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6 Ways to Add Texture to a Room Without Spending a Ton of Money

published Sep 6, 2015
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(Image credit: Elissa Crowe)

So you feel like one of your rooms needs a little texture — that design element that can add interest and coziness to a space? Texture can be incorporated in a lot of different ways, like upholstering a piece of furniture in a fabric that’s particularly textured. But if you want to add in a lot of texture to a room without spending a ton of money, here are some ideas.

1. Incorporate textures as small pieces of art

If there is a texture you really wish covered your entire sofa but you don’t have the money, or you dream of an entire floor covered by a certain woven texture but just can’t afford that right now, shrink the scale of your dreams. Like framing small samples of wallpaper to be able to afford patterns you really want, you can do the same thing with fabric samples, carpet scraps and more.

2. Use visual textures

Just because you don’t have a crumbling brick wall in your home doesn’t mean you can’t mimic the feel of that texture with framed photos of close-ups of textures you like. You can go exploring to capture your own shots of texture for small and medium-sized framed photos or you can experiment with your own photos for very large scale prints of textures.

(Image credit: Elissa Crowe)

3. Go for roughed-up furniture

Wood tables with live-edge table tops are a great example of using furniture to add texture. But also getting rustic with your furniture materials (or DIYing them to make them look that way) can add great texture to a room, particularly the larger the furniture piece. And just how is that affordable? Well look for road-side finds, already-banged up thrift store discoveries you can DIY even more or add a roughed finish to something you already own.

4. Go for vine-y plants

All plants add great texture, color and life to homes. But certain plants — those with a lot of small leaves and vines — can really feel like texture when used in bulk and in certain concentrated areas. We like Pothos plants for texture (and they’re easy to grow, too) but there are plenty of other plants to choose from.

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(Image credit: Pablo Enriquez)

5. Look for chunky knit blankets at thrift stores

Tossing a nice knitted blanket on a sofa or a bed is an easy way to add texture, but can be expensive depending where you shop. Always keep your eyes out for knit blankets and throws when you’re out thrifting (just of course, wash before you use). They don’t have to be perfect; you can always creatively fold or tuck to hide holes or stains if you find a real good deal on texture. Or of course — if you know how to knit or crochet, make your own!

6. Same goes for baskets and other woven items

Snatch up baskets in okay-shape when you spot them; you can create clusters of them in a room to give a punch of texture to a space really easily and they are great canvases for painted-on color and pattern.