How to Use Textiles to Soften Your Walls
Because interior design elements have so many flat, hard surfaces, textiles are essential to beautiful home décor. Fabrics and other textiles are generally introduced into room styling via upholstery, window coverings, and pillows. However, because cloth and fibers are expected in these aspects of a room’s look, they can sometimes fail to pack the design impact you would like them to have.
When this is the case, the easiest way to remedy the problem is by getting beyond the surfaces of other design elements and going directly to the biggest stage in your room: the walls. Here are five interior design ideas for using textiles in place of other wall art.
1. Link Up
Using woven fabrics in various aspects of room styling is an excellent way to create a cohesive look. That connection, however, stops when you hit a big wall. Without a window around which you can hang fabric, you’re usually stuck returning to two-dimensional décor. If you use a textile wall hanging, however, you can reestablish the association between all parts of your room.
2. Set the Mood
If you’ve chosen a neutral backdrop for your furniture and accessories, it can sometimes be difficult to establish a room’s mood. Although the furniture itself can pick up atmospheric slack, and accents can also bear some of the emotional weight, unless furniture and accents have distinct character, a room will still feel blah. Using one of your neutral-toned walls as the stage for a textile wall hanging, however, will immediately inject personality into the space. Because you can choose a fabric piece in nearly any color or pattern imaginable, you can find a fabric that will evoke precisely the feeling you desire.
3. Add Depth
Even though rough walls and natural woods have texture, when paired with neutral colors, they may not have enough texture. Even a rough wall can seem flat if all it has to play with is wood and simple fabrics. This is when other textiles can come to the rescue. Yarn, for example, because it is so richly sculptural when formed into a crafted piece, can enliven an otherwise overly plain space.
4. Get Balance
One way to insert some pizzazz into a monochromatic room is with bold pops of furniture or pillows or with a patterned floor. But can these elements work on their own? Often not.
If you don’t add a corresponding burst of color and texture on your walls, your space can appear bottom heavy if you rely on furniture and floors to carry the weight of your room’s visual interest. A brightly patterned wall hanging can be the solution to this problem. Lifting the eye upward from the lower strong elements, the flowing color of a wall hanging will bring balance back into the room.
5. Cover It Up
If your wall has an ugly necessity you can’t get rid of but you sure don’t want to look at, you’re going to want to cover it up. Framed items can’t always work for these situations. A textile wall hanging, however, can be the bandage to use for your room’s “owie.”
Breaker boxes, for example, can’t be hidden by any hard-surfaced wall art. Although you can paint the box, it will still stick out like the proverbial sore thumb.
A small quilt, hung in a draped fashion instead of tight against the wall, covers the box while also remaining flexible enough to be drawn to one side when you need access to your breakers.
As the above five ideas demonstrate, textiles can remedy a wide array of design problems. Not only are they handy problem-solvers, fabric and textiles can add eye-catching beauty to your home.
Have you used textiles on your walls? Please share your ideas in the comments.
Images used with permission, courtesy of www.shutterstock.com
-
If you want a new kitchen counter check out these tips on how to easily choose between a slate, granite or marble counter top. Each one is beautiful and has their own pros and cons. Since this is a big decision and can be very costly it's wise to research each material before picking one.Margaret D.Manning08 October 2017
-
You can replicate the relaxing aspects of a spa day in your own home today!Margaret D.Manning23 October 2019
-
Greenhouses are beneficial but also pricey, there are many smaller alternatives that will bring in the same results.Raymond M.Patterson15 February 2016
-
Deck materials and wood carry their own pros and cons, learn how to choose the right wood for you.James V.Foss12 February 2018
-
Getting the most out of your home doesn't always mean having more. With minimalism influencing your home decor, you can have a full space with less inside.Bob T.Smith08 July 2020
-
These five bohemian design elements add a fun, non-conventional feel to your home, but still appear put-together and sophisticated.Rosa L.Cook08 January 2021
-
If you’re planning a shade garden, make sure you check out the Japanese maple, as it thrives in a low sun environment.James V.Foss08 January 2021
-
The exterior of the house sometimes isn’t as carefully considered as the interior – time to change all that!Raymond M.Patterson08 January 2021
-
Your upright piano can bring music to the ears and the eyes with sophisticated décor.Coleen J.Goodwin08 January 2021
-
Go from ‘outdated’ to ‘outstanding’ with this clean and modern design.Brian K.Radtke08 January 2021