Young New Yorkers who occupied former industrial buildings in the 50s were the forerunners of the industrial style. A style associated with wide and bare spaces, which show its structure, and with materials of noble and recycled character.
Un industrial loft it must be able to move us to an old warehouse park whose windows overlook Brooklyn in New York or Oberschöneweide in Berlin. Today we give you the keys to make that possible, whether you live in a loft or a house to which you want to print that same character.
Exposed brick, cement, iron ... these materials, some recycled furniture and an open structure in which everything is visible are the keys to decorating an industrial loft. Keys that we develop below in order to make your home a industrial style home.
Open spaces
The industrial warehouses were converted in the 70s into exclusive homes with wide and open spaces in which the leading role was given to the materials. Dispense with unnecessary partitions is, therefore, one of the keys to decorating an industrial loft.
It is important that the spaces are bare so that both the light and the view flow through the different environments. Environments that we can define using different resources: glass walls with panels, open shelves or changes in level or material on the floors, among others.
Reclaimed walls and floors
There are characteristic materials of the industrial style such as concrete and brick. Concrete is commonly used in order to create continuity between the floor and the walls. The brick, meanwhile, is used to attract attention on a certain wall. Recovering a brick wall from the original construction is ideal but you can also clad it expressly for it.
As for the color of the bricks, those in russet they are the most suitable if you want to achieve an aesthetic faithful to that of the original industrial buildings. However, it is increasingly common to find these bricks painted white or gray in order to achieve greater luminosity.
Exposed ducts, pipes and cables
In an industrial loft it is common to find the air ducts, the water pipes and the ceiling slab exposed. This is how it was common to find them in industrial warehouses and that is how they have remained until today in these spaces. That yes, today they do not travel the space of random form as in those ships; they do it perfectly integrated into the decoration.
Another element that is common to find in sight are the light cables. These run through walls and ceilings as if they were one more decorative element they were fastened with simple staples until they reached the vintage style switches.
Large windows and industrial lamps
Originally the large windows they were a hallmark of industrial lofts. These were never covered with curtains to reveal their metallic structure and facilitate the light to flow throughout the space. However, in the absence of large windows, taking care of the lighting in an industrial loft is a must.
Lighting is a very important factor when creating different atmospheres in a single open space. The ideal is to play with points of light located at different heights and with different intensities. Combine floor lamps with big screens that hang over the dining room table, the kitchen bar or a corner of the living room.
Furniture in metal, wood and leather
In an industrial loft they combine trade furniture finished in iron or steel with others restored in rough woods. Some metal lockers, a painter's table, a barber chair or an old station clock become fetish elements to decorate these types of spaces.
They are also common fur elements in aged brown tones. Leather sofas are a must in any industrial-style living room. And other accessories like leather trunks or suitcases can make great coffee tables or nightstands with a little imagination.