If you love urban atmospheres and bold design, decorating in an industrial style is definitely the best way to create a home that reflects your personality! Living in a New York loft would be a dream, even if it's not within everyone's reach. Yet, as you'll discover in this guide, it takes very little to recreate the charm of industrial style in your own home.
First, a bit of history: how did this furnishing trend originate? The industrial style originated in the United States in the first half of the last century with the idea of reclaiming old warehouses, sheds, and industrial complexes to create art studios or transform them into actual homes.
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So, decorating your home in an industrial style means, first and foremost, recreating these "reclaimed" atmospheres, raw and full of contrasts. A bold, characterful, and creative style that requires following a few simple rules to achieve a stunning result.
In this guide, we've put together a small list of tips and inspiration for decorating your home in an industrial style and wowing your first-time visitors!
Large spaces and adequate lighting: the starting point for industrial-style decor!
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First rule to keep in mind if you love the industrial style and want to replicate it in your home: this type of decor requires space! That's why industrial-style decor is an excellent solution, especially for an open-plan space or an attic. Born in the large, empty spaces of warehouses or old, abandoned factories, industrial-style decor requires adequate lighting (natural or artificial) and airy spaces, furnished with thoughtful details to avoid overcrowding the space.
Speaking of light: if you have rather large windows with minimalist frames or glass, you're already off to a great start! Alternatively, well-balanced artificial lighting will do its part, but choose floor lamps or pendant lamps to create that "temporary furnishing" effect that characterizes an industrial-style home.
Create a harmonious contrast for your industrial-style home
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Another characteristic of an industrial-style home is the harmony of contrasts. Colors and furnishings should be combined to catch the eye and capture attention, without losing sight of the overall coherence.
Think about colors, for example: from anthracite gray to lighter shades, this color is the star of the industrial style, even though it pairs well with black, white, and gray. This color palette is also reflected in the materials: from iron to copper, from wood to leather, have fun creating bold combinations to make your home's industrial decor even more bold!
How to choose the best materials for industrial-style furnishings?
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The quintessence of a truly respectable industrial decor is reuse! Everything should contribute to creating a temporary and creative atmosphere, despite its totally imperfect nature.
Opt for raw, rough, and unfinished materials. A great classic of the industrial style is exposed brick (too complicated to create? You can achieve the same result with wallpaper!), but even a concrete wall will convey the bold, cold feel of the industrial style.
Exposed pipes and metal, the key players in a truly respectable industrial decor!
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In short, industrial-style decor thrives on the allure of "work in progress" and aims to recreate the cold beauty of old factories transformed into unconventional apartments. For this reason, exposed pipes are perhaps the element that characterizes this style: they give your home a true American loft feel, charming and absolutely spectacular.
More generally, metal is an element that should never be missing from a home decorated in an industrial style. And this applies to pipes, but also to a coffee table, chairs, and (especially) bookcases. A beautiful, minimalist, geometric shelving unit will look stunning in an industrial-style home!
Vintage and "reclaimed" objects: choosing furniture for an industrial-style decor
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We'll conclude this guide to industrial-style decor with some tips for choosing the most suitable furniture for such an original and characterful home. We've saved one detail for last, but that certainly doesn't diminish its importance: furniture, furnishings, and accessories should always be chosen with the utmost care, and this also applies to truly industrial-style decor!
A little tip: antique markets are the perfect hunting ground for completing an industrial-style home. Vintage objects, well-worn furniture that shows off its imperfections, beanbag or leather chairs, furnishings made from pallets or old, unused wooden crates... To furnish your home in a loft style, all you have to do is let your creativity and DIY skills guide you. The key is to create continuity with the home's color palette and the taste for imperfection that characterizes this style!
