Welcome to Return on Design, the podcast where beauty meets strategy and interiors become assets that perform. I’m your host, Rachel Niederhofer, designer, investor and builder of high impact spaces that deliver real results. Alongside my husband, I run both a design firm and a real estate investment company, where I live at the intersection of creativity and ROI every day. Each week, I’ll be unpacking what most people overlook: how strategic design decisions can grow your investment, elevate your lifestyle and unlock the full potential of your property.
Most spaces that feel wrong aren’t missing a renovation. They’re missing balance. Natural materials in interior design, wood, stone, brick and plaster, are usually the fix, but only when they’re used as an accent instead of a theme. Go too light on them and a room reads cold and sterile. Go too heavy and it starts to feel like a cabin, dark and closed in no matter where the house actually sits.
The good news is that getting this right rarely requires a big budget. A few well-placed wood or stone details, chosen for the climate and the house they’re going into, do more for perceived value than most people expect.
The pendulum almost always swings too far one way or the other. Either a space leans on too much of the same natural material and the same dark color, which starts to feel heavy and cabin-like, or it has nothing that adds warmth, depth or texture at all, which reads cold and plain, closer to a hospital than a home.
A room full of drywall with trim and molding painted the same white as the walls is the clearest version of the second problem. It isn’t broken. It’s just missing the organic texture that natural materials in interior design are supposed to supply.
Beam work is usually the first move, whether that’s real structural beams, faux beams, or wood paneling applied over an existing ceiling. All three immediately draw the eye up and add a different level of interest, and most of them are genuinely budget-friendly: a few measurements, a faux beam that slides over what’s already there, a couple of screws, and a carpenter or a confident DIYer can finish it in a day.
Open wood shelving works the same way on a smaller scale. On one recent kitchen project, the client wanted painted cabinets throughout, which can tip a room toward that cold, washed-out feeling fast. Keeping a few shelves in a natural wood finish, alongside new ceiling beams, was enough to soften the whole room without changing the client’s painted-cabinet vision at all.
Cheap wood applications read as cheap. Beadboard paneling won’t produce the same result as a real tongue and groove detail, because the natural hue and grain only comes through on actual wood. The good news is that a lot of faux beam manufacturers still use real wood on the visible surface, which keeps the look authentic while keeping the install economical and easy.
Stone, brick and plaster add the same kind of character and texture as wood, with an old-world feel that’s harder to fake. One move to avoid entirely: painting over brick. It’s a trend that comes back every few years and causes real problems, because brick and stone are porous materials that need to breathe.
I am not a proponent of just painting brick.
Return on Design, Episode 18
A latex paint over porous stone or brick blocks the moisture from escaping, which leads to peeling, chipping, and moisture retention it was never built to handle. If a brick fireplace feels dated, an acid wash or a mortar smear effect lightens it up without sealing it, and it keeps the material functioning the way it was built to.
The right natural material depends on where the house actually is. In Texas, that often means Austin chalkstone, with its golden cream hues showing up in both exteriors and interior brick. Further west, stucco and interior plaster walls tend to dominate instead of drywall. Further south, wood ceiling details, archways, and interior brick carry more of a European or colonial feel. A coastal or beach property usually leans into natural materials too, just lighter and often painted, trading warmth for a cooler, breezier feel.
None of that is accidental. Matching the material to the region is part of what makes an investment property feel intentional instead of generic, whether it’s a primary residence or a short-term rental.
On one kitchen renovation, a small, dark, dated space got lighter walls, a wood-look plank floor, upgraded cabinets, and open shelving in a natural wood finish, with no changes to the layout or wall structure at all. Three dominant colors carried the whole room: white, green, and natural wood, with small brass accents. It read as custom and on-trend, and it’s what sold the house.
You want to make sure it becomes an accent piece, not the dominating factor.
Return on Design, Episode 18
Done this way, natural materials in interior design rarely require a bigger budget. They require restraint, and restraint is what actually reads as expensive. If you want to see how this plays out in a full project, talk with Rachel Niederhofer about your own space.
