Industrial interior design is with no doubt one of the most requested styles these days. In particular, rustic industrial decor is gaining a lot of popularity. What makes this style so special is its seemingly unfinished character paired with more polished elements. A gorgeous mix! When it’s time to put it in practice, it can be tricky to recreate this mix of high and low in a way that feels harmonious…but we’re here to help!
Let’s start with the basics first. Regardless of the style, one of the things you’ll always have to think about is the space layout of your home. For this, check out our tips to plan your space efficiently. And then keep reading for 10 best tips from Viet Huong Ceramics to master your industrial modern decor!
1. Ground your industrial interior design with a natural palette and plenty of textures
One of the essentials of industrial style interior design is certainly a rich color palette that mixes neutral browns, white and black. So let’s see how to recreate it. To start with, pair different shades of brown and tan to make the space feel relaxed. Then, add white elements to give the room a clean look. And last but not least, finish with black accents to create contrast and add character.
Besides colors, textures also play a very important role in the high-low mix that is typical of industrial interiors. To give you an example, a distressed leather chair would be great to add texture and several brown shades. A plain white wall would be the perfect backdrop for it. And it would create that mix of high and low that makes rustic industrial decor so special. Finally, black metal accents here and there would add character to the space. Plus, they could be used to accentuate certain features in your home.
2. The key to rustic industrial interior design: modern and rustic mix
As we’ve already mentioned, the one typical element of any industrial style interior design is the mix of modern and rustic elements. It’s also important to mention that there is no absolute rule on the proportion of high and low elements that should go into a space. So you’re fully free to create a style that leans more towards the modern or the rustic side.
For example, you could create an equally stunning industrial interior design living room either with a sleek black leather sofa or with a distressed leather one. Also, you could choose to leave the walls rough or paint them in plain white…. You get the point: a mix of modern and rustic is essential for any industrial interior, but how much of each to include depends on your own taste!
3. Open up the space
When thinking industrial style one immediately thinks about urban lofts. One of the main features of urban lofts is their open floor plan, a thing that you should try and recreate as much as you can. In fact, an industrial rustic living room is not complete without a kitchen island that connects it with the cooking space. Additionally, a dining table will fit perfectly in this layout, creating the perfect open plan in the day area.
As a side note, open floor plans are also a great strategy to make a space feel bigger than it actually is. So, if you live in a small condo, taking all internal walls down will really help you make the most of your square footage. Plus, it will make your home much brighter as natural light can travel throughout!
Another important factor in any home is functionality. And even in an open plan concept, it’s still important to create separation between different functional areas. How you ask? Big area rugs, room dividers, movable partitions and carefully placed bookshelves are just some of the strategies to create a visual separation without using any wall!
4. Choose industrial – style lighting
Every interior style has its own preferred lighting choices. Since this style has become so popular, you can now find a lot of different and beautiful light bulbs on the market. The shape of the bulb itself is the first choice to be made: thin, large, small or big, there’s something for every taste! The filament inside has also become a decorative element and you can find plenty of options for that too. Last but not least is the cable, that can be hung straight down from the ceiling or used to draw more intricate shapes, creating a real statement chandelier with a very little budget!
Other features that are perfect for industrial style lighting are wood or black metal details and unconventional objects (like pipes and chains) repurposed as parts of a lamp. So if you want to make your own DIY industrial lamp, all you’ll need are a few bulbs, a cable and some unconventional objects to repurpose!
5. Switch to loft-type windows
If you search for industrial living room decor ideas, you will find a lot of different interiors with one thing in common: big loft-type windows. And indeed, those windows are a typical sign of rustic industrial decor! Big loft-type windows let plenty of natural light in and their metal structure makes them a decorative feature in the space. So if your renovation includes some work on the windows, this is definitely the look to go for! Even if you can’t make them bigger, changing the structure to loft-type (even better if the frame is black) will already make your space look way more industrial!
