Touch-Worthy Design in a Visually-Saturated World
Knotty Alder Cabinets with Wire Brushing. Photo by Boaz Meiri. Design by Jackie Lopey.
Millions of photos of rooms at our fingertips
It used to be that we bought a coffee table book or magazine to see swoon-worthy interiors. And, not so long ago, the homes depicted in movies and on TV looked nothing like the ones were living in.
Today, 20 million room shots have been uploaded to Houzz. That's just one, albeit large, website. It's astounding when you stop to think about it. We could spend a lifetime and still not see all of the pictures of beautiful rooms available to us.
Visually, we're fat and happy.
What about touch?
Do you, like me, long to run your hand over the rough-hewn wood or the plush mohair you see in a photograph?
I once designed a bathroom for a man who is blind. I felt the materials I selected for him. We chose a honed limestone for the floor. It's felt almost like velvet underfoot. For the shower walls, we used a silky porcelain tile. Soft linens were, of course, a given.
The sense of touch is available to us anytime. We just have to take a moment, close our eyes, and feel.
