Decorating
Fun Houzz: You Know You Love Industrial Style When...
You don’t need to live in a converted warehouse to love the industrial look, but there are ways to tell if you prefer gritty over pretty...
Industrial style has been hugely popular in recent decades, ever since the practice of converting former factory and industrial spaces into desirable homes took off. Today, even those of us who don’t live in an open-plan apartment in a converted steelworks are working twists of industrial style into our homes. So check out our grit list below, and work out whether your interior tastes are the equivalent of easy listening or heavy metal…
You adore gnarly lighting
Can’t get excited about contemporary lighting? Always find yourself scouring salvage sites for lights that look as if they come from a Soviet-era tank factory in Vladivostok? It’s safe to say you like industrial design.
Fancy a pendant light? Read what to consider before you make your choice
Can’t get excited about contemporary lighting? Always find yourself scouring salvage sites for lights that look as if they come from a Soviet-era tank factory in Vladivostok? It’s safe to say you like industrial design.
Fancy a pendant light? Read what to consider before you make your choice
You dig ducts
And visible wiring. And exposed pipework. Oh, and you love those simple, old-school grey light switches and sockets. Discreetly chased-in wiring is just so bourgeois! You like the workings of your home to be out and proud.
And visible wiring. And exposed pipework. Oh, and you love those simple, old-school grey light switches and sockets. Discreetly chased-in wiring is just so bourgeois! You like the workings of your home to be out and proud.
You say yes to sliding doors
If the doors in your home slide rather than open, it seems likely you’re keen on industrial style. Sliding doors are brilliant for saving space, so if your home is more compact than copious converted loft, they will work beautifully.
If the doors in your home slide rather than open, it seems likely you’re keen on industrial style. Sliding doors are brilliant for saving space, so if your home is more compact than copious converted loft, they will work beautifully.
You say no to ceilings
It’s all about soaring roof space and exposed rafters for you. Ideally, you want the roof to be lofty enough so you can’t quite see the cobwebs that have gathered up there, where it’s too high to dust.
It’s all about soaring roof space and exposed rafters for you. Ideally, you want the roof to be lofty enough so you can’t quite see the cobwebs that have gathered up there, where it’s too high to dust.
You love a big shower
Fans of industrial style want a shower that feels as spacious and open-plan as the rest of their home. After all, when you live in a converted warehouse, there should be plenty of room for a shower in which a family of four could happily hang out.
Check out expert advice on choosing the perfect shower
Fans of industrial style want a shower that feels as spacious and open-plan as the rest of their home. After all, when you live in a converted warehouse, there should be plenty of room for a shower in which a family of four could happily hang out.
Check out expert advice on choosing the perfect shower
You love furniture that’s worked for a living
If you find furniture that was designed specifically for a home way less interesting than a vintage piece that did service in a working or commercial space, you are undoubtedly an industrial style devotee.
If you find furniture that was designed specifically for a home way less interesting than a vintage piece that did service in a working or commercial space, you are undoubtedly an industrial style devotee.
You repurpose old pipes
Industrial fans see unwanted scaffolding or discarded pipes not as junk, but as the building blocks for chunky furniture. Shelves, bedheads, coffee tables – it’s amazing what you can make with a length of piping and a good tool kit.
Industrial fans see unwanted scaffolding or discarded pipes not as junk, but as the building blocks for chunky furniture. Shelves, bedheads, coffee tables – it’s amazing what you can make with a length of piping and a good tool kit.
You don’t do curtains
The look you crave for your home is the 10th floor of a former clothing factory in New York’s Garment District. Or similar. The fact that you live in a semi in Southampton should not hold you back. If you did live in a New York loft, you would have no need of curtains, so that’s the look you’re chasing.
The look you crave for your home is the 10th floor of a former clothing factory in New York’s Garment District. Or similar. The fact that you live in a semi in Southampton should not hold you back. If you did live in a New York loft, you would have no need of curtains, so that’s the look you’re chasing.
Your kitchen is stainless steel
Wood is too country and Corian too contemporary. Stainless steel, on the other hand, with its professional kitchen feel, is the go-to material for you. It’s honest, it’s tough, it’s uncompromising. Just add open shelves and a serious oven and your kitchen will experience its own, personal industrial revolution.
Read expert advice on how to choose the perfect kitchen worktop
TELL US…
What other signs give away your industrial style leanings? Add them to the Comments below.
Wood is too country and Corian too contemporary. Stainless steel, on the other hand, with its professional kitchen feel, is the go-to material for you. It’s honest, it’s tough, it’s uncompromising. Just add open shelves and a serious oven and your kitchen will experience its own, personal industrial revolution.
Read expert advice on how to choose the perfect kitchen worktop
TELL US…
What other signs give away your industrial style leanings? Add them to the Comments below.
Plastered walls leave you cold? Paint palettes bore you? You’ve caught the industrial bug. Instead, exposed brick sets your pulse racing. It’s that hint of disused warehouse that’s hard to resist.