Texture Is Replacing Gloss: Surfaces Defining 2026 Interiors
Flat paint and high-gloss are giving way to surfaces you can read with your hand: fluted timber, acoustic felt, dimensional tile, and glass that filters rather than reveals.
HON Editorial
Flat paint and high-gloss are giving way to surfaces you can read with your hand.
Dimension over decoration
Fluted timber, acoustic felt systems, dimensional wall panels and large-format coverings are replacing flat finishes in commercial interiors. They add depth without adding colour, and they carry an acoustic benefit a painted wall cannot.
Glass that filters rather than reveals
Textured, fluted and tinted glass is increasingly specified to control visibility and define zones rather than simply separate them. In a glass-heavy tower that is the difference between an open plan that works and one nobody wants to sit in.
Why it suits Dubai
Low-sheen surfaces tame hard light. In interiors that take direct sun for most of the year, a honed or matte finish cuts glare, hides wear, and keeps a room legible at midday as well as at dusk.
Our take
We specify texture where a client would once have specified a feature colour. It ages better, photographs better, and solves an acoustic problem at the same time.
Trend background: Construction Specialties, Key Interiors, Presence & Co.