Paying attention to those geographical aspects, the regions you’re in, and all of that’s going to evoke how people fill in the space, but also enhance the experience. Because if you have a beach house, and let’s say it becomes a vacation property, people are experiencing something there. I mean, you want to evoke that emotion, and you can make decisions that create that luxury experience without breaking your budget and enhance the overall beauty. Welcome to Return on Design, the podcast where beauty meets strategy and interiors become assets that perform. I’m your host, Rachel Niederhofer, designer, investor, and builder of high impact spaces that deliver real results. Alongside my husband, I run both a design firm and a real estate investment company, where I live at the intersection of creativity and ROI every day. Each week, I’ll be unpacking what most people overlook, how strategic design decisions can grow your investment, elevate your lifestyle, and unlock the full potential of your property. You’ll get real tools, proven strategies, and unfiltered conversations with industry experts who are doing it right. So if you’re ready to invest with purpose and leverage design as a powerful tool, this podcast is for you. Welcome to Return on Design. Today, I want to share with you how using natural materials in a variety of applications can add interest, depth, warmth, and a more luxurious feel to any space.
And also, it’s something that a lot of times you don’t have to do a ton of or spend really a ton of money to do it and to create that high value impact.
Yeah, so true. And actually, one thing I see more often than not is usually the pendulum swings too far one way or the other. So either we’re using way too much natural material or too much of the same colors of a natural element to where it’s too dark, it’s too cabin feeling, or the other end of the spectrum where we have nothing that adds warmth, depth, texture, or interest. And it becomes very cold and plain, yes, like a hospital.
Nobody wants to be there.
So let’s dive right in. Why natural materials help? I mean, so many reasons, but I always think of it like organically or bringing the outside in to a degree. If I have just a room that’s full of drywall and all of my trim and molding is the same color as the wall or white, sometimes the room can feel, like we said, cold or
Almost a washed out feeling.
And with a lot of these modern trends, we’ve had people come to us that they love the painted cabinet look. But it goes so far into the spectrum of everything is painted, there’s no warmth to the space. And people can sometimes feel overwhelmed with like, well, how am I going to add in blacks or any other color palette in general? One of the best ways to break that up is with natural materials specifically like wood is one of my favorite things to use. So one way you can use wood in a space without breaking your budget is adding beam work, whether it’s real beams, faux beams, or even paneling. You can put that on ceilings, which will immediately draw your eye up and add a different level of interest that maybe wasn’t there before.
Yeah, we’ve seen a lot of houses that over time, they have kind of a beam structure throughout the ceiling, but it’s still just drywalled. And you can put a wood paneling over that or the faux beams like you’ve talked about, that you just mentioned, and it can dramatically change that space. And a lot of them are actually really budget friendly, but yet look super high end. Also, with that, a lot of them are actually pretty easy to install. A few simple measurements and some of the faux beams come, it’s pretty much just a slides right over the top of what’s existing there, a couple screws in, or if you’re doing it in a paneling, it’s just a couple pieces and just still, again, just a few measurements and there’s different ways to apply it. And the right carpenter or even some of the DIY, if you are good with that woodworking finish, some of that finish work, then it’s pretty easy yourself to do.
Yeah, I would recommend, you can also make it look cheap. So making sure you’re using the right materials. Yeah, like don’t just get beaten board paneling, you know, because you’re not going to get the same effect as like a tongue and groove louver. If you’re doing, you know, a wood feature, and you want the actual natural hue of the wood to be exposed. So if you’re going to like paint a panel board, you’re going to have texture and dimension. But if we’re trying to add in and have that naturally invoked wood grain or color hue that you’re only going to really get from wood, even make sure you’re using wood materials and quality or to your point, every good faux beam. There’s a lot of great manufacturers who they’re actually still using real wood applications or at least on the surface. So it’s very economical, easy to install. And yeah, totally, totally can transform the entire space. And in addition to transforming, when you bring wood in, like I’m working on a project right now. And the clients were redoing their whole kitchen, and we’re going to paint the majority of the cabinets. They tend to be drawn to this very sort of trendy, fully painted clean look in their kitchen. But one thing I’m making sure we do is we add an element of wood exposed wood through the other aspects of the room. So it’s like an open concept. We’re looking at putting beams on the ceiling because they have a decent ceiling height. That’s a 10 foot ceiling. We’re going to lighten all the walls, do lighter cabinets. And I want to make sure we’re also doing a few shelves that we’re going to keep in a natural wood finish. So these little subtle elements of adding in that wood is actually going to soften and bring warmth and depth to the space.
