Industrial style decor: add character and urban charm to your space

Industrial decor has its roots in early 20th century factory architecture, where functionality was paramount. It’s common for this style of decor to leave building materials exposed for utilitarian purposes, as well as decoration.

Now, this aesthetic has been adapted for modern interiors. It’s characterised by open-plan spaces, exposed structures and a focus on the beauty and texture of stark raw materials, such as metal, wood and concrete.

Leaving brickwork and pipes visible blends the functional skeleton of your home with its decoration.

Balancing robustness and warmth, metal and wood lie at the heart of industrial style decor. The modernity of metal, in the form of iron, copper and steel, contrasts with the softness and uniqueness of natural wood.

A neutral, simplistic colour palette complements and softens the raw materials left exposed in industrial decoration.

Light and dark greys, combat greens, beige and black are combined with raw, unfinished textures, to create a cohesive environment where less is more.

Integrating vintage and salvaged furniture adds character and authenticity to the latest take on industrial decoration. Whether it's an old metal worktable turned into a kitchen island or factory chairs in the dining room, each element has its own unique history, reinforcing the raw, lived-in aesthetic synonymous with industrial style decor.

You can bring industrial style decor into every room in your home. Here's a room-by-room decoration guide:

In your living space, focus on incorporating industrial elements without sacrificing comfort. Strip your walls back to expose the warm red tones of bare brick and fill your space with a large worn leather sofa, a coffee table made from metal scaffold beams and reclaimed wood open shelving.

Your bedroom should be a restful place, so soften the rigid lines of your industrial furnishings with colourful textured bedlinen, a thick pile rug and warm lighting.

Team a metal bed frame, for example, with a colourful patterned duvet cover and a soft pastel cashmere throw.

Your kitchen and dining room are fertile ground for exploring industrial style décor. Think colourful micro-cement walls, concrete countertops, open-wooden shelving and metal bar stools. Soften the look with Edison-style pendant lamps and a jute rug.

In your bathroom, embody industrial style with metro tiles, classic white sanitaryware and industrial-feel metal taps.

To use industrial style to create a productive home office, team a solid utilitarian metal desk with a vintage leather office chair and light up the scene with a colourful Anglepoise desk lamp. Incorporate a chalkboard and cork board to add to the industrial ambience.

Add roof windows to evoke the feel of the light-filled factories of the early 20th century. If you have a period home, consider the VELUX Heritage conservation roof window, which combines modern comfort with the heritage charm of older properties.

These architectural elements invite natural light to play a central role in your interior design.

Use roof windows to flood your home with natural light from above. They will accentuate your ceiling height and make your space feel more open and airy.

An abundance of natural light also reduces reliance on artificial lighting and lowers your energy costs.

Pendant lights and Edison-style bulbs are emblematic of industrial style.

Their warm light will illuminate your space and make it feel welcoming, while their raw, utilitarian design adds visual interest.

Task lighting is essential in work areas, such as your kitchen or home office. Focused and direct, it helps reduce eye strain and improves productivity by providing the optimum light for specific tasks.

Industrial style lighting fixtures, such as directional metal pendant lamps and articulated table lamps, are particularly suited to task lighting and they provide an authentic touch reminiscent of old factory workshops.

While accent lighting, such as adjustable spotlights and track lights, can be used to highlight distinctive architectural features, like brick walls, wood or steel beams. They add a layer of sophistication to your room's industrial aesthetic.

A variety of different styles of accessories work well with this urban theme.

Well-chosen artwork and wall decor, such as vintage posters, metal signs or framed black and white photos, complement the industrial theme, while adding personality and colour to your space.

Soften the rawness of your industrial interior and add layers of texture and colour with thick pile rugs and tactile textiles. Bold patterned rugs warm up concrete and wooden floors, woollen blankets teamed with linen bedlinen will make your bed inviting and thick colourful cotton curtains will add a soft touch to your windows and improve your room's acoustics.

Introduce plants and greenery into your industrial decoration to add a lively, organic dimension that contrasts with the man-made metals that frame your scheme.

Large potted plants, hanging plants or even a green wall bring ever changing texture and colour to your home and improve its indoor air quality.

One of the great challenges of industrial decoration is to avoid a cold, harsh atmosphere. Here’s how to do it:

Bring in warm elements, such as soft tactile textiles, rich hues and well-thought-out lighting.

Wooden accessories and cosy rugs help create an inviting environment, while staying true to your industrial look and feel.

How do you find the right balance when choosing materials?

To maintain a unified look and to help your industrial style flow through your home, stick to a limited palette of colours, materials, textures and patterns. You could, for example, use the same lighting fixtures in different rooms or have an exposed brick wall in each room in your home, this repetition reinforces cohesion. This doesn't mean that each room must be a clone of the other, but rather that each space reflects an aspect of the overall theme.

Balance raw and minimalist elements with personal and warm touches. Pair a solid wood table for example, with metal chairs, or use your brick walls as a backdrop for metal shelves and wooden accessories.

When it comes to colour, neutral hues, like grey, black, white and shades of brown, work well in industrial spaces and compliment your bolder design elements and artwork.