The Essential Components of Industrial Interior Design

Do you have a new or existing home that needs redecorating? Changing up the interior design is a great avenue for sprucing up your home. Have you ever considered industrial design? Industrial design is a trend in the interior design world that pulls all the best design aspects from city living. Find out how to style your home with this concept. Whether you’re new to the concept of industrial style or it’s been your goal all along, here are the essential components of industrial interior design to know about.

Why Industrial Design?

The concept of industrial interior design involves a raw design and leaving much of the “skeleton” of the home exposed. Exposing the piping, ductwork, and other structural elements of your home is reminiscent of a city building or apartment, which makes this type of design perfect for those dreaming of a big-city life. However, city apartments and even homes can be cramped, with no other choice than to leave these aspects exposed. Through industrial design, you can incorporate these design traits anywhere, and don’t have to be confined to a small city apartment. Plus, you don’t have to struggle to afford the often expensive big-city rental prices.

Elements of Industrial Design

Now that you understand the concept of industrial design and why you might want to feature it in your home, let’s investigate some of the key elements of industrial design. What specific features help achieve the feeling of this interior design style? Find out what cornerstones of this style make it appear and feel industrial and how to apply them in your own home.

Exposed Pipes and Ductwork

As mentioned briefly already, exposing pipes and ducts is one of the key elements behind industrial design. Plumbing, ductwork, electrical conduits, and other amenities that run throughout your home are all part of your home’s “skeleton,” and exposing that skeleton is a huge aspect of industrial design that you can’t miss. Use these exposed elements as focal points in your home design. If you’re building a new home, instead of covering your plumbing or ductwork completely behind drywall, allow parts to peek through as a focal point of the room. Older homes may already have exposed elements like these, in which case you can leave them be if they pass a health and safety inspection.

Exposed Brick Walls

Continuing the trend of keeping things simple and exposed, exposed brick walls are another staple of the industrial design style. If you’re lucky enough to buy a building with exposed brick already included, you already have one of the main aspects of industrial design incorporated into your home. Exposed brick reflects another aspect of city living and a timeless, idealized construction style. If you have exposed brick in your home already, consider distressing or painting it to give it an even “rougher around the edges” style. Though, like most established homes, there may not be any existing brick walls in your home. In this case, you can either install a genuine brick accent wall or choose a more affordable wallpaper or mural option. These give the illusion of bricks without having to tear down one of your existing walls or build off of it.

Metal Accents

Extend the concept of the exposed ductwork and plumbing to your accessories around the house as well. You can utilize metallic accents in your décor, fixtures, furniture, and more. Even something as simple as installing shelves with metal frames can help add to the industrial appearance. For example, at Right On Bracket, you can find heavy-duty industrial shelf brackets that will fit perfectly with the vibe you’re going for. Shelf brackets are perfect for this style, too, because they support shelves to house industrial decorations or any types of rustic and antique gear you can find. More places for you to utilize metal accents include appliances, doorknobs, stair rails, tables, and other furniture.

Shop Vintage and Antique Pieces

Speaking of decorations, do you know how to decorate your industrial-styled home? The answer is with vintage and antique pieces. Look for metallic and rustic-themed items that will compliment your metal accents and exposed brick or pipes. Bonus points if anything you find includes metal pieces or pipes. The best part about shopping at your local thrift and antique stores is that your purchases will go easy on your wallet. Shopping for secondhand items is an easy and cost-effective way to decorate your industrial space.

Metallic and Rustic Color Palettes

What better way to match your metallic accents and antiques than a color palette to fit? When choosing your wall colors, rugs, and furniture, make sure you use a cohesive color palette with neutral, muted colors. This palette will be the perfect starting point for the rest of your space.

When In Doubt, Distress Everything

If you don’t want to make any drastic changes to your current home design but would like to incorporate some elements of industrial design, start with distressing some of your furniture or decorations. Distressing is the process of stripping away some layers of paint with sanding to give the appearance of regular wear and tear. If you don’t want to take a sander to the furniture you already own, pick up some more distressed pieces to scatter around your home. If you like the style these pieces add, then you can take the industrial accents a bit further with some of the above steps.

Unique Lighting Choices

Finally, cap off your industrial design elements with the appropriate lighting choices. When you choose your lighting accents, go for the more unique styles, such as cage lighting or bare bulbs without a lamp shade. Metal dome lights and other hanging lights also give the appearance of construction and industrial aspects. Just remember that the perfect interior design isn’t complete until you have the right lighting to match.

These are some of the essential components of industrial interior design. If you truly want to transform your home into the ideal industrial space, try incorporating these design elements one by one until you reach your desired amount of industrial flair. You can apply as many of these elements to new and older homes alike until you find the level of style you are happy with.