By BARBARA MAYER For AP Special Edition

Shiny finishes are as unwelcome as an unpowdered nose in many homes.

Covering a large range of home furnishings products _ from textiles to tile _ texture is in and shine is out.

Even building materials are part of the move to texture. ``Textured looks represent a new style direction in laminates even though you can't have much actual dimension since they are only about an eighth of an inch thick,'' said Grace Jeffers, author of a forthcoming book on new materials and a consultant to Wilsonart.

Texture is introduced to laminates via finish and pattern. An example is Wilsonart's Mesa Granite Collection, which is finished with sheen that imparts the radiance of a pearl without being shiny.

Other textured interior surface products range from heavily textured gypsum panels to ceramic tiles to panels of multidensity fiberboard that are carved so they have dimensional patterns such as waves. Surface materials such as these would be used as interior accent walls.

The feeling for texture has even invaded a product like vinyl upholstery fabric, said Jeffers. She cited Knoll Textiles new ``Forza'' vinyl, which has a textured feel in a fabric that usually represents smoothness and shine.

At fall trade fairs such as New York Home Textiles Shows at Javits Center and other New York showrooms, and in textiles and rug showrooms at the International Home Furnishings Market in High Point, N.C., the emphasis was on deep and nubby textures and surface embellishment.

Textures included faux fur, chenille and soft mohair and cashmere alone or in blends, said Karen Chambers, editor of LDB Interior Textiles, a trade publication for home fashions. Embellishment ranged from embroidery to beading to outline stitching used singly or together to gussy up all manner of home textiles.

What's coming now is a more subtle take on texture. At the January wholesale market in Frankfurt, Germany, known as Heimtextil, Chambers noticed curtain and drapery materials with flocking and with subtle color variations that make the fabric appear to change color as it is folded or draped. She also noted texture in wallpaper; a wallpaper called ``Bubble'' had real bubbles in it, like raindrops.

Beyond textiles to dinnerware and other tabletop products, ``we are seeing a layering of decorative processes and the use of combinations of finishes on a single object, from both large and small companies,'' said Gina Provenzano, an associate editor at Bon Appetit magazine.

Dinnerware patterns include raised designs, recessed designs and glaze variations from matte to glossy, while glasses have cuts and etching as well as surface perforations and sometimes even several layers of color.

``It's the combination of techniques that make you want to reach out and touch the product. The goal is to encourage consumers to run their fingers over a placemat or touch the rim of a plate or the face of a vase and ultimately to be so intrigued with the look and feel of the item that they ultimately buy it.''

The textured look also extends to upholstery. The popularity of casual contemporary style and a technological revolution that made textured woven fabrics less expensive have turned upholstery fabrics towards texture, said John Knott, president of Quadrille, a to-the-trade fabric and wall coverings company in New York. Some preferred textures include the pebbly look of boucle yarns, the velvety feel of chenille, the softness of flannel and the sheen of linen.

Knott theorized that the continuing appeal of high-touch fabrics is related to a quest for peace and quiet at home. ``People are searching for a soothing environment,'' he said, which often means decorating through the use of varied textures and soft colors.

``Textural contrasts in decorating offer repose and can be easier to live with than rooms with lots of pattern,'' said interior designer Mariette Himes Gomez. She is author of ``Rooms: Creating Luxurious, Livable Spaces'' (HarperCollins, $39.95, hardcover), which has examples of rooms she designed that focus on the interplay of subtle colors and a variety of textures.

While decorators have been well aware of the value of textural contrasts, customers are now following. ``People were not conscious of texture before, but the fact that textured materials catch the light differently and animate a room is of more interest to the general public,'' Gomez said.

As one who is always shopping for home furnishings, Gomez finds many highly textured products. ``We are seeing nubbier materials and fabrics that are soft to the touch. Window coverings present another opportunity for tactile materials with half a dozen weaves for window shade materials. When you get to the floor, you have tweed tones and multicolor carpeting and Tibetan rugs, which are thicker than other Orientals, and are quite popular.''

AP-ES-02-09-04 0303EST