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And slowly the year is moving from
being an infant to becoming more
mature as we are gradually moving
into the festive season. The next couple
of weeks are also filled with a whole
number of public holidays and it is
almost a written fact that everything
is slowing down in our country as
everyone now makes that last attempt
to get a bit of a break and enjoy
Christmas with family and friends.
On that note, I am very happy to inform
all my readers that once again, I will
bring you more interesting information
on the world of décor and design. In
this month’s article, I will discuss the
importance of texture and the very
important role it plays in our décor and
design world. This article will introduce
texture, and in the one to follow I will
say more about it in finer detail.
To start off I would like everyone who
is now reading this article to take a bit
of time and try the following: Maybe in
front of you there is a piece of cloth or
you are sitting in your favourite chair
or lying on your bed where you have
access to fabrics in general. Now close
your eyes and let your fingers softly
touch the cloth or fabric closest to you.
Open your eyes and look at the fabric
you have just touched. In theory there
must be a relation between what you
have felt and what you saw. In other
words, if the fabric you touched was soft
and silky or coarse and thickly woven,
then your eyes would most probably
have experienced the same concept.
This means that you would have seen
what you felt. From this point of view,
it is then important to understand that
textures are both tactical and optical or
what you feel is also what you see.
Now let me ask you the next question:
Have you ever walked into a room and
experienced that instant comfortable
and at-home feeling? Such feelings
arise from a combination of factors like
desIgn Namibia October - December 2013
the size of the room, the placement
and layout of furniture, the choice of
colour and lighting, etc. but in all this
the correct mixes and choices that
have been made as far as textures are
concerned, play just as important a role.
Considering texture as just as important
in interior design as for instance colour
or pattern is a way of thinking that both
are ancient and highly contemporary.
Human beings have always had a basic
need for warmth, privacy and a safe
haven to which they can retreat. In
order to accomplish this and to satisfy
those needs, effort has to be put into
creating that special arena in which all
levels are able to satisfy nature. That
means that it is not just about being
aesthetically correct, but it must also
feel emotionally and physically right.
In today’s fast-paced and stressedout world, it is crucially important that
your home is a cocooning, comfortable
and relaxed place in which to refresh
your spirit and recharge your energy
in readiness for the demands of the
modern life we lead.
So, how does texture then contribute
to all of this? On a practical level, using
the correct material in the right area
can be a purely functional choice as
from a non-slip bathroom floor to a cosy
throw on a bed. On a more spiritual
level, however, there is an enjoyment
all texture has to offer that satisfies our
forgotten sense of touch and our primal
need to relate to our surroundings in a
direct and basic way. An understanding
of this need has become more evident
in recent decorating trends, which have
tended towards pure and clean lines,
an absence of clutter and a holistic
appreciation of our homes in general.
It may be a snappy phrase, but texture
can be seen as the new colour at its
best. Do not, however, think of using it
as following a particular fashion trend,
but rather as a method of living in such