How To Achieve An Industrial Design Look

We feature industrial design a lot in this blog because, well, it just looks and feels really cool. It has that authentic character to it that we like so much about all of our vintage stuff, and it can be mixed pretty well with the more traditional vintage styles. Maybe that’s why it’s so incredibly popular here in Australia. Are you one of those people who wants to give their room(s) a makeover? Then let us give you some interior design ideas on how to make it work out for the best.

1. Keep it simple. 

The industrial design look is all about the simplicity and functionality of a building. Just think about actual industrial warehouses and factories: robust and functional shapes dominate, and the materials used are strong and basic - mostly rough wood and metal. This means less is more, and you’ll have to try and create as much space as possible in your interior. Try to leave walls blank and maybe take some furniture out. But don’t be afraid of being left with a minimalist design. The features of an industrial home are interesting enough on their own to lend your interior charm. Think exposed pipes, robust wooden tables and wire cage lights. They’ll provide all the character you need.

2. Be selective.

When looking for products for your home, keep in mind that you can’t clutter your interior with too much stuff. Instead, it’s better to spend a little bit more time hunting down the right furniture and lights that will suit your home and complement the overall design. Remember, those few furniture pieces will be emphasized a lot by the spacious feeling of the room, so choose well. Not everything that comes from an old warehouse looks stylish in a home, and not everything that’s labelled “industrial” will suit your taste. Select only what works for you and you’ll end up with a beautifully simple design look that you can enjoy every day.

3. Expose your stuff.

This is perhaps the most radical of our interior design ideas: be brave and expose your walls, pipelines and  light cords. Tear away some boarding and scrape the wallpaper and plaster of your wall. Bare brick or concrete walls and metal pipelines provide the perfect backdrop for your furniture and lighting, creating that robust design look that is liked by so many. So go ahead, unleash the DIY guy/gal in you and tackle that job!

4. Go for neutral.

If you can’t have exposed brick or concrete walls, paint your walls and ceilings in neutral colours like grey and brown, maybe some whites and blacks. This colour scheme, once again based on what you might find in an actual warehouse or factory, should be prominent in the rest of your interior as well. If you’re adamant about having some more colours, go for a few cool ones such as green or blue. Using faded colours also work very well in an industrial design look.

5. Add warm touches.

With a lot of space, industrial shapes and neutral colours, industrial design does have the tendency to look a little bit too cold. Exception to the rule is wood, which stands out from all the metal and stone and provides a nice contrast. In order to add a few warm touches to your interior, make sure to include wood at a few key points in your room. Obvious choices are dinner and coffee tables, but the occasional side table, bookcase or even bulb fitting work well too. Apart from wood, throwing in a few warmly coloured fabrics looks really nice as well. For example, a knitted red throw for the sofa or woven orange table cloth for the coffee table. Alternatively, add some earth coloured accessories here and there for some more subtle touches.

We hope these industrial interior design ideas from our blog gave you a good grasp of how to achieve an industrial design look for your home. If you have any tips to add, feel free to let us know in the comments!

Want to shop the look? Check out our extensive range of pendant lighting here.

(Image 1 by Trendland, Image 2 and 4 by Homelife, image 3 by Apartmenttherapy, image 5 by Houzz)