The industrial style is slowly but surely becoming people’s go-to choice for home and office decor. Rugged, raw, modern, contemporary and practical this style can turn even the simplest room into a modern and minimalist den. If you're thinking of buying industrial style furniture, these are the things you need to consider.
What's Industrial Style Furniture?
Industrial furniture and decor include the distinctive architectural elements of old factories and repurpose them into stylish and durable statement pieces. Industrial-style furniture has clean and striking angles with exposed materials like brick, metal or timer. These designs get together to make a function-over-form, minimalist style of furniture and interior design.
Elements of Industrial Style Furniture
Wood
Industrial style furniture usually uses thick, undone rustic planks of wood and timber, that look like the durable table tops that were used in old factories. Using such wood means that each piece of the furniture is unique and you can see the individual characteristics of the wood. In this style of furniture, the wood is usually left unfinished and unpainted.
Exposed Metals
You've probably seen at least one industrial-style piece of furniture that combines exposed wood and unfinished metal, which makes a stark contrast between the two materials. Metal gives a rugged, sturdy, cold and contemporary look to this furniture, making it ideal for open-floor homes, with little to no details, and no more than a couple of colours.
Angular
This type of furniture is strong, with straight lines and with sharp angles. The angular lines increase the furniture's practicality, stability and versatility and give a distinctive look.
Raw and Stripped-back Style
Industrial-look furniture is often recognised by the use of exposed nails, unfinished and unpainted materials and live edges. These parts give a similar ambience to the exposed brick walls that were used in warehouses.
Key Pieces
Industrial Fixtures
Start to incorporate the industrial style with overhead fixtures. They are easy to mount and can match any room in your home be it a kitchen, dining room, hallway or living room. Choose an overhead dome in brass or matte black metal. It will instantly change the atmosphere and will give you a preview of how this style could look in your home in case you decide to make other changes.
Industrial Tables
Start with a dining table; it can transform the living room or dining room. One large piece such as this table can instantly create a focal point and refresh the dullness of the room. Go for a table made of solid wood with sturdy metal legs and match it with any chairs of your choice. It can be a good base to add contemporary acrylic see-through chairs or a set of Boho-style chairs or benches.
Industrial Bar Stools
If you have a home bar, choose a couple of industrial bar stools. Usually, they're made of steel or iron, but you'll find designs with a mix of hardwood and metal as well. These chairs have adjustable height which is important to set them to a comfortable level according to your height.
Styles of Industrial Furniture
Industrial Rustic Style Furniture
The industrial rustic style furniture concentrates on unfinished, raw elements like live edge tables and repurposed metal (pipes and beams). Usually, this effect is achieved by stripping or sanding down the surfaces of painted wood.
Industrial Vintage Style Furniture
Industrial vintage-style furniture uses materials like leather and exposed nails. Recovering and repurposing vintage warehouse or factory things like pallets, trailers and equipment into dining or coffee tables is also a wonderful way to reach an industrial vintage look in your home.
Industrial Farmhouse Style Furniture
Industrial farmhouse-style furniture mixes big, thick, reclaimed wood table tops with strong metal bases. Live edges can help achieve this look, as well as lighter finishes on the wood such as oak.
Why Use Industrial Style Furniture
Besides this style of furniture is becoming more and more popular because of its rugged look and functionality, there are several reasons why people opt out for it such as the following:
- Sturdy and durable - when you're investing in furniture it's important to buy things that will last for more than a year or two. Industrial furniture is made of sturdy and durable materials that will withstand frequent use and maintenance. Robust materials such as wood, metal and concrete, are known to last for many years. Don't be surprised that many bars and restaurants opt for this style just because it can endure frequent use, constant moving and cleaning.
- Mix and match seating - if you aren't a fan of a unified look in one style, you'll love the industrial style. You can mix and match as much as you want and create an interior that speaks to you. You can match an industrial-style table with Boho-style chairs for example. Or you can choose a glass table and metal industrial-style chairs.
- Trendy and versatile - this whole raw industrial style is surely trending lately. The fact that designers get to use more than one material to create a piece, makes this furniture so versatile and suitable to match various home styles and designs.
- Customisable - another reason why people opt out of such furniture is the freedom they have to customize their own pieces. You can easily paint or stain the wood or metal and brighten your industrial-style dining or coffee table or chairs.
