Give your living room an industrial update

You might not know it by its name, but I’m willing to bet that you know what it looks like. 

Inspired by the design of industrial factories during the early 1800s, the industrial aesthetic incorporates many popular building materials at the time such as brick, steel, and concrete. 

Throughout this post, we’ll be taking a closer look at this look and how you can incorporate the look into your own space.

 Let’s dive in:

The colours

If you want to pull off the industrial look at home, the first thing you need to nail down is the colour palette.

The industrial look is well-known for its use of materials such as wood, concrete, and steel in its designs, which is why the dominant colours in most industrial designs are in neutral tones like brown, beige, burnt orange, black, grey, and occasionally dark green. 

If you look at this stunning space designed by Vizn Studios —  a creative studio specializing in architecture, you’ll notice how the grey pegboard, coffee table, and TV stand, along with the brown leather sofa, side tables, and shelves, complement the surrounding exposed brick walls and concrete floors.  

The materials

When it comes to materials, the strong presence of wood, brick, steel, and concrete materials can be found in any Industrial-themed interior. 

Taiwan-based HAO Design studios helped a young family convert this attic space into an industrial-style loft complete with a spiral staircase, high ceilings, exposed brick and steel frames, all of which are reminiscent of how industrial factories in the early 19th century were designed. 

The furniture

When it comes to industrial-style furniture, there are a few things to look out for besides colour and material. 

Unlike Scandinavian or contemporary-style interiors, the industrial look boasts a raw and unfinished look with an emphasis on exposed brick walls, pipes and even air ducts. 

The more raw, the better.

For example, in this Ukranian loft apartment designed by architect and 3D artist Anjey Misoanyuk, you can see how the raw and unfinished qualities also extend into the furniture.

Pieces like shelves are outlined with a steel frame, lightbulbs work without housing, and chairs with steel pipes as legs are all things that go with the industrial aesthetic. 

Overall, the industrial look is robust, rustic, vintage, and sophisticated all rolled into one, making it one of our favourite looks in a living space. It effortlessly blends opposing materials like wood, brick, steel, and concrete to make a space that is greater than the sum of its parts. 

For more home decorating tips that you can put to use without breaking the bank, get a copy of our FREE Timeless Living: How To Design A Classy IKEA- Inspired Home ebook: