Industrial-style homes are known for their cool, calm, and collected vibes. This stylish and timeless interior design approach is a great way to add character to your home, or transform your space into something reminiscent of those urban lofts and converted factory apartments you’ve been admiring.
Luckily, you don’t need to reside in a New York City loft in order to embrace this raw and straightforward design style. With the right approach, decor, and design choices, you can achieve the industrial aesthetic simply, affordably, and effectively. Let’s explore how below.
What is the Industrial Decor Style?
Industrial style is all about simplicity and is focused on the functional side of interior design. By keeping spaces uncluttered, we can really appreciate the raw, architectural elements of the room that the industrial style embraces — these often include piping, ductwork, concrete, or exposed brick.
What makes an industrial interior unique is how you highlight and showcase these elements, make them a focal point of the room, and accent them with decor, furniture, and accessories. By keeping things raw and unfinished, the industrial style gives off a relaxed, calming atmosphere in the home that’s low-key, but sophisticated at the same time.
The Key Characteristics of Industrial Style
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Colors: Industrial interior design consists of neutral color palettes including black, white, and grays, along with splashes of other moody, dark tones. Sparingly, accent colors bring in unexpected pops of vibrance.
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Shapes: Focus on clean, straight lines, and blocky silhouettes. The space can be accented sparingly with organic shapes.
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Finishes: Industrial style embraces brass, distressed wood, chrome, glass, copper, iron, steel, and other metals, as well as concrete and stone.
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Decor: Keep accessories and decor to a minimum for a clutter-free, minimalist look. Focus on abstract art, metal structures, and accents, and vintage or salvaged pieces.
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Aesthetic: The overall aesthetic of industrial style focuses on simplicity and minimalism, and exposed, industrial elements such as concrete, bricks, ductwork, or pipes.
How Did Industrial Style Begin?
While the origins of this interior style are murky, it’s widely assumed that the style developed and popularized during the early 20th century. During this time, many artists, designers, and architects began to take note of the high-quality materials that were left behind in abandoned factories after the second industrial revolution.
As cities grew in population and the shortage of residential buildings increased, these factories were transformed into residential compounds. The industrial decor movement has only continued to grow since then, eventually becoming a well-loved, interior-designer approved global phenomenon.
Why You’ll Love it
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Industrial interior design is a unique and relaxed way to creatively decorate your home. It consists mostly of neutral hues, materials with unique textures, and playful lights that transform any space, making it fairly simple to pull off.
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By mixing modern, timeworn, and pre-existing decor and structural elements in your space, you can create high-end looks at low prices.
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This interior design style can be incredibly environmentally friendly — it actually encourages the use of recycled or salvaged materials and decor.
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While fairly simple and affordable to achieve, the industrial decor makes a bold and stylish statement in your home. It’s simple yet strikingly effective!
How to Begin Introducing the Industrial Style into Your Space
Once you’re certain that the industrial interior design style is the right one for you, it’s time to begin introducing it into your space through decor and design choices.
If you’re ready to achieve this timeless style, here are some of our most reliable tips and approaches for those just getting started.
Get Inspired by Spaces With History
To discover which industrial decor and design choices you like, and which you don’t, seek out buildings with a historic past to find unique, vintage interior ideas. Spaces with history often feature industrially idyllic exposed brick walls, roof trusses, piping, and steel columns, and will allow you to discover how different decor choices align (or don’t) with these elements. Time to head out to your local downtown area and seek out historic spaces and revitalized older buildings!
Celebrate Everything Unfinished and Exposed
Nothing screams industrial interior design more than exposed brick or concrete walls. Enhance your space’s industrial aesthetic by leaving touches unfinished or exposed details. Exposed and unfinished elements set the stage for you to effectively embrace an industrial interior style.
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Leave pre-existing concrete surfaces in your space alone, or opt for concrete-style wall paneling. Concrete’s gray, textured surface adds industrial character to any room and makes the ideal backdrop for metal and wooden decor.
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If you’re lucky enough to have exposed brick in your home, leave it as-is! If you’re not a fan of classic burnt red brick, try painting your exposed brick in a white or neutral shade for a cohesive look.
