How to furnish a house in industrial style

With its elegance and strong appearance, the industrial style is perhaps the one that has most characterised and renewed interior design in recent decades. It has been popular since the 1950s and is one of the most common furnishing choices among those who love contemporary furniture, characterised by a combination of design and functionality.

From New York to European homes: the origins of industrial style furniture

Although the industrial style is considered one of the most suitable for capturing the contemporary spirit of interior design, its origins date back to the 1950s. The first examples of homes furnished in an industrial style appeared in New York due to a specific need. The real estate crisis that had hit the city had forced people to resort to the conversion of offices, old warehouses and disused production plants. The adaptation of spaces created for industry gave rise to a furnishing style with a strong personality, suitable for people who love a raw, functional environment and are able to combine the past with the contemporary.

The industrial style is suitable for strong personalisation, but there are some elements that cannot be missing from a house furnished in this style: from high ceilings to large windows, from pipes and installations to raw materials.

The reason for this lies in the origin of the industrial style. When factories and warehouses began to be converted into homes, the focus was on furnishing the rooms, while leaving the structure of the spaces unchanged. The large windows that provided sufficient light for the rooms were transformed into large windows that make the houses very bright, while the high ceilings, pipes and exposed beams give the house a very special atmosphere.

Some tips for perfect industrial style furniture

The industrial style was born to furnish very large spaces with an open structure. A loft or an open space environment are the ideal places to choose this style of furniture. The different rooms of the house follow one another in a fluid way and the overall coherence of the furniture ensures a harmonious and impactful result.

In the industrial style metal and wood are the great protagonists. We find solid wood in dark colours in the tables, in the kitchen shelves and in the other furniture in the house. Metal is used for furniture feet, window frames and bookcase structures (also in combination with raw wood). Metal is also present on the walls, with exposed pipes and decorations in antiqued or oxidised metals. Copper is perfect for a home decorated in neutral and brown colours, while pewter and brass are more suitable for industrial style homes with grey furnishings.

The typical colour palettes of industrial style furniture are composed of dark colours: wood tones, black, the brown range, anthracite grey and burgundy. Accents of colour can be added to the furniture to personalise it. This can be done with home textiles, carpets or furniture elements such as sofas. Adding some blue or green elements helps to create a cosy and refined ambience, while adding light elements such as white sofas or carpets in neutral tones makes the rooms look fresher and brighter.

You can go for industrial style even if you don’t live in an open space. In flats or more traditional houses you can furnish the entire domestic space in an industrial style, or create an original contamination between different styles by choosing an industrial style for some rooms in the house and a different contemporary style for others. The bathroom is the room in the house which is most suited to being furnished in an industrial style. The use of large stone slabs to cover the walls, metal structures and raised plumbing pipes make the room both sophisticated and original.

Versatility is one of the great strengths of industrial-style furniture. It can easily be customised to suit the environment in which you live and add a personal touch. The reuse of furniture and the use of recycled materials is also common in this style. Old furnishings in disused spaces can be given a new lease of life and become the starting point for defining the furnishings of a modern loft in the city centre.

Il Piccolo, second generation family-run carpentry shop, opens its showroom in Lugano. With over 50 years of experience, Il Piccolo brings with it a wealth of technical and design knowledge of the highest level, thanks to the many interiors designed and furnished all over the world. In addition, Il Piccolo represents the most prestigious brands of furniture worldwide. Il Piccolo designs, manufactures and sells the best of interior design made in Italy, following the customer from design to implementation, delivery and installation of the work, integrating the process with a precise and professional service. CONTACT US!