Industrial Interior Design: Everything You Need to Know

Industrial interior design is a style that embraces the beauty of unrefined decor elements, with the result being living spaces that are edgy, modern, and historical all at once. This timeless design approach draws inspiration from old factories and urban spaces, and can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it.

In your apartment, the industrial style can inspire a bold-yet-stoic atmosphere where nostalgia and modernity mingle — and get along quite well. 

Industrial interior design originated in the early 20th century, or the Industrial Revolution. The country began to adhere to efficient architecture, using steel, concrete, and brick to bring staying power to the buildings — whether they were factories or residential units. 

The style didn’t gain popularity until cities started to convert the factories into housing, in the mid-to-late 20th century. People started embracing the raw materials and unfinished look of their spaces, leading to an influx of designers, architects, and tenants looking for that unfinished look rather than simply having to work with it. Now, it’s a modern design style typical of loft apartments, which will typically have high ceilings, open floor plans, concrete floors, exposed ductwork and pipes, and lots of exposed brick.

Now, trendy urban apartments, commercial spaces, and even hotels have purposefully industrial aesthetics and architectural elements. Chances are, you’ve seen industrial decor before. Think: large windows with rectangular panes and textured, rough-looking glass; exposed pipes; dark, neutral furniture and paint colors; oversized wooden coffee tables with boldly visible metal accents and hardware.

You can find decor elements in the industrial style for every room in the house, but keep an eye out for these characteristics of industrial interior design in your search:

To get started, look for elements that will bring that modern industrial vibe into your space. If you live in a reclaimed building, maybe one that used to be a factory or other type of functional space, start to clue into different parts of the space’s bones that are raw. See if you can find ways to make those structural elements stand out as focal points of your decor.

One of the challenges of renting is that you’re usually stuck with the wall colors, floor materials, and layout that you have. But here are some example DIY projects you can use to bring that industrial look to life:

As with any interior design style, don’t forget that you can make it your own. Add florals if you’d like or put an irregular-shaped mirror on the wall. It’s your space to do what you like, as long as it’s within your lease terms. If you start to feel a sense of timelessness, nostalgia, and history sink into your apartment (and, of course, satisfaction) you know you’ve done it.