Materials & Finishes
31 materials & finishes terms used in interior design, each with a clear definition and how to use it.
Bouclé
Bouclé is a looped, textured fabric, typically a blend of wool, cotton, or synthetic fibers, used most often in upholstery for its sculptural, cloud-like surface. It became one of the most-used materials in contemporary interior design after 2018.
Brass
Brass is a metal alloy of copper and zinc, used in interior design for hardware (cabinet pulls, door handles), light fixtures, faucets, accent furniture, and decorative objects. Currently one of the most-specified accent materials in contemporary design, particularly in unlacquered "living finish" form.
Ceramic tile
Ceramic tile is fired clay tile (usually with a glazed surface) used for floors, walls, backsplashes and other applications. Less dense and less expensive than porcelain, ceramic remains the dominant tile material in residential bathrooms and kitchens worldwide.
Cherry
Cherry is a warm-toned hardwood used for fine furniture, cabinetry, and millwork, recognized for its distinctive reddish-pink color that deepens dramatically with age and UV exposure. American black cherry is the dominant species; the wood is associated with traditional, Shaker, and refined transitional residential design.
Concrete
Concrete is a mixture of cement, aggregate (sand and stone), and water that hardens into an extremely durable solid material. In residential interior design, concrete appears as floors, countertops, accent walls, sinks, and outdoor furniture, associated with industrial, brutalist, contemporary minimalist, and modern Mediterranean aesthetics.
Copper
Copper is a pure metal, distinguished by its reddish color and remarkable patina behavior (turning from shiny pink-orange to brown to dark brown to green over years). Used in interior design for cookware, lighting, decorative objects, range hoods, sinks and bar tops, with the patina aging often celebrated as part of the appeal.
Encaustic tile
Encaustic tile is a decorative cement (or sometimes ceramic) tile featuring a pattern made not by surface glaze but by colored cement layers pressed into the body of the tile, producing a durable, matte, hand-crafted look. The term covers both cement encaustic tiles and inlaid medieval glazed ceramic tiles.
Granite
Granite is a hard igneous stone used primarily for kitchen countertops and other high-wear residential surfaces. Recognized for its speckled appearance from visible mineral grains (typically feldspar, quartz, and mica), granite is extremely durable, heat-resistant, and scratch-resistant, but has lost mainstream popularity in contemporary luxury design to quartz and marble.
Leather
Leather is animal hide treated through tanning processes to produce durable, flexible material for upholstery, accessories, and decorative applications. Used in residential design primarily for sofas, chairs, ottomans, and decorative accents, leather ranges from full-grain (highest quality) to faux/vegan alternatives, and is foundational to traditional, industrial, mid-century modern, and rustic styles.
Limewash
Limewash is a centuries-old wall finish made of slaked lime and natural pigments, applied as a thin chalky paint that creates a soft, mottled, mineral-textured surface unlike any plastic-binder paint, and one of the most popular wall treatments of the current design moment.
Maple
Maple is a hard, pale, uniformly-grained hardwood used for flooring, cabinetry, butcher block, and furniture. Recognized for its near-white to cream color, smooth grain, and exceptional hardness, maple is associated with contemporary, modern, and Scandinavian-style residential design, and is one of the most durable residential hardwoods available.
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock formed from recrystallized limestone under heat and pressure, known for its characteristic veining, smooth polished surface, and 3,000-year association with luxury architecture and design. Used in interior design for countertops, floors, walls, fireplaces, furniture and decorative objects.
Microcement
Microcement is a thin cement-based coating (typically 2-3mm thick) applied over almost any existing surface, walls, floors, countertops, even furniture, to create a seamless, hand-troweled industrial-modern finish without grout lines or joints.
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating patterns or images by assembling small pieces (tesserae) of colored material, typically ceramic, glass, stone, or metal, into a surface. Used in interior design for floors, walls, backsplashes, fireplace surrounds, and decorative accents, with both ancient and contemporary expressions.
Oak
Oak is the most widely-used hardwood in residential interior design, used for flooring, furniture, cabinetry, and millwork. The two commercially important species are white oak (warmer, more uniform grain, water-resistant) and red oak (cooler tone, more open grain, more porous). White oak in particular dominates contemporary luxury residential design.
