Beyond Bouclé: The New Textures Defining Interiors

A scallop-backed bouclé armchair atop a shaggy cream rug. Bouclé pouffes against a canvas of similarly milky beige. Bouclé headboards, footrests and even bouclé walls. For a while there, we were immersed in inescapable bouclé abundance, so popular had the fabric become.

Soft, tactile and reassuringly neutral, it’s easy to see what made it so moreish. It felt both classy and comforting, at a moment when many of us were craving exactly that. With such oversaturation, though, it became shorthand for an offputtingly omnipresent Instagram aesthetic. And while we might still love it, it’s time to step beyond.

“While I appreciate its tactile quality, I’ve reached a point where it feels overused,” says interior designer Katie Harbison. “The issue isn’t the material itself so much as its ubiquity. It’s lost any individuality.”

“For a number of years, there was a tendency towards highly curated, minimalist interiors that photographed beautifully but often felt somewhat anonymous,” she explains. “Now I’m seeing clients become much more interested in creating homes that reflect their personalities, histories and lifestyles.”

Color is returning. Antiques are finding their way back into contemporary homes. People are becoming less concerned with aesthetic perfection and more interested in telling a story, even if that story is that a family with children could never hope to keep a cream bouclé sofa in stain-free nick.

So, if bouclé is waning, what are the new materials and textures on the rise in contemporary living?

Marble remains another of our enduring fascinations. It’s closely associated with prim perfection, yes, but there’s also pleasure in the artistry involved in selecting, cutting, bookmatching and finishing each slab. But if marble feels too commonplace, we’re seeing something else peeping through.

There’s growth in handmade ceramic surfaces, as homeowners search for objects that feel bespoke, joining a swelling anti-mass-production movement.

Simonpietri is currently incorporating custom ceramic details into a project in Ojai, California, from tile-inlaid furniture to bespoke ceramic hardware and artwork.

While trend cycles inevitably come and go, materials with genuine character are what tend to endure. The focus, she believes, is shifting away from novelty and towards longevity.

“Tactility is what transforms a room from something you simply look at into something you experience,” Harbison explains. “We respond to texture instinctively. It creates warmth, comfort and a sense of connection.”

One of her favorite projects was a period home, with parquet flooring sitting alongside linen drapery, cotton velvet upholstery, marble accents, aged brass hardware and limewashed walls. The palette was still restrained, but the interplay of textures created a space that felt warm, inviting, cosseting and memorable.

Bouclé may not be gone for good, but its reign as the defining symbol of contemporary interiors appears to be over. In its place, we’re seeing textures that still coddle – the invitation to touch and feel remains – but which are richer, more sumptuous, lived-in and, above all, full of unique personality.