Modern industrial interior design is all about incorporating clean lines and minimalistic features with a touch of natural materials. This trend often features exposed brick walls, concrete floors, natural light, raw elements, and metal accents.

living room with modern furniture showing natural wood beams installed on the ceiling

This article may contain affiliate links, which means I earn a commission from the sale (at no extra cost to you!). I recommend items that I personally love and believe these products will help you create your dream home.

If you’re looking to give your home a modern industrial interior makeover, start by decluttering your space and removing excess furniture or accessories.

Next, add simple, stylish pieces like a metal desk or a wooden table. Finally, finish the look with natural elements like plants or a few rustic accents.

In this article, we will be exploring key elements of this interior decorating style so you can redesign your space like an interior designer.

How to Create Modern Industrial Design

In order to create a modern industrial design in your home, you should rely mainly on rustic woods, metal accents, and black and white or earth tone colors.

Many homes will include exposed bricks and metals, but you can achieve the industrial look with the right lighting fixtures and furniture.

1) Choose Rustic Colors

Industrial colors or Earth tone paint colors work well. Different shades of brown, beige, and light greens are the most common.

Since most of the furniture will include leathers, woods, and metals so it’s best to save the brown and burnt orange for the furniture.

Note: You can use coolors.co to generate a color palette full of colors that you like!

2) Rustic Woods

Raw building materials and unfinished woods are a great choice. Use them as wood beams on the ceiling or install floating shelves.

Contemporary industrial home designs will incorporate wood planks for the floor.

Wooden furniture works well in the modern industrial style.

You can add some bark to metal and wooden furniture pieces or create a combination of metals and wood.

Natural wood beams in a tray ceiling within a Florida living room

3) Reclaimed or Exposed Brick Walls

Many industrial homes feature exposed brick walls in the kitchen, dining room, or bedrooms.

If you don’t have any space to use bricks, consider using wallpaper with metallic prints like this silver brick wall design.

You can also do designs using different colors of paint. Alternatively, you can use bricks to decorate the fireplace.

If you don’t have one, an exposed brick wall in your living room would be awesome too!

4) Concrete Floors

Industrial homes will often have concrete floors since it mimics the look of an old warehouse. Concrete is elegant and tough, working well with modern pieces or rustic decor.

You can even use it as a backdrop for your bed or dining room table.

Linoleum is another great alternative to concrete that you might want to try out, especially if your home isn’t very large.

5) Metal Accents

Using metal accents is the best way to achieve an industrial look. For example, a few metal accent chairs look great in the corner of a modern industrial living room or dining area.

You can also install exposed piping or metal beams on the high ceiling.

rustic accent chairs with metal arm rests

You can mix different types of metals in each space. Gold and bronze stand out! You can also apply metal accents to walls or other areas.

Metal structures can be incorporated in your furniture, lamps, chairs, ceiling, shelves, etc.

Some metals to consider are stainless steel, copper, iron, aluminum, and brass.

6) Industrial Lighting

Unique lighting is key to completing the accents in each space. The more dramatic, the better! Here are a few lighting fixtures to consider:

7) Modern Furniture

The furniture complements the colors and textures established on the walls and flooring. The addition of a long banquet table with a few simple black chairs is a great fit for the industrial space.

With some additional bar stools and furniture, this interior design idea can serve as both a commercial or residential space.

living room with industrial style chairs and iron wall hangings

8) Black and White Abstract Art

Finishing touches can be black and white abstract art because they match the earth tones really well.

Industrial Modern Design of an open floor concept with couch in living room and kitchen with island in the background

9) Mixing Paints and Textures

Give each space character lots of colors and textures. For example, in this living you, you can see molding on the wall, wood tile flooring, wood beams on the ceiling, and furniture with various textures like metal, fabric, and wood. It ties the space together.

living room with modern industrial interior design elements like rustic lighting fixtures and industrial furniture

Think about the contrast with texture and color too. For example, the apartment shown below is painted in light colors but has dark floors. Automatically it creates an interesting contrast.

