A light touch

In an overwhelmingly digital world, we are drawn to natural materials and textures to calm our senses. They somehow bring us closer to reality. Now more than ever as we seek and crave the physical touch, these materials help to provide balance in our lives. They might remind us of a walk through the woods or a comforting memory. These emotive connections mean that enhanced tactility has an increasingly important presence in our homes and surroundings.

There is a conscious focus on texture in recent interiors. Thick boucle's and natural linens, with other earthy materials like cork, bamboo and natural stone play a fundamental role in the furniture and accessories we invest in for our homes. The materials provide a look that feels far from processed. It feels pure and honest and imperfect.

When we visually absorb these textures, our mind leads us to imagine how that surface might feel to touch. The layering of these textural elements are essential in creating comfortable and relaxing environments. The feeling of touch and tactile surfaces are a vital component in our design aesthetic, as they can form the mood, tone and temperature of a room.

We explore how light reacts with the surface. Raised textures can absorb light to convey a sense of warmth and relaxation, whilst pairing complementary textures like a raw, porous ceramic with a soft, woven fabric lampshade creates a balanced space. Our recently launched Ayda and Elara table lamps illustrate this perfectly. Their surfaces contain little grooves and craters. Each one tells a completely unique story of how the pieces are made.

Tactility can of course run deeper than the surface texture. Take our Elder and Cedar table lamps – the sunken groves of the ceramic are almost impossible not to touch. The verticle ridges allow light to fall across the base in a playful way. Running your finger across its surface provides us with a sensory experience that makes it more than just an attractive product. It becomes a key part of the rooms atmosphere and identity.

Read more about our design process at the Heathfield Studio. If you feel inspired, view our product collections here.