But it also is going to take and add just another level of sophistication and elevation of the overall look and feel.
Yeah. And it gives it a very custom feel. Yeah. So this little subtle elements of wood for this specific homeowner, it’s going to dramatically influence this space exactly the way we want it. And it’s a minimal addition of natural elements that is going to, again, influence it without making it overwhelming or overpowering. Because on the other end of the spectrum, I’ve had renovations where I come in and there’s so many beautiful architectural features, natural elements used, but it’s too much. We have too much of the same dark wood grain. The floors are dark. All the cabinetry built-ins are dark. There’s dark feature accents on the ceilings. So now it’s just becoming very bogged down, where the light isn’t refracting the way that it could. And everything just feels heavy. You want to make sure it becomes an accent piece, not the dominating factor. Or you’re going to feel like you’re in a cabin in the mountains, which…
If you’re in a cabin in the mountains, great, I mean. Yeah. But if you’re in the middle of downtown, that might be a little off.
Yeah. So another great application I want to talk to our listeners about today is stonework and brickwork. And really just in general masonry work, whether you’re using a natural stone, you have brick or even plaster and how you can enhance interest, tons of character, and of course, texture that just really elevates it. Can draw more of an old world feel if that’s what you’re going for or freshen up the space. I am not a proponent of just painting brick. I feel like that’s a fad that has come and gone. And it can actually be very problematic if you don’t do it correctly. Yeah.
And we’ve seen it done incorrectly a lot.
Yeah. A lot of factors including geographically where you’re at, but climate is a huge deal. Like brick and stone is a porous material and it has to have the breathability. And if you just take a latex paint and paint over a porous stone, you are eliminating that breathability required that moisture is going to have an escape route. And you’re going to end up with the paint peeling off, chipping off, retaining moisture it shouldn’t. And it can really snowball into a lot of different things. On the interior of the space, like let’s say you have a fireplace that has like a really red brick. I mean, we’ve had one like this recently that we’ve done a renovation on. And we chose to leave the brick alone and influence the color in the floor and the other walls and surrounding elements. But a lot of people might come in and think, oh, let’s modernize this brick and just paint it white. You’re not going to have as many moisture control problems on the interior, but I still wouldn’t recommend painting it.
It still has a level of breathing and I mean, especially in like a fireplace application there. So it’s going to have heat and it’s going to be affected by the surrounding. Not as much as being outside, but still you got to pay attention to it.
An alternative to a stone application, if you want to actually change the look, would either be more of an acid wash or a paint that is specifically designed for these porous materials, which those paints are available, or even just like mortar or plaster.
Yeah, as you said, that kind of doing the mortar smear effect can help lighten up those darker bricks inside. And it’s still a porous material. It still makes it function and look the same way it was. Yeah. And you’re actually just using more material of what was actually put together and built.
It can really elevate a space and add a lot of character and a lot of interest. And then, of course, we’ve moved so much, we’ve talked about this before, but every geographical area we’ve lived, there’s a different dominating architectural feature or even a natural element feature. So out here in Texas, you get a lot of Austin chalkstone and it has a lot of golden cream hues. And that’s a very common, what’s the word I’m looking for, material that’s used in building applications or just brick. But if we go further west in some of areas we’ve been at, you see more stucco application, even interior plaster walls instead of dry wall, which add a whole another level of interest and texture and can really be beautiful, especially on like a fireplace feature or an accent wall of some sort. And then I would say further south, you could have a little bit more European and colonial influence. And we’ve seen a lot of, I would say more wood, more architectural wood features in ceiling applications and archways, a lot of interior brick in the home, which I love, it’s so pretty.
When done right, it adds a huge level to just the overall feel. And that’s the thing, like with a lot of these applications, you can put the simple touches in and it doesn’t have to be overly done. And it can be done on a very modest budget and make dramatic impacts because it elevates the space to a level where you feel different in the room and it just changes up the environments, which when you’re investing in a property or it’s your own, you know, well, even your own home, you’re investing in it, but like that emotional gain that feel the ambiance that it creates, that’s a dramatic effect and it creates a value level.
