Home & Lifestyle, Design & Style

Discovering Texture

Lesson time 04:01 min

See how texture adds dimension to your design as Kelly shows you how the multitextured elements in the Santa Monica Proper Hotel lobby work harmoniously together.

Students give MasterClass an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars

Topics include: Create a Cohesive Story · Think in Monochrome

Kelly Wearstler

Teaches Interior Design

Award-winning designer Kelly Wearstler teaches you interior design techniques to make any space more beautiful, creative, and inspiring.

Preview

[MUSIC PLAYING] WOMAN: Texture is such an important part of design. It's something that I love. Whether it is a paint, or a fabric, or a plaster, or a marble, I love the tactile polity. And not only is it tactile quality, it can be a visual texture. Not everything you have to touch and feel. What I've done is I put together a series of beautiful materiality in one monochromatic story so you really can see the difference between all the textures. [MUSIC PLAYING] This is a space in a hotel lobby that we designed. What I wanted to do is design into the location. It is a beach setting, and we wanted to tell a maritime story, something that was authentic to the location and something that was organic in nature, but also monochromatic-- very relaxed, very natural, and honest. What's bringing all of these elements together in this realm is everything is earthy and everything is individual. Everything in this space is sculptural. Many of these textures are inspired by the beach. You have plywood that reminded me of a surfboard or a skateboard, a travertine that looks like a shell fragment that I found on the beach, to a sail. This incredible piece of art reminded me of a kite. It's very angular, and it's very different from the travertine table-- and this paper mache chair that reminds me of some sort of sea animal or kelp. [MUSIC PLAYING] So all of these textures work together because they are monochrome. If some of these elements were different colors, it just wouldn't be as successful. Everything here-- if I put everything that's on this table in one room, depending on the proximity of the objects and the pieces, it would be a complete successful story. You cannot go wrong with a monochromatic story. In this particular room, there are a lot of stars. They're all getting along beautifully because of texture and the use of monochrome. I have stone, I have plywood, I have a canvas, I have tile, I have hardwood floors, I have travertine, I also have shears and plaster. All of the materials that are here all have a very distinctive voice and a very distinctive texture, but they work harmoniously together. And that's really important. If you had a bunch of textures like this that worked with something like this plaster sample, they feel like they're fighting each other because the scale is very similar, and they feel like the same material. So those are some things to consider. If I put this texture next to this travertine sample, they're very different. They work beautifully together. Coming up with your own design that has an incredible amount of texture, look at form and look at shape. But also, look at the material, look at the scale of texture, and you can create a beautiful landscape. [MUSIC PLAYING]

About the Instructor

Eclectic and experiential, Kelly Wearstler’s style helped redefine modern American design and influenced the rise of designer hotels. Now the award-winning designer takes you behind the scenes to demystify interior design. Make any space feel larger, and choose colors, materials, and textures with confidence. Curate collections of art and objects, cultivate your own distinct style, and create spaces that tell a story.

Featured MasterClass Instructor

Kelly Wearstler

Award-winning designer Kelly Wearstler teaches you interior design techniques to make any space more beautiful, creative, and inspiring.

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