Industrial-style interior design has grown in popularity in recent years, and for good reason. The stark, edgy elements of industrial elements, such as concrete floors, metal beams, and brick walls, bring a fresh and chic take on modern homes today.
Using these design elements while still maintaining an inviting, cosy atmosphere for your home may sound like a bit of a challenge, but it’s actually much more achievable than you would think. To that end, here are a few tips from DROOL Art on how to achieve this modern, industrial-inspired style in your home:
1) Create Wide Open Spaces
This aesthetic is inspired by actual industrial locations, such as factories, warehouses, and storage buildings. These buildings are characterised by their wide-open spaces, originally meant to fit machinery or materials. Open spaces are popular in industrial interior design not just to mimic its inspiration, but also to create a liberating feeling in the space.
If your home already has a large, open area, then you’ve already got one important aspect of the interior design style down. But if you need a head start, see if you can remove any unnecessary walls or structures during renovation to achieve the look. Furniture arrangements and rugs can help differentiate different zones in your home without the need to use walls or dividers.
2) Add Striking Decor
Because of the harshness of the industrial aesthetic, art and decoration are a necessary addition to any industrial-inspired home. They’re meant to achieve a visual balance and make the space feel more inviting to occupants. Decor pieces such as minimalist art posters and prints, metal sculptures, or black and white photos can all give your home your own unique touch, all while also softening the signature tough edges of the industrial style.
3) Highlight Exposed Structural Elements
While some interior design styles try to hide structural elements, the industrial aesthetic embraces them wholeheartedly. Exposed beams, brick walls, concrete flooring, visible ductwork and piping—these elements can all become focal points in your home, so there’s no need to worry about concealing them. In fact, you can draw people’s attention to them with strategic lighting choices and turn them into the main aspects of your interior design.
4) Look for Sustainable Options
Because of its fondness for raw materials, the industrial style is the perfect way to incorporate sustainable options during the interior design process. Consider getting a coffee table made out of reclaimed wood, a countertop made of recycled glass, decor pieces from recycled metals, or other sustainable furniture that you can integrate into your interior design.
You can use sustainable materials for any renovations you might need as well. For example, if you want to redo your floors, bamboo flooring is a popular eco-friendly option that can still help you achieve an elegant, minimalist, and industrial-inspired look.
5) Combine Polished and Raw Elements
Visual balance is key if you want to properly achieve the industrial-inspired aesthetic. If you lean too far into its edgier elements, you might end up with a home that doesn’t feel welcoming or comfortable to stay in.
A room with exposed beams, for example, can match well with sleek, minimalist furniture. You can also play around with different textures, such as pairing soft rugs with hard concrete flooring.
6) Lean into The Minimalist Aesthetic
The minimalist and industrial aesthetics often go hand in hand, as they complement each other quite well. Simple furniture with clean lines and simple shapes works best with this look, as each piece can help soften the look of industrial interior design without clashing. Materials such as wood, metal, or leather would fit perfectly with your home, especially for furniture pieces such as tables, seats, and storage units.
7) Choose a Neutral or Earthy Colour Palette
If you’re aiming for a chic industrial aesthetic, then a neutral or earthy colour palette is the way to go. Blacks and grays are commonly found in industrial-style homes, thanks to the aesthetic’s frequent use of metal and concrete. It’s best to balance those colours with white and beige that can soften the overall design and create a calming and cosy atmosphere. To add some more colour to your interior design, consider earthier accents like dark green, rust red, and various shades of brown.
8) Add Lots of Lighting
Natural and artificial lighting are crucial aspects of industrial interior design. Installing large windows will bathe your home in sunlight, making its spaces look wider and its atmosphere more welcoming. Then, you can add unique industrial lighting fixtures to use once the sun has set. Look for floor lamps with a slight rustic finish, vintage pendant lights with exposed bulbs, or even old lighting fixtures recycled from factories to achieve the look that you want.
Create The Perfect Industrial–Inspired Home Space
For its uniquely sophisticated and striking impact, the industrial aesthetic has become a source of timeless inspiration for interior designers. But contrary to popular belief, it won’t be difficult to bring into your own home.
Wow your guests and level up your home’s aesthetic value through the adjustments listed above. To find art that will match the industrial vibe perfectly, look for pieces through DROOL’s Art Finder Quiz or browse for top deals on our website now.
