Botanic Bleu Market

Vignette Design Series #3~Texture

Thursday, June 27, 2013


Have you ever wondered 
how stylists create their beautiful 
vignettes?

Welcome to Element #3
Texture
"the feel, appearance, or consistency of a surface"
in a

Texture adds layers and depth to a collection,
 keeping it from appearing flat, one-dimensional.

I love white Texas limestone.  
Thus, a white limestone fireplace 
is a focal point in my living room and kitchen.
The end of it serves as the backdrop of my vignettes 
on the pine chest of drawers.
Love the texture of white limestone...

Using different textures in a vignette ups 
the interest-level of the objects.
Repeating an element helps 
unify the overall design.
While the boxwood adds another textural
 dimension with its real leaves, its stone pot
 echoes the limestone background.

Wooden carved birds add another texture 
while their white-wash finish 
repeats the white in the limestone and the pot,
 and picks up the white backgrounds in the 
cards and hanging floral print.

Paper is one of my passions. 
P A P E R - how I love thee, let me count the ways...
All of these cards are botanical...
Ah...perfect to use in this vignette.

I often buy greeting cards for their designs,
 not because there is an occasion that calls for one. 

I also save cards that friends and family give me,
 for sentimental reasons and because I love the designs.
Postcards from places traveled are inexpensive souvenirs, 
easy to pack (how much does this weigh), and 
make great additions to vignettes.
So, I have a stash of cards ready to pull out to use
 as decorating objects.  

Glass is a smooth texture that contrasts with 
wood and the roughness of stones. 
The hanging floral print, the paperweight, and
 the frame for the old French watercolor postcard 
all use glass.

Let's review 
the kinds of texture 
in this vignette.
Stone, wood, plant, paper, glass...

Another great texture to use is fabric. 
Different kinds of fabrics, silk, wool, cotton, linen, leather...
 plus ruffles, braiding, lace, pom-poms, metallic threads...
 create stunning textures.

Now, let's look at a Pottery Barn vignette.
What do the pros do?
Source: Pottery Barn Online Catalog
What are the textures in this vignette?

Wood - table, posts, deck, lanterns
Glass - lanterns, bottles
Metal - lantern tops, repeated
Sand - the beach, feel the grit between your toes?
Plant - white flowers in a pot
Seashell, Candles, Rope

Packs a wallop of textures into one simple collection...

Look at charming, or colorful, or dramatic, 
or stop-in-your-tracks
 vignettes.

Is there texture galore?

Stay tuned...
Vignette Design Series #4~Color
Vignette Design Series #5~Create
are coming.