As urban populations continue to grow, we are going to continue seeing residential areas expanding to abandoned factory buildings. More and more, people are recognizing and appreciating the need to preserve our history and our resources through adaptive re-use.
Of course, not everyone can live in a downtown factory loft, so here are a few ways to bring that look and feel into your own home!
Use industrial materials and finishes. What types of materials do you think of when you think of "industry" or "mill" or "factory"? When you think about "industrial revolution" towns, what types of materials do you think of? Here is a list to get you started.
Create a feeling. What is the feeling that you get from an old industrial area? Here are some things that I thought of, but your list may be different. That's okay!
Mix in some authentic industrial pieces. What types of furnishings or fixtures might have been found in an old industrial area factory? Clearly, this list isn't all inclusive, but it should help you come up with ideas that are right for your home!
If you apply these three ideas: using industrial materials and finishes, capturing the industrial "feeling", and adding some authentic pieces, you will be well on your way to bringing vintage industrial style into your home! To keep things fresh, be sure to use more modern pieces that speak to your own aesthetic. The idea is not to create a replica of a factory, after all, but to create a feeling and add some context to your space!
image and product sources:
Emeco Navy Chair Singer Industrial Chair Factory Baker's Rack Coil Spring File Sorter Wood Dairy Crate Vintage Coat Rack Vintage Harley Factory Photo via Women in Shoe Factory photo via Vintage Typewriter Factory Child Mill Workers Bootts Mill Lowell, MA US Rubber Factory Sign Down Time is Clean Up Time Oriental Warehouse Lower Eastside Converted Clothing Factory
Of course, not everyone can live in a downtown factory loft, so here are a few ways to bring that look and feel into your own home!
Use industrial materials and finishes. What types of materials do you think of when you think of "industry" or "mill" or "factory"? When you think about "industrial revolution" towns, what types of materials do you think of? Here is a list to get you started.
- Lots of exposed brick, sometimes with chippy remnants of old graphics painted on it.
- Corrugated metal.
- Huge steel mullioned windows.
- Exposed pipes.
- Skylights.
- Heavy beams of steel or wood.
- Concrete.
- Heavy duty wood, tile, or masonry flooring.
Create a feeling. What is the feeling that you get from an old industrial area? Here are some things that I thought of, but your list may be different. That's okay!
- Gritty.
- No nonsense.
- Open and expansive.
- Nostalgia and history.
- Thoughtfulness of the human condition.
Mix in some authentic industrial pieces. What types of furnishings or fixtures might have been found in an old industrial area factory? Clearly, this list isn't all inclusive, but it should help you come up with ideas that are right for your home!
- Wood or metal stools.
- Machinery.
- Navy chairs and "school" chairs.
- Work tables or benches.
- Chalk boards/ schedules.
- Painted signs.
- Work lamps.
- Factory style pendant lighting.
If you apply these three ideas: using industrial materials and finishes, capturing the industrial "feeling", and adding some authentic pieces, you will be well on your way to bringing vintage industrial style into your home! To keep things fresh, be sure to use more modern pieces that speak to your own aesthetic. The idea is not to create a replica of a factory, after all, but to create a feeling and add some context to your space!
Good Luck!
image and product sources:
Emeco Navy Chair Singer Industrial Chair Factory Baker's Rack Coil Spring File Sorter Wood Dairy Crate Vintage Coat Rack Vintage Harley Factory Photo via Women in Shoe Factory photo via Vintage Typewriter Factory Child Mill Workers Bootts Mill Lowell, MA US Rubber Factory Sign Down Time is Clean Up Time Oriental Warehouse Lower Eastside Converted Clothing Factory