10) Natural Elements

One way to add natural elements to your industrial interior design is by using plants. Plants can help soften a space’s look and make it feel more welcoming.

They can also add a pop of color and create a focal point.

If you’re not sure how to use plants in your industrial interior design, here are a few tips:

Use potted plants to add color and texture to your space
Hang plants from the ceiling or use them as wall art
Use succulents or air plants to add greenery without too much space

11) Geometric Shapes

Using geometric shapes is perfect for industrial interior design because they are simple and modern. They’re also quite easy to use, as many of the shapes are already found in nature.

For example, you could place cylinders around your space to act as tables or decorations.

You can hang triangles from the ceiling like light fixtures or wall art.
You could even use cubes for seats or couches if you don’t want to invest in sofas.

If you don’t use a million different geometric shapes at once, your space should look sleek and modern.

So how does it feel to have an industrial interior design?

Industrial decor can make a space feel gritty, unique, and stylish. It can add a touch of sophistication to any room and is perfect for anyone who wants to add a little bit of edge to their home.

Industrial decor focuses on the simplistic and is often paired with neutral tones.

Using industrial pieces helps create a space that is both stylish and unique. It can be used in any room of your house, from the bathroom to the dining room.

Unfortunately, most people think that you have to earn a degree in interior design to make your space look stylish when it comes to design.

This isn’t the case! You can create an industrial-style room without formal training in interior design. All you need are a few key pieces, the right resources, and some helpful tips.

Your space will be unique, sophisticated, and charming in no time at all.

The Benefits of Industrial Design

There are several reasons why industrial interior design has become so popular. Firstly, it makes for an interesting change from more traditional styles like minimalism and Scandinavian design.

It also feels fresh because industrial spaces are very prominent in pop culture – particularly factories and warehouses.

This might seem like a less than appealing design aesthetic, but there is more to it than that.

Industrial spaces aren’t very pretty but incredibly functional and make for interesting homes. They also offer a unique sense of character – which often makes up for their lack of beauty.

For this reason, industrial design has become very desirable and trendy in recent years.

The popularity of industrial design means that it’s become increasingly accessible for homeowners who wish to emulate this look in their own spaces. As such, here are some of the most popular ways to achieve an industrial interior:

Industrial Interior Design Today

Industrial interior design is as popular as ever and continues to evolve with new trends and technologies.

Some of the most popular current trends in industrial design include:

Using natural and reclaimed materials in furniture and decor
Mixing different styles to create a unique look
Incorporating vintage pieces into the design
Adding greenery and plants to brighten up the space
Using bold, bright colors and graphic patterns
Displaying mass amounts of books and magazines for a more personalized feel
Using an open plan to create flow and connection between rooms
Adding statement art pieces as decor (especially those with color or graphic patterns)
Incorporating industrial structural elements such as metal beams, raw wood materials, lighting fixtures with exposed bulbs, and concrete in the decor
Using vintage finds in unique ways, such as using reclaimed wood to design kitchen or bathroom vanities
Creating eclectic looks by mixing high and low pieces to create a unique look that is all your own

Industrial interior design has come back into popularity because of its clean lines, simplicity, functionality, and industrial elements such as metal, concrete, and industrial lighting.

Today’s industrial-designed homes and offices often mix industrial design with modern design or even incorporate rustic elements for a unique look perfect for today’s lifestyle.

Did you like this inspiration for modern industrial interior design? You may also like the following ideas:

2 Comments

Modern Resale says:

May 11, 2022 at 12:35 am

This is a great and very informative article! Suggesting modern furniture is absolutely brilliant, especially since it’ll bring many unique designs and classic colors. I usually try to get Italian furniture to do that job. The way it is designed and built provides a modern design with a classy look that is high quality. What do you think about using Italian furniture?

Emi Park says:

July 1, 2022 at 8:12 pm

Great post! Would love more photos with design ideas of different homes, but this is great — my ideal style!

Modern Industrial Interior Design: 11 Ways to Achieve the Look