Industrial-style furnishings are very trendy, and this style of decor pairs beautifully with both lofts and open-plan spaces. In the former case, it features elements that already evoke an urban style and a factory feel, such as exposed beams and pipes . But it’s increasingly being chosen by people living in traditional apartments or villas.
After all, this is the strong point of the industrial style: combining tradition and modernity.
It is mainly young people who want to furnish their homes in industrial style , but the fashion is spreading quickly.
Over the years we have learned to love its details, to find its specializations, from urban chic to the raw effect , to personalize every corner to make it unique and true to the personality of those who live there.
Choosing the right furniture to complete an industrial-style space is often not easy.
Paying attention to detail is crucial. For example, are the exposed pipes copper or iron? Are there exposed wooden beams? What are the floors like? Are the cabinets unfinished, made of natural materials like wood? Or finished metal? Is the kitchen modern or faux antique? Nothing can be left to chance.
Let’s start with the chromatic component, the central point for furnishing in an industrial style .
We generally have three types of combinations: a neutral color palette, a complementary combination of dark walls and light/bright furniture, a complementary combination of light walls and dark furniture.
If you opt for the first combination, the color range is quite wide, you can orient yourself on a scale of whites and grays and go overboard here and there with cream, aqua green and pastel yellow.
The cuisine focuses on metallic colors, bronze, copper, iron, but also mineral and scratchy ones, such as coal.
The materials also follow these colors, and natural elements are much loved: wood, brick, and stone, especially for the kitchen; leather and steel for the living room and bedroom, all left in their original colors.
The contrasting combination of dark walls and light-colored furniture can be paired with dark gray or blue walls and warm-colored fabrics. For example, orange rugs, yellow armchairs, pink poufs, and red vases.
When you want to furnish in an industrial style, even the combination of the same color is interesting: concrete-effect walls in petrol green and furniture in light green tones.
Conversely, you can opt for light walls, such as cream, ivory, shell, peach, mint, or quartz, paired with black tables, olive or petrol green armchairs, purple rugs, and mahogany-colored leather sofas.
For the industrial style , it’s recommended to maintain a certain continuity between the spaces, without excessively varying styles in different rooms. However, varying certain elements can be a suitable solution, for example by varying the materials or the arrangement of accessories and furniture.
Dividing walls can also be useful for dividing rooms, as this design style is often used in lofts or open-plan spaces where the dining room ends and the bedroom begins is not always clearly defined.
A recent idea to give a touch of originality to the house is to add steampunk accessories, which go well with certain industrial style furnishings .
Two essential accessories are exposed lighting and gears. Let’s see how to incorporate them into industrial-style decor .
As for lighting, industrial spotlights with tripod stands, but also pendant ones, are very popular.
The preferred material in this case is metal, but there are also floor lamps or wall lamps in mango wood.
The colors are dark, verging on rust. It pairs beautifully with leather armchairs and sofas, bar stools, and tufted benches. It’ll make you feel like you’ve stepped into the living room of an eccentric director!
Also noteworthy are the wall lamps with multiple bulbs, a mango wood base and toggle or crank switches, reminiscent of a pipe.
The gears, for their part, go well with wall elements, they can be used as photo frames, pictures, wall puzzles and more, or form the basis for large hanging clocks.
They look best on exposed brick walls, completing the industrial look.
If we’re thinking about the bedroom, you could opt for a wood-effect porcelain stoneware floor, a low bed, for example, with a crafted pallet base, or a minimalist bed with a tubular steel base, placed on a jute rug.
Low, industrial-style coffee tables with wide steel legs and a wooden top can be used as nightstands, and fake pipes can protrude from the red brick walls to hang jackets and other items.
A wooden ladder bookcase, or a more solid iron and wood one that recalls factory shelves, can complete the decor.
For lighting, Hollywood-style wall spotlights are a good match.
One of the most challenging steps is decorating the walls. In industrial style, we often have very large walls, both in width and height.
The effect can be that of concrete, wood, steel or exposed brick, painted or natural.
The chosen colors, dusty and scratchy, are oriented towards anthracite gray (glossy or matte), petrol green, sage, charcoal, cinnamon and other shades of gray, dark green and brown.
Although there is no shortage of lighter shades such as ivory and china doll, especially for those who prefer brighter rooms.
The most popular images are urban landscapes, such as aerial views of large cities, unusual shots of modern architecture (such as the Eiffel Tower, bridges, and skyscrapers), or graffiti-style writing. Street art, created directly on the walls of homes, is also very popular.
An absolutely innovative and captivating idea is to decorate the walls with paintings .
However, since we are talking about industrial , it is better to focus on something original and bold like puzzles.
A puzzle picture will make the walls of your living room, kitchen, or bedroom unique, lending an artistic and exclusive touch to the entire space.
Decorating with paintings is a new and original way to enhance the walls of your home. In fact, decorating in an industrial style means matching paintings even to dark walls, whether brick, steel, wood, or concrete.
Adding an artistic touch to your decor is always a positive thing: it enhances the aesthetic, makes you look good to your guests, and above all, adds a personal touch to otherwise bland walls.
Not to mention the challenge and fun of completing the puzzle before you can hang it.
Since the industrial style recalls the urban and industrial environment , we will try to provide continuity and coherence with the surrounding style, for this reason it is certainly better to orient oneself towards the avant-garde and contemporary period .
It is recommended to hang puzzles without frames , because frames do not go well with industrial furnishings , as they sharpen the edges and “box” the furnishing element itself.
Moving on to the artistic avant-garde, we must absolutely mention Vasily Kandinsky .
With his works from the abstract period Study of Colour , Yellow Red Blue , Composition VIII and Dominant Curve , characterised mostly by bold lines, progressions of colour and points of light, a mixture of technological and natural elements, Kandinsky manages to create microcosms that replicate industrial furniture in every way.
The juxtaposition of dark and bright colors, gray backgrounds topped with multicolored geometric shapes, recall the dark walls surrounded by brightly colored furnishings (often primary colors) that characterize the industrial style of many homes, making it ideal for living rooms and lounges.
Joan Miró ‘s depth and surrealism emerge in all their clarity in the puzzle of the Kopf painting. The explosion of bright red against a black background fits perfectly in environments furnished with iron furniture and dark walls. Red is widely used for kitchens and entryway furniture such as shelves, benches with storage spaces, cabinets, and the like. The combination with Miró is certainly a winning one.
The Detroit Industry Murals puzzle by painter Diego Rivera is a classic example of this.
What’s more “industrial” than the depiction of Ford Motor Company workers? A celebration of human power, but also a not-so-veiled critique of the alienation of factory work, make this famous mural one of the eccentric Mexican painter’s most significant works, whose details of engines and pipes are drawn with engineering precision. It certainly makes a strong impact on a bedroom wall.
Finally, the Pollock Convergence puzzle is one of the most famous abstract expressionist paintings by the American painter and his dripping, and the one that is most suitable for furnishing in an industrial style .
To break free from all conventions, to break down established rules and to scandalise were Pollock ‘s intentions, and with this work he openly challenged the hypocritical society in which he lived.
The dark tones, almost completely covered by the drippings of yellow, white, red and orange, create a perfect contrast between the chaos of the painting and the straight, composed lines of the industrial style that will surround the puzzle, whether you place it in the dining room or the bedroom, but also in a white hallway.
