Interior Education with Tori Sikkema, Interior | Brand Photographer

Have you ever wondered what attracts you to an image? It has to do with the texture and patterns captured to tell the story of the interior design. Let’s learn more and use these tips in your spaces to that your images will pop!

Texture, texture, texture. It is essential to creating a cohesive space and is a basic in interior design. Without texture and pattern, a space falls short of reaching its full potential. Designing and styling with these principles in mind will enhance your interior photographs.

Texture and pattern are more than a nailhead detail on upholstery or a fringe around a pillow. Texture and pattern are all about weaving and blending different materials in a way that is visually appealing and for me as an interior photographer, creates a compelling story.

Texture and patterns are elements that evoke a feeling and have a visual appearance from a grasscloth wallpaper in a powder room and a boucle upholstered chair to a glass tiled backsplash to a geometric pattern on a throw pillow.

Texture and pattern also create vignettes that highlight details and stories that the designer wants to tell. Add lighting, another layer, which is not a texture or pattern, is the cherry on top to make your photos pop! Creating ambient lighting creates warmth, and comfort, and softens a space.

Here are some visual inspirations to help you add more texture and patterns to your space to make your designs stand out in photography!

6 ways to add texture and pattern to your space to make your images pop

1. Layering

Layering in design creates depth and is visually appealing. Each layer is an opportunity to use different textures and introduce patterns.

Think about a coffee table with stacks of books oriented in different ways, matte and shiny decor pieces, and candles. Used all together, they create layers to the table, versus an empty tabletop.

Every piece of furniture is an opportunity to layer using textures and patterns in new and interesting ways.

2. Fabric

There are so many opportunities to use texture in our upholstery. From performance fabrics to velvet, boucle, to leather, the fabrics chosen can create textures that compliment the space.

I love a white linen slipcovered sofa, and will have one in my new home! I dream of pairing it with a cotton throw in the summer and a fluffy throw in the winter. Seasonal changes to cushions and throws are a great way to create new patterns and textures as well!

3. Textured Furniture

Think about the varying textures of the furniture opportunities in space: an eboney-stained oak table, reclaimed wood bench with upholstered cushion, a wood dining table, and velvet and curved metal dining chairs. All of these textures add to the interest in a space.

4. Decor Pieces

This is the creative aspect of my job as a photographer. This is where I can change the vibe of an image, simply through the decor pieces, I style the space.

I love to add wood, metals, and pottery here. The more textures you layer, a mango wood bowl, cutting bowl, or magazine rack, the better the visual interest you create.

It is also the more economical way to change the look of your space seasonally. Changing out decor pieces seasonally is a great way to express your personality. Don’t take yourself so seriously, and have fun with this aspect of design.

5. Organic Elements

Adding signs of life is a layer I love to use in every space and composition. I have a traveling Monstera that makes appearances in many photographs. Whether it is sitting on a table or peaking its leaves in the corner of a room, plants

Choose plants and flowers that complement other textures you are using. Whether a large palm or a glossy ZZ plant, matching the finishes is a great idea.

The containers you use for the plants and flowers are another opportunity to add texture and pattern. From antique pottery or sleek vases, the type of container you use adds to the vibe of the space.

6. Lighting

Don’t overlook the impact lighting has on the space. Just as lighting is essential to creating the mood of a photograph, the intensity of light is key to creating the perfect vignette.

Warm light, like the glow of a candle, is soft and evokes a peaceful, intimate, cozy mood. Cool light, is brighter and evolves a more modern feel, and creates a different environment.

From floor lamps, sconces, and table lamps, to chandeliers, the finishes and bases add texture and patterns that further complement and pull a space together through placement in the room and intensity and direction of the light source.

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I want to capture YOU in all your spaces and places!