How to turn your interior industrial

The current trend dominating my Pinterest is that of the Modern Industrial Interior. A look inspired initially by the restoration of old warehouses, mills and abandoned factories for residential or commercial spaces. The blend of renovation and rejuvenation around the home has begun emerging from top interior designers through to keen DIY-ers.

This restyling is hugely popular as it is all about utilising the parts of your home that in the past you would have tried to hide. Unwanted features and furniture have instantly become fashionable, and every type of house can be finished in this fresh style.

This look requires unique styling and one-off finds to be the envy of all your friends. Here are a few tips for effectively restyle your home with a trendsetting industrial interior!

Feature wall

Always do a little research before attempting to style your space as an industrial interior. You may find new ideas you would have never considered by looking at the history of factories and decommissioned warehouses.

A common element of these spaces is exposed brick, highlighting the industrial past of the building. This is a regular feature in the home now as people find that exposed brick brings character and charm and is very simple to uncover. For those of you who live in a non-traditional build as I do there are many options to fake exposed brick including wallpaper and tiles.

A painted accent wall is often used to dictate the interior, modern colour scheme. Why not go daring, dramatic and playful with a chalkboard wall?

A final favourite feature wall is a concrete look. Straightforward and stylish this gives depth and texture to your space while at the same time remaining a blank canvas. Bare walls and rough ceilings leave the design style is full of character.

Homemade Upcycle and Charity Shop Finds

The most quirky industrial elements come from those that are handmade or found second hand. Recycling is a chance to be fun and creative. Cheap additions such as pipe shelves are both practical and fashionable. Find bargains in charity shops, car boots, eBay or Etsy to create something new.

Upcycling old accessories are the real beauty of this interior design. Reuse and give new life to furniture for an authentic rustic vibe. Give items a new purpose rather than throwing them away. An old ladder found in my loft is now a shelving unit for plants and winter throws.

Lighting

There are many ways to play with lighting in your industrial space, whether it be an upcycle factory light, cage effect or glass pendant. Glass pendant lights epitomise industrial design with their bare, rugged, simple look that still adds a lot of light and warmth to any space. Lighting needs no unnecessary aesthetic elements; the design must centre around functionality.

Furniture

Second-hand furniture is a perfect for the industrially styled home. Get creative embracing a mix of respectable vintage items. Metals and wood are brilliant rough textures for your space. Leather sofas work well, avoid bold colours and patterns. Muted tones with fabric look great in this location. Furniture with a little wear and tear looks fantastic in this area, whether is it a coffee table made of pallet wood, an upcycled IKEA sideboard with hairpin legs or a scraped and dented metal locker.

Less is more

Minimalism and simplicity are key elements to industrial interiors. The decoration in this type of home the essentials. Have the motto is less is more. Think about space, lack of clutter and item functionality. When accessorising have fun with some industrial ‘hipster style‘ furnishings. Outdated technology is a must. Record players, retro phone sets and antique industrial sewing machines both look good, serve a function and give a nod to history.  

Hanging plants and retro clocks are a great look for the modern industrial home. Stylish prints such as vintage posters, wall decals, letter art or signs are another way to work in the industrial designs. Trunks and old filing cabinets are perfect storage for hiding everyday essentials.

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