Industrial Interior Design: 10 Best Tips for Mastering Your Rustic Industrial Decor Style

Industrial interior design is, without a doubt, one of the most requested styles these days. In particular, rustic industrial decor is gaining a lot of popularity. But what makes this style so special? Read on for expert designer tips and tricks for pulling off a seamless rustic industrial interior design style.

What is Industrial Interior Design?

Industrial interior design originally came from old warehouses being converted into urban lofts. These transformations left the architectural elements of the buildings exposed: iron or wooden beams, brick walls, cement floors, ductwork, and expansive windows. All of these formed the foundation for a raw yet beautiful industrial chic style.

And of course these unrefined features play into rustic decor style perfectly, leading to a favorite industrial decor style mix –  rustic industrial interior design. From the typically neutral color palette to its preference for distressed materials, a rustic industrial style looks relaxed and welcoming. And since imperfections are a sought after quality, it is also a style that can be easily recreated – no warehouse loft required!

Not sure if industrial interior design is right for you? Take our Free Interior Design Style Quiz to discover your unique decorating style today! 

10 Tips to Recreate Rustic Industrial Decor Style

Give some of our leading designer’s following tips a try to easily add this style to your home!

1. Industrial Interior Design Essentials: Natural Palette & Textures

One of the essentials of industrial-style interior design is a rich color palette that mixes neutral browns, white and black. So let’s see how to recreate it. To start with, pair different shades of brown and tan to make the space feel relaxed. Then, add white elements to give the room a clean look. And last but not least, finish with black accents to create contrast and add character.

Besides colors, textures also play a very important role in the high-low mix that is typical of industrial interiors. To give you an example, a distressed leather chair would be great to add texture and several brown shades. Finally, black metal accents here and there would add character to the space.

2. Mix Modern & Rustic for Flawless Rustic Industrial Interior Design

As we’ve already mentioned, the one typical element of any industrial-style interior design is the mix of modern and rustic elements. It’s also important to mention that there is no absolute rule on the proportion of high and low elements that should go into a space. So, you’re fully free to create a style that leans more towards the modern or the rustic side.

For example, you could create an equally stunning industrial interior design living room either with a sleek black leather sofa or with a distressed leather one. Also, you could choose to leave the walls rough or paint them in plain white…. You get the point: how much of each style staples to include depends on your own taste!

3. Open Up the Space

When thinking of industrial style, one immediately remembers urban lofts. One of the main features of urban lofts is their open floor plan, which you should try to recreate as much as you can. In fact, an industrial rustic living room rarely feels complete without a kitchen island that connects it with the cooking space. Additionally, a dining table will fit perfectly in this industrial layout, completing the open plan in the day area.

If you want to go the extra mile, you can keep the night area also open. Placing the bed on a raised floor is the classic way of making the bedroom part of the open plan in a modern industrial living room. But if you can’t build a mezzanine, you can still use features other than a wall to “close” up the sleeping area.

Another important factor in any home is functionality. Even in an open-plan concept, it’s still important to create at least some separation between different functional areas. How, you ask? Big area rugs, room dividers, movable partitions, curtains, and carefully placed bookshelves are just some of the strategies to create a visual separation without using any wall!

4. Choose Industrial-Style Lighting

Every interior style has its own preferred lighting choices. And if you look for industrial-style lighting, you’ll find plenty of options, too. But there’s one thing that makes industrial interior design special: its ability to turn the simplest light bulbs into statement lighting!

The shape of the bulb itself is the first choice to be made: thin, large, small or big, there’s something for every taste! The filament inside has also become a decorative element and you can find plenty of options for that too. Last but not least is the cable, that can be hung straight down from the ceiling or used to draw more intricate shapes, creating a real statement chandelier with a very little budget!

Other features perfect for rustic industrial style lighting are wood or black metal details and unconventional objects (like pipes and chains) repurposed as parts of a lamp.

5. Switch to Loft-Type Windows

If you search for industrial living room decor ideas, you will find a lot of different interiors with one thing in common: big loft-type windows. And indeed, those windows are a typical sign of rustic industrial decor! Big loft-type windows let plenty of natural light in and their metal structure makes them a decorative feature in the space.

But don’t worry if you’re renting or you can’t make any changes to your windows! If you follow our other tips for choosing the right furniture, finishes, and decor, you will still achieve a beautiful rustic industrial style in your home!

