Industrial Style Living Room Design: The Essential Guide

Don’t worry if you’re drawn to the urban appeal of industrial living room ideas but can’t afford to live in a downtown loft – you can easily bring the style into your home, regardless of your apartment or your budget. To get your creativity flowing, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite living room designs you’ll find in industrial interiors – whether they’re lofts, apartments, converted warehouses or traditional homes.

For more inspiration for your living room, check out some of our past posts that you may have missed:

But first, let’s take a step back and examine how industrial style came to be. It emerged out of necessity in the 1960s and 70s, when artists flocked to the outskirts of major cities and converted old factories and warehouses into affordable studios. Thanks to their large windows and high ceilings, these rooms provided plenty of natural light and were ideal for painting and sculpting. Not to mention that they were significantly cheaper than traditional apartments. Their innate character encouraged creativity and became the perfect backdrop for artistic expression.

In the 1980s, industrial interior design began to enter the mainstream. If you look forward to today, you’ll see that it has transcended its urban roots and can be found everywhere, even in the suburbs. And while the style has certainly evolved over the years, its core principles have remained the same: a celebration of the imperfect, a focus on functionality, and a straightforward, no-nonsense approach to decorating.

How to decorate an industrial style living room
Concrete floors, brick walls, exposed metal details – these days you don’t have to live in a converted factory to enjoy the benefits of an industrial interior – you can easily incorporate some of these design elements into your own home. And while an industrial living room may sound cold and uninviting, nothing could be further from the truth! By mixing different textures and adding some cozy details, you can create a space that is both comfortable and stylish. Here’s how to do it right.