How to Add Texture to A Room: 9 Easiest Ways

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“There’s so much texture.”

You hear it all the time on HGTV. And you do know it when you see it, right?

But how do you add texture to your home? Is it as simple as throwing down a sheepskin rug?

Um, maybe. But there’s a little more to it than that and many other effective ways to add texture.

What Does Adding Texture in Interior Design Mean?

Adding texture is basically adding depth, dimension, and shape in a room. It’s adding particular materials and pieces that make the room a little more interesting.

Sometimes you just achieve a textured room because you’ve added things over the years that you love.

But sometimes you just can’t seem to get the room quite right. You want it to come together and it’s just not happening. Or, maybe everything is too matchy-matchy.

That’s when you know it’s texture that is missing.

Why Is Texture So Important in a Room?

There’s probably some designer answer to this question, but to me, texture is what makes you feel like you can just sink into a room.

Not just into the couch under the pillows and the throw blanket.

But completely into the whole sensory experience of the room.

Except maybe taste. Although if you put some chips and salsa on the coffee table, then I guess you have that covered, too.

9 Ways to Add Texture to Your Room

#1 Textiles

textured blanket and pillow

Let’s take this lovely stock photo living room as an example of how textiles can change the texture of a room.

Imagine for a minute this couch without the throw blanket and fluffy pillows. What would you think about that sofa?

Would you feel like sitting on it? Would you feel like lying down on it? Would you feel like nestling into a corner of it with your feet up and a cup of coffee?

Maybe, since this room has a lot of other textural elements going on, but the blanket and pillows are what make the couch inviting. It looks like someone lives there. And naps there.

That’s the dimension and texture that different textiles can give you. I think a nice cashmere dupe like this one from Amazon would definitely do the trick!

#2 Rugs

grey couch in living room with a big picture window, close up shot of the aztec-designed area rug

In my house for the first 12 years that we lived here we didn’t have a single rug. Not even a bath mat. We had a cat who was great, but could not understand the difference between a rug and a litterbox.

So our rooms always looked sort of incomplete. Rugs, first of all, define a space. They carve areas within a room.

But, more than that, they create texture. And they create texture in several ways.

  • First of all, they add softness. Especially if you go for something plush or shaggy.
  • Secondly, they add color. Unless you pick a clear rug (does that even exist?) you are adding some kind of color to your room.
  • Third, they often add pattern and movement depending on the rug design you choose.

They also add actual warmth and sound dampening if we really want to go crazy.

You really can’t have a fully put together room without a rug adding texture to interior design. If you can double up your rugs, even better!

You can read the story of how we solved our no rug problem in my Ruggable review.

#3 Plants

grey rocking accent chair that is modern, tan and camel colored knit blankets hanging off of it, houseplants to give it texture and green color

Plants are a wonderful way to add texture to your home. Depending on what you choose for plants, they bring some glossy shiny smoothness, some feathery flowers or even a little bit of spikey spines.

Most plants also bring in some pattern with their variegated leaves.

Plus you usually stick them in a pretty pot or basket which is more opportunity to add texture in a room.

#4 Patterns

close up shot of accent pillows, one is flowered and one is grey textured pattern, how to add texture to your room

Patterns in your textiles are great. If you do it right. Do you remember in the 80’s when you had a comforter in the same pattern as your pillows which was in the same pattern as your curtains which was in the same pattern as your wallpaper border?

That’s not the right way to do it.

Instead, you want to mix different patterns. It’ll make your room look casual but still polished.

Throw a buffalo plaid pillow on that floral comforter. A geometric print with a stripe or any pattern at all with a solid color.

#5 Wall Decor

Can’t figure out how to add texture to your wall? Your walls are meant for more than just picture frames. You can hang lots of different things. You can even hang shelves which means you can put almost anything you want on the walls.

Wall tapestries like this one add loads of warmth, depth, and texture to walls:

crochet wall tapestry, how to add texture to a room?

An abstract painting like this one with thick acrylic paint can do a great job of adding not just tons of color and personality to your decor, but texture, too:

abstract painting

#6 Baskets

woven baskets

Baskets, like the ones below, are one of my favorite decor pieces because they don’t just look good, they are functional, too. They corral little things like pens and glasses. And big things like shoes or throw blankets and pillows.

The right basket will add some really nice texture to your room, too. The woven natural materials like wicker or rattan are beautiful and minimal. There are also knit baskets that add wonderful warmth.

I love anything that is beautiful and functional. Baskets are super hardworking when it comes to making your home look good.

#7 Candles

up close photo of knitting balls and a candle burning, looks very cozy

Ok, you probably aren’t going to find candles (or either of the next two things) on anyone else’s list of how to add texture to a room.

But hear me out. Texture is about adding a sense of depth to a room. To me, depth happens when more than one of your senses is activated.

Candles add another layer to your room. It adds to the comfort factor; if you walk in to the family room, sink into the couch and breathe in deep the smell of your favorite vanilla candle.

If you haven’t used the Woodwick Candles that sound like a crackling fireplace when they burn, then I’m about to blow your mind. Get one NOW! I was so obsessed that I bought tons of them as Christmas presents last year!

#8 Music or Other Form of Sound

Adding music or some other form of sound to your room is adding yet another layer of texture, this one for your ears.

You can tell Alexa to turn on Yacht Rock or you can have a small water feature or even some wind chimes outside your window.

Whatever it is, don’t forget your ears when you want to add another layer of texture to your room.

#9 Lighting

dark lit room with modern white sofa and black rug

Lighting is the last often overlooked way of adding texture to a room. We once got the wrong watt lightbulb for our can lights in the kitchen and it was a most unfortunate error.

Instead of our cozy kitchen, we suddenly had operating room type levels of lighting. I mean, I assume operating rooms are super bright. That’s what our kitchen was like.

It was so uncomfortable to be in.

Dimmers are your best friend when it comes to lighting and even better than just a dimmer is if you can change the hue of your lights.

There’s a very simple way to do that as long as you have wifi in your home.

Hue Lights from Philips are my secret weapon when it comes to lighting. You can change to pretty much any color (scratch that, literally any color) and you can dim and brighten with a flick of your phone.

You can also turn the lights off and on with a flick of your phone which is convenient when you’re tucked in bed and realize you forgot to turn off the office lights.

Ready To Texturize?

Go to your least favorite room and take an inventory. How many layers of texture are in there?

What is missing from this list? Is a plant or two the missing piece (I know adding those saved a couple of my rooms!)? Maybe it’s something bigger like a rug (this is usually what’s missing and how you add texture to a dining room!).

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