Make the Most of Minimalism
Industrial decorating is a stripped-back, minimalist approach to interior design. The goal is to achieve a clean, uncluttered space that allows your carefully-selected furniture and statement fixtures to shine. So, strip away the clutter and focus on keeping your space unadorned and raw, all without sacrificing functionality or comfort.
If you’re looking to effectively achieve the industrial style in your space, it can be very helpful, to begin with a day of Marie Kondo-inspired decluttering, organizing, and discarding. Minimalism is a key quality of industrial style, and it’s nearly impossible to achieve it when your space is filled with unnecessary clutter!
Lighting, Lighting, Lighting!
When it comes to industrial interior design, lighting is everything. Your lighting choices should be chosen carefully as they often act as focal points of industrial-style rooms. Follow our lighting tips to achieve industrial light fixture perfection!
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Bare light bulbs are a major, popular element of industrial decorating. Edison bulbs hanging alone, in a clustered group with long wires, or within decorative metal bulb cages are all common elements of industrial home decor and great options for any space.
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If you prefer a less bare look, opt for statement lighting in large metal domes, pendant lights, or metal floor lamps that still leave the light bulb visible.
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Vintage lighting is also a great way to add character to your space. Visit a few vintage shops or sales and keep your eyes peeled for film set lighting, spotlights, and other reclaimed pieces.
How to Embrace Industrial Design Throughout Your Home
So it’s official — you’re in love with the industrial interior design style, and you’re ready to embrace it throughout your home. You’ve already incorporated decor elements and accessories into your home, and embraced industrial elements that already exist in your space, but now you’re looking to take it to the next level.
The following tips will help you to embrace industrial design throughout your home, stay authentic to the industrial style’s overarching characteristics, and master the industrial art of keeping your space comfortable and homey.
Incorporate Individuality & Quirky Details
Embracing industrial design throughout your space does not mean forgoing all individuality and quirky details for clean lines and neutral-colored decor. In fact, industrial spaces look their best (and the most professionally done) when they feature individuality and unique accents. You can find unique, industrial decor inspiration and more info about the design style itself in this article from Vogue Australia.
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Your choices of art are a great way to make your industrial space your own, and they can be as edgy as your heart desires. Chaotic or colorful abstract art looks lovely against a concrete wall, and you can even DIY your own!
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While clutter-free surfaces and shelving is an integral part of the industrial style’s minimalist vibe, the few decor pieces you do choose to display should represent your unique taste. Display treasured items from your travels, or select small pieces that have a deeper meaning for you.
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When incorporating small splashes of color, your palette is completely up to you! Choose colors that you love, and opt for any that spark your interest.
Consider DIY & Faux Industrial Elements
Achieving that iconic industrial look is much easier when you have an actual industrial space to work with. But if you don’t have an exposed brick wall or concrete floor, don’t worry!
There are plenty of ways to add industrial details to your home without actually having the real thing. Try faux finishes, building your own furniture, and other DIY crafts like lamps and mirrors. It can even be as simple as painting your walls with a special color or paint type that reflects an industrial feel.
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DIY shelving systems made with metal tubes and brackets are a great way to incorporate metal pipes into your space when they don’t exist naturally.
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Faux concrete walls can be achieved with gray, textured peel and stick wallpaper or lightweight concrete-inspired wall panels, available at most major home improvement stores.
Don’t Forget to Add Some Warmth
As you embrace industrial style throughout your home, it can be easy to forget to add warmth and welcoming energy back into your space. While industrial decor is primarily made up of neutral grays, muted colors, and rough textures, the style itself is meant to be relaxing and welcoming!
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Plants are a great way to freshen up and warm your space without adding too much unnatural color or interest. Opt for dark green leafy plants in concrete or metal pots for a cohesive look.
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A fur or animal hide throw blanket draped across your sofa or lounge chair, or a stack of colorful books on your coffee table can do wonders for warming your living room while maintaining those organic industrial vibes.
Enjoy Your Industrial-Style Space!
Equipped with all of this knowledge surrounding the industrial interior design style, and how to achieve it effectively with your decor choices, you’re ready to achieve the industrial home of your dreams.
This style’s neat, the cool aesthetic can work for nearly everyone and every space and leaves lots of room for individuality and fun decor choices. We wish you the best of luck on your industrial design journey!
