Decorating your home: the industrial style

What about an industrial look?

Today’s trend is a house with an industrial look. Everyone, especially the younger generation, wants their own home to have an industrial look.

But it is not just simple as you might imagine.

You run the risk to make a disaster in an apartment where there is none of the typical characteristics of this style and you need to start really from scratch.

So, if you are busy with decorating your home with an industrial look, I have a few tips for you!

The origin of this style lies in America.

In the 50s, many factories became vacant when changes in economic activities affected urban architecture. Old warehouses, abandoned factories and empty offices were restored and converted into luxury flats, so-called “lofts”. Lofts are characterised by wide spaces and large steel windows; the heating pipes or air-conditioning units hang in plain sight along the ceilings; brick walls and unfinished materials, concrete floors and many elements made of iron and other metals such as stairs, railings, lamps and so on, are everywhere.

A modern flat, has of course none of these characteristics, but an architect can create such a mood by using grey tones, a concrete floor, black steel doors and combining all these elements with vintage wooden furniture.

Industrial with a chic touch

It is obvious that it is not possible to faithfully reproduce an American look with, for example, fake bricks and exposed beams. But the industrial look in your interiors is still possible, with some expedients and choices which gave birth to a variant of this particular style, which we could call industrial chic.

It is a delicate intervention and actually it is a rash to make interiors yourself in this style… You might run the risk of making big mistakes and ending up with a “soup” of styles and getting unbalanced results.

Therefore, let’s take a look at what the 6 basic principles are for decorating a house in this beautiful style. They can help you as a guide.

Open space

Many of the elements used to furnish the house are vintage or original pieces. They deserve to be displayed in a way that makes them stand out, as if they were shown inside a museum.

The space itself is considered as an accessory, so it is advisable to add only a few pieces of furniture and objects, just to let you get the feeling to live in an empty loft.

In general, wide spaces in which you are free to place various elements.

Rough architecture

Interior design does not necessarily have to be finished. Rough elements such as old pieces of wood, rough concrete posts and striking installations on the ceiling do not have to be hidden.

On the contrary, you can emphasize this kind of imperfections with brick walls (it would be better, if your house owns them already…) steel beams or wooden ones and by not hanging curtains in front of the large windows, of course.

The industrial style is proud of its bleakness and is shamelessly utilitarian.

Continuity in the floor

Make sure there is continuity in the style: no vitrified tiles on the floor, and absolutely no marble either, but rather using concrete or wood, like those materials which were originally used in the factories. If they are imperfect, old or worn, with cracks or other damages, you will get surely a better result.

If you would love laying down a carpet, of course you can, but make sure to start from a grey palette. The pattern of the carpet should be sober, preferably with geometric shapes.

Metal

Designing a house in the industrial style means, first of all, creating a good balance between the warm and cold materials that characterize this kind of environment. By combining the cold background with the warm vintage staff, you create striking contrasts and get surely beautiful results.

The architecture of the loft and or the one of open spaces is already enriched by vintage elements: the environment offers views on pipes and beams in wood, iron or steel, while natural light enters through the large industrial-style windows, gradually illuminating them and revealing their presence in that charming backdrop. The windows and doors also have a vintage character thanks to the corten steel, nowadays a very trendy material, which evokes rust.

If you do not have very much metal in your home, you can bring it in through accessories. For example, choose minimalist iron bookcases, buy a metal coffee table with a glass top for the living room or place an old metal cupboard at the entrance. The possibilities are really endless.

Cold tones

The colour palette of the industrial style mainly consists in dark colours such as (rusty) iron and rough wood. In a small flat, you should be careful in balancing dark shades in order not to get a too dark interior…

Would you like to use other colours anyway?

You can, of course! Just like wood, colour accents in the furniture give the cool industrial interior a warm touch.

The new Industrial chic is characterised by specially designed lamps, strategically lowered ceilings, shiny parts or furniture with hidden LED lights that gradually illuminate all the surroundings.

Old farmhouses in industrial style

An old farmhouse with high ceilings, large windows and a wide space, a barn for example, can be the ideal setting for an industrial interior, just like a loft. The old beams supporting the roof can be combined well with steel structures, stairs and large lamps. In the Netherlands, you can find beautiful examples of old farms with intact brick walls and small steel cowshed windows overlooking the polder.

Like the vast majority of lofts, farmhouses often have high ceilings that allow the installation of an iron mezzanine. Such a floor is crucial for creating a style close to the original one. Some people use the raised area as a bedroom, whose windows overlook on the living room below.

And why not? You can also turn it into a small office, nowadays very useful (since most of us are still working at home, because of the Corona).

What about recycling?

One of the most beautiful aspects of the industrial style is the attention paid to recycling and reusing old used furniture. For example, you can choose an old iron filing cabinet instead of a chest of drawers. If you are a great collector or a craftsman, then industrial style could be just for you.

If you have any questions or want some advice, you can always contact me. I will be glad to help you: info@mefarchitects.nl.

Maria Elena Fauci

I am an architect + interior designer, specialised in villas, interiors and renovations.

Elegance, functionality, bringing together different colours and materials are the core brands of my projects. I don’t have a fixed style and I don’t want to have one. Each design is a story of different elements that reveal something unique about my clients.

I like to design iconic furniture for a home. This is where my Italian origins come to the fore.

Would you follow me on Pinterest for more inspiration?