Is your home feeling lifeless? 5 layering hacks to make the interiors warm and inviting
Is your home looking too flat and like it’s missing something? If your rooms do feel bland, cold, or just too monotonous, then the answer to your lifeless spaces lies in layering. By combining varying textures, finishes, and materials, you mould your previously lacklustre spaces into curated interiors that are rich, inviting, and stylish. This layering of pieces helps to make your space look more ‘lived in’ and alive.
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Sanaa Ruia, Creative Director of MAIA Estates, shared with HT Lifestyle that layering helps to create a multi-sensory depth.
She explained the importance of layering, “The most memorable contemporary homes are never flat or one-note; they invite you to experience them through sight, touch, and even movement. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is by layering materials: combining textures, finishes, and forms so that each surface enriches the next.”
Visual interest is one of the subsequent results of layering, making the space more aesthetic and cohesive. Layering also works composition-wise, creating an ingenious, harmonious flow. Sanaa further added, “The result is a space that feels considered, comfortable, and quietly sophisticated. Layering in contemporary homes is about more than adding visual interest; it’s about creating a space where each surface and material plays its part in a larger composition.”
Here are some expert tips from Sanaa Ruia that you can easily apply to give your space a quick glow-up:
1. Grounding the space: Layering rugs
The floor is often the largest uninterrupted surface in a room, making it the perfect place to introduce texture and depth.
- Start with a base: A large handwoven jute, wool, or silk-blend rug can anchor the room.
- Add personality: Layer a smaller patterned kilim, Moroccan Beni Ourain, or antique Persian over it to create a focal point.
- Shape and scale: An organic-shaped rug on top of a rectangular base can soften edges and help define zones within open-plan layouts.
2. Walls with dimensions: Wallpapers and panelling
Walls set the tone for a room, and layering treatments gives them a sense of architecture and tactility.
- Textured wallpapers like grasscloth, silk, or linen add subtle richness.
- Panelling in wood, lacquer, or fluted profiles introduces shadow play and depth.
- Combining the two, for example, a silk wallpaper framed within slim timber panelling, creates a tailored, finished look.
3. Textiles as art
Textiles can be more than upholstery or drapery; they can serve as striking art pieces in their own right.
- Hang a vintage suzani, a woven wall hanging, or a contemporary tapestry to bring softness and storytelling to a room.
- Layering a sculptural wall light or a floating shelf in front of the textile can add dimension and create a dynamic focal point.
4. Sculptures
A sculpture gains presence when thoughtfully layered with other materials.
- Position a ceramic, stone, or bronze piece in front of a textured wall — perhaps silk, timber, or polished plaster — for contrast.
- On shelving, group smaller sculptures with books, framed art, and vessels to create a collected, lived-in feel.
5. Balancing contrast and cohesion
- Layering works best when contrasts are intentional.
- Pair smooth marble with open-weave linen.
- Place a matte clay vase against a lustrous lacquered cabinet.
- Introduce woven baskets into a room with clean-lined furniture to soften the overall look.