Onyx
Onyx is a translucent natural stone, formed from layered calcium carbonate deposited by mineral-rich water, characterized by dramatic veining and the ability to transmit light, making it uniquely suited for backlit applications. Used primarily for accent surfaces, bar tops, and statement walls.
Parquet
Parquet is a decorative wood flooring made of small geometric pieces of wood (typically rectangular or square) arranged in repeating patterns, herringbone, chevron, basket-weave, Versailles, Chantilly, and other classical geometries. Developed in 17th-century France as a luxury alternative to marble floors, parquet remains synonymous with refined European interior design.
Porcelain tile
Porcelain tile is a high-fired ceramic tile with very low water absorption (<0.5%) and much higher density than standard ceramic. Used for floors, walls, countertops and increasingly outdoor applications, porcelain offers the durability of stone with the consistency and price advantage of manufactured tile.
Quartz (engineered stone)
Quartz countertops (also called engineered stone) are man-made surfaces composed of approximately 90-95% crushed natural quartz mineral bound with polymer resins and pigments, producing a non-porous, durable, low-maintenance surface that imitates the look of marble and natural stone without their porosity or stain vulnerability.
Rattan
Rattan is the woven stem of a climbing palm, flexible, strong, lightweight, and used in furniture and decorative objects for thousands of years. Particularly identified with bohemian, tropical, coastal and 1970s revival interiors.
Shou sugi ban
Shou sugi ban is a traditional Japanese technique of preserving wood by charring the surface, producing a black, weather-resistant cladding with a deeply textured appearance. Increasingly popular as a feature material for modern interior accent walls and exterior siding.
Sintered stone
Sintered stone (brand names: Dekton, Neolith, Lapitec) is an ultra-durable engineered surface produced by compressing crushed natural minerals at extreme heat and pressure, without resins or binders. Used for countertops, large-format walls, exterior cladding and outdoor applications, sintered stone is the most durable manufactured surface available.
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained metamorphic rock that splits easily into flat sheets along natural cleavage planes, used in interior design for floors, walls, roofing, and accent surfaces. Known for its dark color (typically grey, charcoal, green, purple, or rust), durability, and natural water resistance.
Soapstone
Soapstone is a soft, talc-rich natural stone, typically dark grey or charcoal with subtle white veining, used in interior design for kitchen countertops, sinks, fireplaces and flooring. Prized for its non-porous, heat-resistant, and acid-resistant properties, a low-maintenance alternative to marble that ages beautifully.
Tadelakt
Tadelakt is a traditional Moroccan polished lime plaster, applied in multiple layers, burnished with stones and sealed with olive oil soap, producing a waterproof, seamless, slightly glossy mineral surface used historically in Moroccan hammams and now increasingly in upscale bathrooms worldwide.
Terra cotta
Terra cotta (literally "baked earth") is a fired clay material, typically reddish-brown, used for floor tiles, roofing, decorative objects, garden pots, and architectural details. One of the oldest building materials still in common use, with strong associations to Mediterranean and rustic architecture.
Terrazzo
Terrazzo is a composite material made of chips of marble, granite, quartz, glass or other aggregates set in a binder (traditionally cement, now also epoxy) and polished smooth, producing a confetti-like patterned surface used for floors, countertops, and increasingly small decorative objects.
Travertine
Travertine is a sedimentary limestone formed by hot-spring deposits, prized in interior design for its warm earth tones, porous natural texture and centuries-old association with Roman and Italian architecture. It's currently one of the most-used "quiet luxury" materials.
Venetian plaster
Venetian plaster is a luxurious wall finish made of slaked lime, marble dust, and pigment, burnished by hand to produce a deep, polished, light-catching surface with the visual depth of stone. Often called Marmorino or polished plaster.
Walnut
Walnut is a premium hardwood used for fine furniture, cabinetry, and flooring, recognized by its rich dark chocolate-brown color, smooth grain, and refined appearance. American black walnut is the most-used species in residential design, prized for mid-century modern, traditional, and contemporary luxury applications.
Wrought iron
Wrought iron is iron that has been heated and worked by hand or machine into decorative and structural shapes, distinguished from cast iron by its forged construction and from steel by its low carbon content. In residential design, wrought iron appears in railings, lighting fixtures, hardware, gates, furniture, and decorative accents associated with Spanish, Mediterranean, traditional, and rustic styles.