You’ve heard a lot about industrial style or industrial chic. You know it’s worth paying attention to, but what exactly is it? Is the hot trend to make our living rooms resemble factories? Well, there’s no need to go that far, but the style does takes its lead from factories and warehouses, especially those that have been converted to lofts, apartments and condominiums. The idea is not to duplicate a manufacturing site, but rather to incorporate the more interesting aspects of industrial buildings into modern living, and to create an unexpected balance of new and old.

Elements of Industrial Chic

While not all of these are critical to industrial interior design, here are some elements that are most commonly associated with it:

• Neutral and rustic colors such as grays, tans and beiges.
• Exposed brickwork, cement floors, pipes, ductwork and beams.
• A raw, unfinished look.
• A combination of metal and wood, especially in a single piece of furniture
• Wood and other materials that appear distressed or reclaimed.
• Large sofas and sectionals to divide open spaces.
• Minimalist, utilitarian furniture with unadorned lines.
• Lighting via large uncurtained windows, floor lamps and overhead fixtures.
• Floors of cement, distressed wood and tile. Or neutral-colored rugs with large patterns.
• Open shelving and metal storage racks.
• An uncluttered feel with plenty of free space.

But I don’t live in a loft! Can I still incorporate this style?

Absolutely! You can use characteristics of the factory without turning your home into one. Soften the starkness of the industrial mood by including complementary styles. Combine the vintage with the modern, the rustic with the contemporary. Contrasting pieces liven an industrial look. For example, a bright accent chair becomes an eye-catcher in a room of more subdued tones. A plush leather sectional balances straight-lined industrial style furniture of metal and wood.

You don’t have to remake your entire house to enjoy industrial chic. You don’t have to knock out walls and expose plumbing. Start with a few rooms, a single room or even part of a room and discover how the factory can inspire a daring new design.

Living Room

Go for an open and well-lighted atmosphere. Curtains and drapes should pull out of the way and not call attention to themselves. Use industrial style lamps such as all-metal floor units with straight or arced lines. Track lighting suggests that exposed warehouse look, as do pendants that are metallic and not ornate.

Allow for “negative” or unused space. If your room is large, a sectional or large sofa placed away from the wall divides the area. Complement it with some straight chairs with exposed wood or maybe even some unexpected accent chairs such as slings. While an industrial living room should be mostly neutral tones, don’t be afraid to drop in a contrasting burst of color. Include an industrial-look end table or side table. Wrap up your design with a couple of ladder bookcases and some metallic wall art.

Dining Room

This is where combined metal and wood capture that warehouse look. Distressed woods such as wire-brushed acacia are especially effective. Consider a trestle table with pedestals on the ends and X-braces in the middle. Some come with a trestle bench. Use the bench on one side and wood-metal chairs on the other, and you’ll have a transformed dining space. Finish off your dining room with a sideboard or even a serving trolley.

Kitchen

The center island is often associated with the industrial style, but if you choose the right table, it can be this room’s focus. As in the dining room, the trestle table and bench work well. You can go a step further here and use all-metal tables. Add a few barstools if you have a spot for them. Doorless cupboards and open shelving lend the industrial ambiance, as do wire storage units on the floors and walls. Speaking of walls, set aside a place to hang a minimalist metal wall clock.

Recreation Room, Den or Office

The ladder bookcases play well here, as do similarly styled media and entertainment centers. If this room is in a lower or basement level, you may have some ductwork you can accent. An industrial style desk—one with only undertop drawers or with no drawers at all—makes just the right statement, especially with a modernistic metal desk lamp atop it and a rolling file cabinet at its side. Some metallic decor, on either a desk, an entertainment center or wall shelving, puts the exclamation point on your industrial ambiance. Hang a few vintage framed pictures or photographs and your transformation is complete.

Bedroom

A distressed wood or rough pine headboard and footboard make a statement you’ll recognize as soon as you walk in. Put a footlocker at the end of that bed. Add a rustic dresser and chest and an industrial wall mirror to finish off your bedroom.

Whether you redesign one room or many, whether you add a few elements and reimagine your home from a blank slate, industrial chic can create something new for you and your guests. Give it a try!