual impact they give and because they enhance the brightness of the rooms without natural light, making them seem larger and more spacious. Don’t be afraid to use glass, metal or mirrors in your home. But you must not abuse their presence. The good news is that they all look good in combination with smooth surfaces (plain walls painted in white or any other color) and in combination with various other textures (wood, natural stone, brick or wallpaper).
You can use glass both in the form of decorative panels in the bathroom and kitchen remodeling, as well as in the form of partitions for the visual delimitation and separation of certain areas of your home or in the form of small pieces of furniture (shelves, coffee tables, dining tables, etc.). Mirrors can be present both as decorative elements and in front of furniture pieces (cabinets, dressings with sliding doors, etc.). In terms of metal, it can be brought into a remodeling in the form of small decorations (vases, trays, candle sticks, photo frames, lighting fixtures, curtains etc).
For more information and estimates regarding your home remodeling projects, don’t hesitate to contact the Good Deal Remodeling team.