The Industrial Furniture and Decor Style Guide

For quite some time I have been trying to explain the Industrial Style to my husband. This is a terrific introduction to the currently popular decor style.

The Industrial Furniture & Decor Style Guide

Is your dream neighborhood a quirky combination of coffeehouses, art galleries, and funky bistros? Love functional pieces with a bit of rough-hewn edge? Then an industrial furniture style look with downtown appeal may be just the right style for your space. Create a surprisingly comfortable abode by combining an open, airy space with factory-inspired decor and a warm color palette.

Downtown Style 101: The basic steps to achieve an industrial-chic style

1. Rough it Up:  Mimic the rustic architecture or commercial past of a city loft space with industrial furniture and accents. Reclaimed-wood farm tables, drafting stools, cart-style tables, and hard-working leather upholstery communicate the industrial furniture look.
2. Be a Collector:  Loft living forgoes a buttoned-up finish in favor of collected cool. Mix and match textiles and accents in a variety of styles to give your space depth and personality. Unify an eclectic decor scheme with a common color palette.
3. Create Texture:  Not everyone is lucky enough to have exposed brick walls, smooth concrete floors, and beamed, vaulted ceilings. If your space lacks texture in its foundation, bring in large pieces that establish the raw and salvaged furniture vibe, such as a weighty industrial console in your entry, a trunk-style coffee table, or factory-inspired shelves that span an entire wall.
4. Mix in Metal:  When choosing finishes and accents, industrial style often incorporates plenty of metal, such as iron, nickel, copper, aluminum, and stainless steel. Shake things up with a stainless-steel counter top on your industrial kitchen island, or add a utilitarian edge by hanging cage-style metal pendant lights. (Bonus points for using exposed-filament, Edison-style bulbs.)

Elements of Industrial Style: The materials and colors to create a factory-inspired home

The Palette:  Decor that is truly reminiscent of an urban, industrial loft space utilizes a lot of different elements—you’ll most likely be working with an abundance of materials, textures, and styles. A pared-down color palette will unify your space and keep it from feeling cluttered.

1. The Former Factory:  For a reclaimed space, take inspiration from the industrial surroundings and use steel gray, brick red, and rich wood tones in your home. Incorporate forest green and black accents for a pop of color and contrast.
2. The Artist’s Loft:  Mix touches of bright, saturated colors with a more muted color scheme to bring a vaguely artsy, bohemian vibe to your home. Take palette cues from a colorful rug or patterned throw pillow you love.
3. An Airy Retreat:  Emphasize the openness of your loft-like space—or create the illusion of openness—with a lighter, more monochromatic palette. Using mostly ivory and light gray will provide a more modern feel, but the right silhouettes and accents will ensure an overall “industrial” look.

Industrial Furniture

Create a downtown vibe with a mix of materials and styles, keeping in mind these key points while you shop:

1. Highlight Wood Tones:  Wood tones are an important component of loft-style decor. Seek out wood furniture with a rough-hewn or salvaged look, including pieces with distressing and visible nailheads.
2. Mix and Match:  When decorating with industrial furniture, mix in the occasional traditional silhouette or antique piece to give the room depth and prevent it from feeling stark or cold.
3. Lounge in Leather:  Leather furniture ties in beautifully with industrial decor. An oversized leather sofa gives a room warmth and softness that is absent in metal, concrete, and brick. Accent seating in deep chestnut brown or tobacco tones—or even cherry red leather—work seamlessly with industrial color palettes.

This industrial dining table is a perfect choice for an urban dining room. It’s metal base gives it the industrial look, balanced by the wood tones of the tabletop.

Pick furniture, like this industrial coffee table, that feature metal wheels and gears that look like they’ve been salvaged from an old factory.

Industrial Accents & Decor

While basics like the color scheme and furniture are important in achieving the industrial vibe, in the end it’s the details like industrial decor that really define the “loft” look. Every piece should tell a story and contribute to the overall space, so don’t forget to give the smaller items ample attention:

1. Display Graphics and Typography:  Industrial Wall art like subway maps, blueprints, and marquee signs are a natural fit in urban apartments and are go-to industrial accents.
2. Think Vertical:  In a loft or warehouse-type space, make the most of soaring ceilings by arranging art, gallery style, all the way up the walls.
3. Embrace Your Soft Spot: Balance hard lines and slim silhouettes with soft, textured accents. Pile industrial style throw pillows on the sofa and layer urban area rugs to create visual interest.
4. Go Clear:  Try to incorporate lighting with clear glass shades—or no shades at all—to display antique-inspired Edison bulbs.
5. Add mechanical elements:  Oversized nail heads and studs, task lighting, and architectural details are all small elements that will have a big impact.

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