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WINTER
2015
texture
trending
2015
Humansare tactilecreatures—
from theearliestdaysas infantswesoothed
at the feel of softness and cooat the touch of fur on apet.Whodoes not
love to touch cashmere?Evenearlier, at day four, an infant can recognize
the pattern of their mother’s face. Andbabies aremesmerizedby colour.
These threeelementsaddsomuch toour livesandmore importantly tomod-
erndesign.
Modernhomedesignandarchitecturebenefit from theuseof organic, tex-
tural materials to inject interest. For instance theuseof humblebarnboard
has soared– its lovelyoldpatinaand texturebalancesout theuseofmetal
andhardsurfaces. Liveedgewoodpiecesareevidenceofpeoplewanting
elements of nature in their interior surroundings. Andwhat isn’t reclaimed
thesedays? Wehavedécor itemsmadeonanOntario farm from rustyold
metalandartworkpaintedon roughwood that couldhavebeenapacking
pallet re-incarnated.
Richelieu,Canada’s largestcabinetryhardwaresupplier,has just introduced
drawer pulls and knobs that look likeblobs of lava sliced into layers – just
call it liveedgemetal.
At thisDecember’s IIDEX– International InteriorDesignExpoat theToronto
MetroConvention– Interface,oneof theworld’s largest flooringcompanies,
showed theirHumanNatureCollection. Takingcolour, textureandpattern
fromnature, theyhaveanumberofcarpet tiles that visuallymimic itemssuch
assmall river rockand recreate thecolourandpattern found inbarnboard.
Thecarpet tileare rectangular andallowendless creativity inhow thepat-
tern, ie. herringbone, brick staggeredetc, isdesignedwithvarious textures
andcolours. Interface isalsoenvironmentallyconcernedusing recycledma-
terial for themajorityof their content –evenproducinga linecalledNet Ef-
fect Iand IIwhere small fishingvillages in thePhilippinesarepaid tocollect
discarded netswhich are sent off tobe spun into yarn for carpet tile. The
textureandcolourof the tile resembles themovementandcolourof thesea.
We recentlyusednatural flagstoneat theexterior entry toamodernhome
andcarried it right through the interior foyerandout theother side to theex-
teriorpatio.Withhuge floor toceilingwindows, thehomenowhasanopen-
ness tonature that Frank LloydWright couldonlydreamof achieving. The
client neverworriesaboutdogs, childrenorevenbikesusing this sturdyma-
terial and the random shapes createapattern that balances out themore
modern, linear shapesof thearchitectureandother finishes.
Grey–what canone saybut that it iseverywhere?Yes, it isagreatbasic,a
niceneutralbut likeblackandwhite, it isnotacolourandsomewhere, some-
howoneneeds toadd to thepalette. Byallmeans keep thebig stuff – such
assofas, cabinetryor flooring–neutraland thereforeadaptable. Thenadd
textureandpatternandbutpumpup thedrama,add the interestwithcolour.
Thereare lots of great colour combos to usewitha neutral environment –
blue spa (2052-20); a shot of split peagreen (2146-30) looks amazing
withpewter; sundried tomato (cc-62). Andof course there is nothingmore
dynamic ina room thangreat artwork toaddall threeelementsat once.
Andwhat do the pundits predict this year for colour? Pantone is touting
Marsala18-1438– thinkdustywine. BenjaminMoorepresentedGuilford
GreenHC-116as theirColourof theYear –a soft,mid-green.
So findyour favourite colour, searchout all things touchableand repeat a
pattern tohumanizeandpersonalizeyour environment.
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SharonAllan is an Interior Decor Specialist and owner of VanAllanDesigns, Collingwood.
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