Web designer Josh Byers says, "The proper and subtle use of texture takes a design from being flat and dead to noticeable and alive." While Byers was referring to a different kind of design when he said this, this concept applies just as well to interior design. Texture is one of the 5 basic elements of interior design. It is the tactile and visual characteristic of a surface, so it can be hard, soft, smooth, rough, shiny, matte, etc. All surfaces have texture, but it is the proper combination of various textures that makes a design balanced, sophisticated and interesting.