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Every interior space has some unique qualities attached to it.If you have visited a natural outdoor space like a forest, youwill notice thousands of varieties of "textures" in the form ofwooden barks, leaves, ground surfaces, stones, water etc...

All these natural elements create a unique visual effect andall visual effects have a corresponding effect on human mind.That's why when used carefully textures can create wonders in interior design.

The most commonly used materials in interior design and decorationare wood for furniture, cloth for linen, rubber/leather for flooringor upholstery, paper as wallpapers, plastic for accessories like lampshades and other decorative items, steel for furniture.

Let's take a closer look at these materials and their textural qualities.

1) Wood....

Most commonly used for furniture, door frames, shutters. Themain reason behind this is it is easy to work with wood. Theart of carpentry is an age old profession. Because of thenature of wood like softness and the same time the amount ofstrength it can withstand, makes it a popular choice amongstfurniture designers.

A fully polished wood surface gives a very rich finish and projects user friendliness. Also wood comes in many varietiesand colors, each having its own pros and cons.

2) Cloth....

A very natural choice for linen. Since a cloth finish is a smoothone it is most suitable in a bedroom where comfort is a veryvital factor. The biggest advantage of various types of clothis that most types are washable so maintenance is easy.

Cloth has one more important quality that it can be "painted" for expressing detailed decorative patterns, that can greatlyadd to the beauty of the space.

It is also possible to do "embroidery" on cloth, if painting isnot a good choice or budget doesn't allow. Depending upon the weave of the cloth strands the thickness, transparency, etc. can beeasily achieved. This makes the cloth most suitable for variouskinds of uses such as linen, curtains, bed sheets, etc...

3) Rubber/Leather....

Rubber is used in the form of PVC flooring, is easily availableand most importantly is wash proof and durable. It can be printed uponusing design patterns of any style, rich with colors. Comes in theform of large sheets or even individual tiles.

Unlike tiled flooring the PVC flooring is much less affected byatmospheric changes. Other types of tiled floorings or even wooden flooring can have a direct effect on the surface because of theexpansion and contraction of the flooring material. A PVC flooring is glued to the tiled flooring I hope you have benefited from thesewords.

4) Plastic....

There are infinite uses of this great material. The only disadvantageenvironmentalist have pointed out that it is not bio-degradable.

Because of its artificial nature it can be "manufactured" in various.colors, shapes, sizes, strength. The biggest advantage of plastic isit is waterproof and electrical shockproof. That's why mainlyused for electrical accessories. It is lightweight as compared to othermaterial types. Entire furniture pieces such as chairs, tablescan be easily molded out as a seamless model in plastic.

5) Steel/Iron....

Steel is mostly used in interior design where the main purpose isto give support and carry weight to the floor. That's why main use of steel is done to create the structural frame that carriesthe weight of the people who are going to use the furniturepiece.

A very common type of steel is the "Stainless Steel". Because of itsshining nature, it very quickly gives a rich quality to the objectbeing used on and enhances the overall quality of the interiorspace.

Furniture objects that have been designed with a combinationof wood and steel look much balanced from aesthetic point of view.But doing so requires a careful study of the joiner details,especially where wood and steel joint together.

The following discussion was only a brief introduction of the types of material being used in interior design industry. Everyday more and more good quality and cheaper material types arebeing presented in the market. I hope this article was informative to everyone.

Copyright Shrinivas Vaidya