Ponder on the concept of industrial loft design and you’ll likely imagine brick walls, concrete, steel, copper piping, and wood. And you’d be right. But functional minimalism isn’t all this bare-bones interior design style has to offer.
Today’s industrial design lofts are sleek. But they also have their roots in bohemian lifestyles of the 1960s and 1970s. Artists and creatives in New York City were looking for cheap places to live and they moved into abandoned warehouses. They turned rooms once filled with machines into cozy yet cool living spaces. Think Andy Warhol’s Factory or Westbeth Artists Housing in the West Village.
Want to channel that imaginative energy into your apartment or home space? Read on for 3 industrial loft design ideas guaranteed to inspire.
Tip 1: Make Room With Dividers Instead of Walls
Industrial design lofts are all about open space. Don’t break up a floorplan with traditional solid walls. Instead, define living areas with curtains, decorative room dividers, and furniture pieces. The dividers should be made of materials that fit with the industrial aesthetic.
Use a reclaimed timber worktop as a kitchen island. Define a living room with a huge handmade jute area rug. Section off the dining area with an open-backed bookshelf.
Head to your local reclamation yard to snap up the bigger statement items at bargain prices. You’ll be sure to create an authentic loft experience. For the less adventurous, yard and estate sales are a good source of quirky vintage accessories. Or to personalize your industrial loft interior design, pick up pieces during travel.
Tip 2: Light the Right Places in Your Spaces
To cultivate that industrial ambiance when designing an industrial loft space, don’t buy lights from a generic homewares store. Instead, head online to hunt down lighting wholesalers that sell to warehouses or businesses. A warehouse light, for example, is designed to light large open spaces.
“Look out for contemporary lighting designs that echo the clean lines of traditional styles,” says Sara Emslie, author of industrial interiors book Urban Pioneer. She recommends large scale factory ceiling lights or maritime lighting. The more barnacle-covered the better!
Tip 3: Keep It Raw in Industrial Loft Design
Not sure how to pick out modern industrial loft design materials? Channel a factory! The rawer the better. Instead of wallpaper, use blackboard paint. Replace plastic plumbing pipes with copper or steel. Remove kitchen cabinets and drawers altogether–go for handcrafted open cabinetry instead.
In the enviable position of designing an interior from scratch? Be sure to restore the original structural features and fixtures.
And as USA-based home decoration guru Kathy Kuo notes, don’t be afraid to emphasize the quirky details. Rusty nails sticking out of a ceiling beam? Leave them in there. Welding joins visible on your water piping? Highlight it with lighting. Plaster falling off the wall behind the sofa? Break off some more! Noticing a theme yet?
Wondering Where to Go for Design Inspiration?
DailyDreamDecor is chock full of industrial loft design (and all kinds of other design) projects from all over the world. You’ll be wowed by everything from a mid-century industrial masterpiece in Austin to a space-smart loft in Tokyo. Head there now!
Photo by Life Of Pix from Pexels