6. Use a lot of distressed wood
When selecting wood for industrial interior design, texture is key. The best choice you can make is distressed wood with visible knots and a slightly rough touch. Also, the color of your wooden pieces doesn’t have to match perfectly. Actually, it’s even better if it doesn’t match! Indeed, non-matching pieces will bring in a variety of colors and add to the relaxed feel of the space. Plus of course, making it easier for you to handle!
Thrift stores and garage sales are also great occasions to find distressed wood furniture. The best advice we can give you here is to leave your mind open when shopping. Maybe an item looks too distressed or old when you first look at it, but when paired with more modern items and looked into the context of the finished interior it might be just the right choice! To help you decide, try taking a picture of that object and put it close to the other inspiration images you’ve collected. Seeing everything together will surely help you choose! Finally, don’t forget that furniture can be altered! A coat of paint and new drawer pulls can make a huge difference and let you save some money!
7. Add metal accents
In an industrial interior design, metal pieces are often used to introduce a black accent. So black is certainly the best color to choose for your metals. You might now think you’ve got no choice, but you still have plenty of room to play with the finish! In particular, polished metal will look sleek and modern, whereas brushed and rusted metal will add to the rustic side of your interior.When thinking about metal accents remember that, in a rustic industrial interior, metals are not just faucets and cabinet pulls. Actually, everything is an occasion to add a touch of metal! For example, look for shelving units with a metal structure, tables and chairs with metal legs and even metal accessories!
8. If you have it, leave it exposed
One of the best ways to add character to a rustic industrial interior is leaving finishes and structural elements exposed. Brick walls and concrete floorings are an absolute staple in this style! Consider that they’re both rustic elements so, according to how modern or rustic you want your space to be, you can leave them entirely exposed or keep only a portion to create a focal point.
Another obvious advantage of not having to cover all surfaces with a new finish, is that you can save some money in your renovation…and who doesn’t like that?
9. And if you don’t have it, fake it!
Not all interiors are equal. And if you’re trying to achieve a rustic industrial decor in a space that has totally different bones, chances are that you’ll have no finish or structural element to leave exposed. Should you then quit the idea of a rustic industrial style? Not at all! All of these features can be faked! For brick walls there exist wallpapers that recreate the pattern to an incredible level of detail. Alternatively, you can go for 3D sticky tiles that will look real also at the touch! For concrete floors, you can install floor tiles or vinyl floorings that recall the look of concrete.
All these “fake” options are also perfect if you’re renting and you can’t make permanent changes to the structure of your home. In particular, wallpaper and vinyl flooring are the simplest to remove when you move out. And features like decorative pipes, ducts and beams can all be installed with systems that are as easy to remove as nails in the wall!
10. Finish it all up with decor
Accessories are always a must to add personality to an interior, and rustic industrial style is no different. Pillows, artworks, table lamps and other decorative pieces can be your friends for a number of reasons. They can help complete your color palette and add a personal touch. Or even adjust the overall vibe by bringing in more of a rustic touch or taming it with more of a modern vibe. Once again, you’ll find plenty of industrial-themed accessories in home decor shops. But for this style in particular, you can often make your own at a fraction of the price! Try repurposing pieces of wood, metal pipes and chains, car plates, pulleys and whatever other objects that match the vibe of an industrial interior design…you’ll be surprised by what you can come up with!
Final notes on industrial interior design
To summarize, a rustic industrial style is a very popular one. And we bet it is going to stay for much longer! Originally, it belongs to old warehouses and urban lofts. But you can recreate it in any interior and even if you’re renting!
From the typically neutral color palette to its preference for distressed materials, a rustic industrial style looks relaxed and welcoming. And since imperfections are a quality, it is also a style that can be easily recreated, even on a budget! So are you ready to bring it into your home? With our ultimate 10 best tips for mastering your rustic industrial decor style, you now know everything you need!
– Jasmine Nguyen –