6. Use Distressed Wood in Your Rustic Industrial Interior Design

When selecting wood for industrial interior design, texture is key. The best choice you can make is distressed wood with visible knots and a slightly rough touch. Also, the color of your wooden pieces doesn’t have to match perfectly. Actually, it’s even better if it doesn’t match: it’s a way to bring in more variety and add to the relaxed feel of the space.

Thrift stores and garage sales are great occasions to find distressed wood furniture. The best advice we can give you here is to leave your mind open when shopping. Maybe an item looks too distressed or old when you first look at it, but when paired with more modern items and looked into the context of the finished interior it might be just the right choice!

7. Add Metal Accents

In an industrial interior design, metal pieces are often used to introduce a black accent. So black is, without a doubt, the best color to choose for your metals. You might now think you’ve got no choice, but there is plenty of room to play with the finish! In particular, polished metal will look sleek and modern, whereas brushed and rusted metal will add to the rustic side of your interior.

The only important thing is making sure that the final result still looks cohesive. A pro designer tip to achieve that is choosing 2 or 3 different finishes and repeating them throughout all rooms. This careful repetition will show that the design was planned and is not just something that happened by chance!

8. Leave Structural Elements Exposed for True Industrial Interior Design

One of the best ways to add character to a rustic industrial interior is by leaving finishes and structural elements exposed. Brick walls and concrete floorings are an absolute staple in this style! Consider that they’re both rustic elements so, according to how modern or rustic you want your space to be, you can leave them entirely exposed or keep only a portion to create a focal point.

Wall and floor finishes are just one part of the story, though. All sorts of structural elements also look great when left exposed in a rustic industrial style! Wooden beams, pillars and columns, ductwork and pipes…if you have any of these features in your space, don’t cover them! On the contrary, try painting them in a contrasting color and let them shine! Besides being typical features of an industrial style, these elements are unique to your space and will give your home a special character!

9. Consider Faux Features

Not all interiors are equal. And if you’re trying to achieve a rustic industrial decor in a space that has totally different bones, chances are that you’ll have no finish or structural element to leave exposed. Should you then quit the idea of a rustic industrial style? Not at all! All of these features can be faked! For example, if you want brick walls, wallpapers can recreate the pattern to an incredible level of detail. For concrete floors, you can install floor tiles or vinyl floorings that recall the look of concrete.

Even pipes, ducts, and beams can be added as a decorative feature. Strictly speaking, they will no longer be structural elements, but they will still add that industrial vibe to your space! And that’s what we want!

Moreover, all these “fake” options are also perfect if you’re renting and you can’t make permanent changes to the structure of your home.

10. Finish It All Up With Industrial Style Decor

Accessories are always a must to add personality to an interior, and the rustic industrial style is no different. Pillows, artworks, table lamps, and other decorative pieces can be your friends for a number of reasons. They can help complete your color palette and add a personal touch. Or even adjust the overall style by bringing in more of a rustic touch or taming it with more of a modern vibe.

Try repurposing pieces of wood, metal pipes and chains, car plates, pulleys and whatever other objects that match the vibe of an industrial interior design…you’ll be surprised by what you can come up with! In fact, repurposing objects that come from a factory environment is one of the things that gives the most character to rustic industrial interiors.

For example, some industrial lounge room ideas would be a gallery wall of mismatched car plates. Or why not a pendant lamp fixed to the ceiling with a vintage pulley?

FAQ

Q: What is rustic industrial interior design?
A: Rustic industrial interior design blends the raw, edgy feel of industrial style with the homey comfort of rustic elements. It often features exposed brick, metal accents, reclaimed wood, and a balance of modern and vintage pieces.

Q: How can I achieve a rustic industrial look in my home?
A: Combine metal and concrete with natural, weathered wood and warm textiles. Incorporate vintage or repurposed furniture and focus on open spaces and neutral tones to maintain the industrial vibe.

Q: What are the must-have elements for rustic industrial design?
A: Essential elements include exposed brick or concrete walls, metal fixtures, reclaimed wood furniture, and vintage decor.

Want to add rustic industrial decor style to your home?

Our top industrial interior designers can help bring your vision to reality. Schedule a Free Interior Design Consultation to get started today!