Material Honesty
After decades of “faux everything”—faux wood floors, faux marble counters, faux brick wallpaper—the pendulum is swinging back hard toward authentic materials. Design now is about celebrating things as they really are, flaws and all.
Image credit: Aimée Mazzenga
What Is “Material Honesty”?
It’s a design philosophy where materials are celebrated for their natural character rather than disguised or overprocessed. Think:
Real wood with knots instead of laminated boards.
Stone with veining and texture instead of engineered perfection.
Linen with slubs, handmade ceramics with fingerprints, brass with patina.
In short, it’s letting your home age like a good leather jacket—not like a fast-fashion T-shirt.
Why Now?
Sustainability pressure: People are done buying cheap stand-ins that look tired after two years.
Design fatigue: Perfect, glossy interiors can feel sterile. A little imperfection makes a home feel alive.
Cultural shift: We’re valuing transparency and craft in everything—from food to fashion—and interiors are catching up.
Where It Shows Up
Floors and walls: Wide-plank oak, tadelakt plaster, raw concrete left exposed.
Furniture: Unfinished or lightly finished woods, steel that isn’t powder-coated, leather that wears in rather than wears out.
Accessories: Hand-thrown ceramics, woven baskets, glass with bubbles or ripples instead of “machine-perfect.”
(Image credit: Rosanna Bossom / Astrid Templier)
How to Bring It Home (Without Building a Cabin)
Mix high and low: A vintage solid-wood dresser next to a big-box sofa instantly adds credibility.
Stop fighting patina: Let brass tarnish, let wood get scuffs—just clean and oil, don’t over-refinish.
Layer textures: Honest materials love company—pair stone with wool, linen with raw wood, clay with rattan.
Shop smarter: Estate sales, flea markets, and antique shops are full of quality materials at lower prices than new mass-market knockoffs.
image credit: The Laquer Company
Bottom Line
When your space is filled with real, tactile, substantial things, it feels grounded, timeless, and personal. Homes are trending less like sets and more like… well, homes.
-Juliette