Texture vs. grain

Texture in the tactile sense (often called "grain" or "relief") is how a surface looks up close and feels to the touch: smooth or rough, flat or embossed, matt or glossy. "Pattern" in interior design usually means the visual drawing of a material: oak fibres, marble veining, the weave of linen. In everyday speech the two are often mixed up, but it is useful to separate them: porcelain stoneware that imitates wood has the pattern of wood and the surface of stone.

Why surface matters more than colour. A neutral interior with no variety of surfaces looks flat, like a render. The same three colours with bouclé, oak, linen, matt paint and metal feel deeper and more expensive. The eye reads not just the shade but how light falls on the surface: matt gives soft diffused light, gloss gives highlights and reflections, relief gives shadows.

Types by material. Smooth: glass, lacquer, glossy tile, veneer under lacquer. Matt and soft: paint, textiles, velvet, wool. Coarse natural: stone, open-pore wood, brushed veneer. Relief: slat panels, decorative plaster, embossed tile. Metallic: brass, steel, anodised aluminium. Combine contrasting pairs: smooth with rough, matt with shiny, soft with hard, warm with cool.

How to build up surfaces in a room. Our working formula for calm palettes is at least 4–5 different surfaces per room. In a living room, for example: a matt wall, oak veneer on furniture, a rug or bouclé, linen curtains, metal in the light fittings. One material in the main volume (walls, floor), two or three in supporting roles (furniture, textiles) and one or two accents. The fewer colours in a space, the more work the surfaces have to do.

Surface and light. Relief surfaces only come alive with side or grazing light: under flat overhead light, decorative plaster, slat panels and large tile lose half their effect. That is why we coordinate finishes and the lighting scheme together: niche lighting and linear fixtures near a wall bring out the relief. Glossy surfaces, on the other hand, are best placed where there is no direct glaring source.

Typical mistakes: too many strong surfaces in one room without a common rhythm; equally glossy surfaces everywhere, which makes a room feel cold; a heavy relief wall in a small room; wood-look and stone-look materials chosen without thinking about their real surface; forgetting practicality, as relief surfaces are harder to clean. Always view a sample in your own lighting before buying, not only a photo.