An Overview of Commonly Used Materials in Interior Design

Monday, September 25, 2006

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

All these natural elements create a unique visual effect and all 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 decoration are wood for furniture, cloth for linen, rubber/leather for flooring or 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. The main reason behind this is it is easy to work with wood. The art of carpentry is an age old profession. Because of the nature of wood like softness and the same time the amount of strength it can withstand, makes it a popular choice amongst furniture designers.

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

2) Cloth....

A very natural choice for linen. Since a cloth finish is a smooth one it is most suitable in a bedroom where comfort is a very vital factor. The biggest advantage of various types of cloth is 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 greatly add to the beauty of the space.

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

3) Rubber/Leather....

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

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

4) Plastic....

There are infinite uses of this great material. The only disadvantage environmentalist 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 is it is waterproof and electrical shockproof. That's why mainly used for electrical accessories. It is lightweight as compared to other material types. Entire furniture pieces such as chairs, tables can be easily molded out as a seamless model in plastic.

5) Steel/Iron....

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

A very common type of steel is the "Stainless Steel". Because of its shining nature, it very quickly gives a rich quality to the object being used on and enhances the overall quality of the interior space.

Furniture objects that have been designed with a combination of 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. Every day more and more good quality and cheaper material types are being presented in the market. I hope this article was informative to everyone.

Copyright Shrinivas Vaidya

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Shrinivas Vaidya is the webmaster of Bedroom-Design-And-Decorating-Ideas.com. Here you will find some great concept level design tips for bedroom sets.Visit today.

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