One of the best things about home decor is the fact that there are so many avenues for expressing ourselves and so many styles to experiment with. There isn’t just one way or one style to make a home look good. There are so many looks and distinct styles that you can adopt to suit your personality and your home. The most common styles are Scandi, farmhouse, contemporary, bohemian, glam and of course industrial style.
The industrial style has gained a lot of momentum over the last 5 years, becoming a style staple and look many people are bringing into their homes. In the past, a style that used to be considered quite overpowering has evolved to become chic, stylish and worth trying out. But what exactly is industrial when it comes to decorating and more importantly what elements should we be looking for if we want to bring it into our homes?
The Industrial Playbook
Industrial plays up the structural elements of a home, and brings the look and feel of a warehouse or a downtown loft. Many rooms in this style play up on elements like exposed brick, exposed beams, and polished concrete floors. Many of these things sound too complicated to implement in your home, but they don’t have to be. Just because your home doesn’t come with these structural elements, doesn’t mean you can’t do industrial style.
Here are some ideas…
Heavy Materials
In the industrial style, certain fabrics are favored. You’re mostly going to see elements like dark heavy leather couches, along with materials that are more heavy in texture. For example dark crushed velvet can be very effective and dramatic, especially in colors like grey, dark brown or black.
Here’s a really creative hack so you don’t have to go through the hassle of choosing which velvet curtains to get and where to find them. You can invest in a really good set of dark blackout curtains because they achieve the same look for a good price. When it comes to hanging curtains, think super long, heavy and flowy, even dragging on the ground for an effortless and chic look.
Dark Metal
Metal is another prominent element that can be included in your home to have an industrial style. If you’re using metal, it has to be done in a dark grey or even black color. This is especially great for table legs, curtain railings and as supports for shelves and mantels on fireplaces.
Hack: You don’t have to buy pieces with black metal, you can craft a quick DIY solution. Any type of metal can be transformed to have the Industrial look by just using either a matt black spray paint or a hammered black metal spray paint. Rustoleum makes really great spray paints that can turn ordinary metal and even PVC into a loft-worthy accent.
Brick
Exposed brick walls are the hallmark of an industrial style room, but of course, we can’t just take a sledgehammer to the walls to remove the wall paint and plaster. Here’s the great news, you can create an exposed brick look in a matter of minutes. You can buy a 3D brick peel-and-stick wallpaper that can give you the same vibe as real exposed brick. Because it’s not permanent, you won’t have to make a huge commitment to try out a new style.
Lighting
Lighting is a very important part of any decor style, and a big part of giving a room some depth. With industrial, it’s no different. The only difference is the way we approach lighting in this style. There’s less focus on chandeliers and fancy lamps and more on light fixtures that look and feel more organic to a warehouse space. Edison bulbs are a prominent part of this style, so instead of covering up a light with a shade or buying a normal bulb, buy a big Edison bulb and let that be the lighting focal point.
Don’t Overdecorate
Industrial style also favors minimalism over having a lot of furnishings filling up a space. So instead of creating multiple vignettes in different corners, consider choosing a few really good pieces and letting them be the focal points. This could be a really large leather couch, a low-profile textured wood coffee table, a standing lamp with an exposed Edison bulb, an area rug and an artwork in muted colors and tones or a mirror with a dark metal frame.
These are some of the easiest and most affordable ways to make your home look industrial. It’s a fun style to experiment with because it’s very different from everything else. Of course, you also don’t have to commit to the full style, you can also bring elements of it into your space with specific decor pieces and choices.