What are the must-have elements of industrial decor?

If you’re looking to give your home a raw, edgy and modern look, industrial decor might be the perfect choice for you. Industrial decor combines functionality with aesthetic appeal, emphasizing simplicity, durability, and minimalism. Here are some of the key elements of industrial decor that you should consider:

Neutral Colour Palettes: Industrial decor often use neutral colors such as black, white, grey, and beige to create a clean and minimalist look. These colors also make a great backdrop for highlighting the key industrial features of your space.

Sharp Shapes and Silhouettes: Industrial decor often incorporates geometric shapes, sharp angles, and clean lines to create a modern and edgy attitude.

Metal Fixtures: A major hallmark of industrial decor is the use of metal as a dominant element in its design. Metal fixtures, whether that be lighting, hardware or furniture, can bring rugged sophistication and durability to your space.

Exposed Pipes, Ducts, and Brickwork: Industrial decor often highlights raw architectural elements like exposed brick, iron pipes, and air ducts. These serve as both functional and aesthetic additions to the design of an industrial space.

Wood and Metal Materials: Industrial decor often employs rugged, natural materials like aged wood and metal. Aged metal finishes can add an element of subtle charm to your space, while reclaimed wood can add durable warmth and texture.

Dark or Grey Flooring: Industrial decor often incorporates a concrete or dark colored floor to contrast against the light walls and furniture. This floor gives your space an edgy vibe and can stand up well to heavy use.

Vintage Pieces: Industrial decor often incorporates vintage or antique pieces, to add contrast to the sleek, modern look. When coupled together vintage and industrial design can be particularly striking, yielding a timeless and elegant character.

Remodeling your home into an industrial-style living space might seem like a big change, but these design concepts can help make it possible. The fundamental principles of industrial design involve the celebration of simple, raw materials and design elements to create an adherent, clean, modern aesthetic.

The Elements of Industrial Decor

If you are looking to give your home an edge and impress guests with a stylish yet practical design, industrial decor may be the way to go. This modern look is all about blending raw materials and clean lines for a contemporary feel. To help you achieve this sophisticated aesthetic, we’ve broken down the key elements of industrial decor to inspire you.

Neutral tones dominate

Neutral colour palettes are the cornerstone of industrial decor. It’s all about using a muted blend of colours to create a clean and minimalist vibe. You can choose from a range of greys, browns, blacks and whites for your colour scheme. This also proves to be a great foundation to mix and match other elements in the decor for an added pop of colour. A neutral colour scheme provides a blank canvas to incorporate other elements of the industrial decor style. This can be achieved through fixtures, furnishings, artwork, and even lighting. Incorporating this colour palette will provide a modern edge that is both elegant and practical. Industrial design is about subtle details, and using neutral colours helps bring out those minor notes without overpowering the space. Key Point: Use a muted blend of colours to create a clean and minimalist industrial look.

Sharp and sleek shapes

Sharp shapes and sleek silhouettes are the hallmark of industrial design. The furniture and decor pieces are usually streamlined and geometric, with clean straight lines. The design is focused on form and function, with an emphasis on practicality that plays an important role in every piece. Whether it’s a table, chairs, or even a lamp, it needs to be efficient, smart and comfortable. To create an industrial vibe, consider adding furniture with unique and distinctive shapes. Incorporate furniture with strong geometric shapes into your decor, such as square or rectangular coffee tables, chairs, and bookshelves. Sleek and simple is always the better option, ensuring that the pieces don’t look cluttered or over-styled. Key Point: The furniture and decor pieces are usually streamlined and geometric, with clean straight lines that provide efficient, smart, and comfortable spaces.

Unconcealed piping, ducts, and brickwork

Exposed pipes, ducts, and brickwork are defining characteristics of industrial decor. It’s a nod to the industrial history of large warehouses and factories, where these elements were left exposed for practicality. Incorporating these elements into your decor in creative ways can add a rustic, understated edge to your space while maintaining an overall modern vibe. Leaving structural features exposed can provide a unique aesthetic, making the space feel larger and adding texture to a blank canvas. Paint or coat pipes and ducts to provide a uniform look. For brickwork or concrete flooring, consider refinishing them with a glossy clear coat for a sleek finish. Key Point: Incorporate exposed pipes, ducts, and brickwork into your decor in creative ways to achieve a modern twist on industrial style.

Metallic fixtures and accents

Metallic fixtures and accents are essential in industrial decor. The use of metal in interior design adds a cool, edgy vibe to your space. The metal used is usually unfinished, showing off a raw and rustic quality. Examples of metallic fixtures include track lighting, chain-link pendant lights, kitchen appliances, and faucets. To incorporate metallic fixtures, select a range of textures, such as painted, brushed, polished, or even rusted, to create interest and add depth to your decor. Consider adding metal accents to your space through curated accessories like sculptures, vases, tabletop decor, and more. Key Point: Incorporating metallic fixtures and accents will add a cool, edgy vibe and a range of textures to your industrial design.

Wood and metal pairings

Wood and metal pair beautifully together in an industrial decor scheme, making it an essential element to consider. Industrial design strives to keep the materials raw, sturdy, and practical, and wood and metal satisfy this idea in the best possible way. Wood elements can range from natural finish light wood to dark stained or painted finishes to give a contemporary look. Pairing metal and wood can be incorporated in many ways, such as through furniture or shelving units. Consider adding metal scrollwork supports within wood shelves or using a wood slab that has been repurposed with metal legs. The design possibilities utilizing both materials are endless. Key Point: Combining wood and metal brings together the raw, sturdy and practical elements of industrial design in the most effortless way.

Dark and grey flooring

An essential part of industrial design is the flooring. Dark and grey flooring work as a perfect foil to the other design elements, such as neutral walls and metallic accents. A concrete foundation with a matte finish can add texture and rawness to your space while providing a backdrop to the other features of the decor. As an alternative option, you could use a polished wood floor which will add an elegant touch to your industrial theme. The point is to ensure that your flooring has an elegant finish while still maintaining the practicality that is so important in every element of industrial design. Key Point: Dark or grey flooring adds texture and rawness, making a perfect foil to the other features of your industrial decor.

Vintage and repurposed décor

Incorporating vintage and repurposed decor will add character and depth to your industrial design. You can find industrial-style pieces at vintage stores, flea markets, or even DIY your projects! You don’t have to spend a lot of money, and this adds the bonus of owning a unique piece of industrial decor. Vintage pieces such as worn leather sofas or industrial metal tables can add a raw edge to an otherwise sterile space. You’ll be surprised by how different a room can look with the addition of just one vintage piece. Key Point: Incorporating vintage and repurposed decor adds character and depth to your industrial decor while giving it a unique touch.

Conclusion

Industrial design is all about creating a unique, raw and practical space. The decor is understated and edgy yet practical. These elements of industrial decor can be tailored to suit any style, theme, home size, and budget. Use this as a basic guide, add your unique touches, and create a personality that defines you precisely in your space.