And from a design perspective, I mean, you’re going to have completely different design aesthetics based off of those applications. So even on the a coastal, you know, beach vibe, I do see a lot of natural materials, but they’re oftentimes painted. So you get that texture and interest, but you’re kind of lacking the warmth, which again, when you’re on the beach, you’re on the water, those cooler elements that cooler atmosphere is a lot of times what people are going for. But I propose you can still add in different components to add that richness and warmth from a design perspective specifically, paying attention to those geographical aspects, the region you’re in and all of that’s going to evoke how people fill in the space, but also enhance like the experience. Because if you have a beach house, you know, and let’s say it becomes a vacation property, people are experiencing something there. I mean, you want to evoke that emotion and you can make decisions that create that luxury experience without breaking your budget and enhance the overall beauty, just like if you were in, you know, the cabin or a cabin in the mountains.
Yeah, just you’re inviting the natural elements of that you’re surrounding into the house to create, you know, part of what you love about the area you live, bring it into your house and continue that feeling.
And from a value perspective, like, you know, we’ve done this in renovations where we know the strategy as we come in, we buy, we elevate, we sell and adding little subtle details. We don’t have to do a lot, but subtle details of a little bit more character. We’ve gotten tremendous feedback from people who, you know, are interested in the house. So example, we’ve renovated a kitchen. It was a smaller kitchen very dated, very just dark initially. And we didn’t change any of the layout, wall structure, or anything like that. We lightened the walls. We added warmth in the floor with the wood look plank floor, upgraded the cabinets, and then did a lot of open shelves with wood grain. And it made this small kitchen feel much bigger, more sophisticated, a level of elevated, you know, elevation in terms of it felt custom, it felt on trend. I mean, it’s what sold that house.
Yeah, I mean, that just your finishes tying together with those natural elements really can make huge, huge impacts.
Yeah, and we really only had three dominating colors in that space, white, green, and natural wood with subtle, subtle accents of brass. It’s a little pops of gold and black with the, you know, the hard metal mix. Yeah, but super simple. It didn’t have to be over complicated. It’s that value perception that is exactly what we’re talking about today that you can achieve when you, you know, approach things with a level of strategy. I mean, you could think about that in either whether it’s your house, an investment property, or even, you know, client house. What are your elements? What’s your dominating color, which is usually, you know, like over half of the weight of the room. And then what do you have a natural element included in that color palette of some level, whether it’s, you know, stone, wood, something natural. And then what is your metal accents that you can bring in? And it doesn’t have to be a finish, you know, like if you’re in a kitchen, obviously you can put hardware or door hardware, but even if you’re styling the room, you know, your lamps can incorporate that as an example or different fixtures and finishes that when you put everything together, you’re still adding that, that natural element to the space.
As we think back, like as we’ve been in multiple different homes and different areas, what are some of the, I guess, natural materials that have always made that higher impact for you? Like truly in a room have changed the way you feel, the way you want to be in there or, you know, influence. Like I just want to go relax in that room.
For me, it’s exposed wood beams and natural stone, either brick or just a big stone. Like it’s very timeless, it’s very elevated, and it really enhances the architecture. You can take a simple fireplace and only put stone on the front application, and it’s not going to look as meaty as high end and as finished as if you take that same simple fireplace and you wrap the stone around, you know, if you have a side where it’s more dimensional, and it’s going to feel so much more elevated, same thing with taking it all the way to the ceiling versus not, just whatever the strategic approach is, but you can use these materials and they add warmth, they add interest, it feels cozy, and it feels much more elevated.
I would agree. I like to expose beams and the wood or brick accents as well. Just they do add a complete different level of warmth and have an inviting feeling to just come in and relax.
I hope that all of you are feeling inspired to evaluate your space, make sure you have that natural element, or you begin to look through the lens of where is there opportunity to introduce some natural elements that maybe we haven’t. And yeah, you know, make sure you pursue those opportunities and let us know. Like you can comment on our feeds and give us your feedback. We’d love to kind of hear how you have approached your space and been influenced to, you know, think differently.
Or if you have a specific question on how to maybe incorporate some of this into your space, we’d love to hear that too. And maybe we can help you out with that as well. Yeah. So, you know, appreciate you guys joining in. Make sure you like, subscribe, follow along with us, and we’ll see you next time.
Get a strategic allocation plan before the bids come in, for a primary residence or an investment property.