The Industrial Style - Decorate With Metal and Steel

If you want to learn a bit about the industrial style and how to combine various materials, you've come to the right place. Keep reading to learn how to decorate with metal and steel, and combine them with other materials.
The Industrial Style - Decorate With Metal and Steel

Last update: 19 September, 2019

One of the main characteristics of the industrial style is that it uses common building materials that are exposed. In other words, metal, steel, iron, concrete, wood, and brick are some of the major players in this style of home decor.

The industrial style has a great aesthetic that has become extremely popular in recent years. But the sheer amount of different materials involved in it can make it hard to combine them effectively. That’s why we wanted to write this article, to give you some ideas on how to combine metal, steel, and other materials to create warm spaces. 

Because of the nature of the materials you use with this style, a room can easily feel “cold” if you don’t combine them correctly. It’s very important to learn how to properly combine metal and steel with materials that complement them. After all, your goal is to make a balanced, inviting area, isn’t it?

Metal and steel in the industrial style

Metal and steel are the two major players in the industrial style of decor. You’ll see them everywhere from staircases, furniture structures, lamps, and piping, to general decorative accessories. You may also see them in colors like black and light and dark gray. They may look fresh, or a bit worn, or just painted an interesting color.

The secret is to avoid cluttering your spaces and to combine cold materials with warm ones. That creates a sense of visual balance. Besides, if you only decorate your home with cold materials like metal, iron, and steel, that doesn’t make for a pleasant area. So, here are some ideas on how to combine these materials effectively!

1. Metal stairs

If you have a loft type apartment, installing a metal staircase might be a great decorative option for you. You could either have the entire thing made of metal (steps and structure) or combine it with another material like wood. Dark colors for the metal go really well with light wood tones. That combination makes for warm, bright spaces.

2. Furniture

Metal shelves

Metal shelves are also a very common thing to see in industrial style decor. Like the stairs, you can either install some that are entirely metal, or a blend of materials. It could be that yours have a metal structure and wooden shelves, or vice versa. Whatever you prefer. We especially like metal shelves in the kitchen.

Couches and chairs

Metal-framed couches and sofas are a key part of successful industrial decor. You can find lots of newly made furniture nowadays that looks vintage, with a worn aesthetic. If you want, you can go to just about any furniture store and get that kind of thing. Or, if you already have some antique furniture, that could be an even more unique option.

For metal-framed couches, you need to combine them with linen or cotton fabrics. Add some big cushions made of those materials, in colors like white, cream, or beige. You might need to vary that some depending on the nature of the metal part of the furniture, but fabrics are necessary because they add warmth to balance out the cold metal.

3. Lighting

Installing a long iron beam with hanging bulbs is one of our favorite decor options with the industrial style. They go great together because the warm light balances the cold metal very nicely. You could also get some big, metallic light displays for your nightstands and side tables.

As you can see, there are lots of materials that you can use in an industrial style for your home. However, you need to be especially careful when you’re decorating with metal and steel. Like we said earlier, it’s important to combine them with warm materials like wood and fabric, and to have warm lighting.

If necessary, you can also paint the metals a warmer color or give them a softer finish. Even if their original colors look nicer, painting them white or brick-colored is still a great option. It will also calm the industrial look of the space a bit. So, now that you’ve read our tips, are you ready to try out this original, elegant style in your home?