Do you love exposed brickwork, raw metal furniture, repurposed pipes, cool colours and simplistic design? Then an industrial style décor might be the perfect vibe for your dining space. From hyper-modern seating to timeless and upcycled materials, these 10 industrial dining room styling ideas will help you create a space as trendy and chic as it is functional.
What do we mean by an industrial style dining room?
Industrial design favours practicality over decoration. It’s minimalist, it’s trendy and it takes inspiration from industrial settings such as offices, loft apartments and converted factories. It’s all about repurposing raw materials and creating a style that could be described as combining the city with nature and masculine with feminine.
The beginnings of the industrial design craze
The industrial style décor is suited to someone calm, cool and collected. People that consider their house to have an industrial look are typically out-of-the-box or edgy in a mature and genuine way.
As images and clips of these types of interiors surfaced online in 2020, more and more people wanted to be perceived this way and give their homes a chic and sophisticated update, reminiscent of the repurposed factories of the industrial revolution.
Industrial dining room ideas to try in your home
1. Embrace minimalism
First, let’s talk minimalism. This sleek dining room style is designed to mimic the effortless open concept layout of industrial style lofts and apartments and to keep the resemblance minimalism is very important.
2. Opt for utilitarian materials
Your toolbox of industrial-style materials should be supplied with utilitarian ones, including wood, iron, steel, leather, stone and copper. These will provide the bedrock for the aesthetic you are aiming towards. Where possible, source furnishings and accessories you can give a second life to by scouring your local charity shops – music to the ears of upcycling enthusiasts.
3. Introduce colours through raw metals
Some might argue that the grey colour palette trend is on the way out. Designers are starting to tell us that grey has had its day and that we should ditch the colour. I’m going to say the opposite.
If you want to achieve a cohesive industrial dining room you are going to have to start from a palette of neutrals such as grey, brown, black and white. You can then layer in other colours from this starting point, usually moody colours or bright accents brought in with arresting artwork or metallic furnishings and features.
4. Balance the harshness with natural touches
So you have your moody, androgynous industrial backdrop, but it’s feeling a little “empty warehouse”. Now here’s the point where you can begin to add in some personalised touches, so the room feels more lived-in and welcoming.
Wall climbing or potted plants with their rounded leaves and soothing green tones are a brilliant way to achieve this and bring some nature back into a room that might start feeling sterile if you go too deep into your industrial styling.
5. Create an accent wall with exposed brickwork
Would you love to add an industrial twist to your dining room décor, but don’t want the place to look too much like a New York style loft apartment? If so, you build the illusion of an exposed brick wall by tiling one or part of the wall using brick slips.
And if you are blessed enough to live in a country cottage or barn conversion with gorgeously maintained exposed bricks, ignore this and feel free to gloat.
6. Add a layer of soft textiles
While you might envision your industrial style dining room as full of harsh lines, smooth textures and cold materials don’t neglect soft finishes to lighten the mood. Woollen throws, rugs, coordinated cushions and other decorative textiles will make the room feel homier and, overall, more comfortable to inhabit.
7. Find your perfect industrial centrepiece
Every décor deserves an intriguing focal point and for your industrial dining room, what better choice than a dining table that simply oozes sophistication? There are two directions you could take this.
A) Opt for a natural table material
If your scheme is lacking in natural beauty, selecting a gorgeous wooden table is an ideal opportunity to compensate. With the right colour and finish, you can create a sense of warmth and character fitting to the modern décor.
Or if you want to stay natural, but prefer a cool ambience, you could opt for a marble kitchen island, an interesting choice if you’re working with an open plan space.
B) Pick a non-organic material
Another option is to double down on the sleek, industrial vibe with a non-organic material such as steel, glass and concrete. This works particularly well if the dining room is poorly lit as the light reflected from its surface back into the room will make the space look bigger.
8. Adopt open plan living
Briefly mentioned in the previous tip, open plan spaces offer plenty of scope for industrial styling. At its core the trend is a minimalist one, so make sure to zone the different areas carefully to create a sense of harmony and don’t be afraid of empty space – this is especially true if the room is oddly shaped.
9. Sleek seating arrangements
Iconic to the industrial style aesthetic is a well-curated collection of dining room chairs. There are many styles and types of chair that suit the industrial look, but our favourites are leather parsons chairs, mid-century style arm chairs and cast iron bar stools.
They can be wooden, metal or even rattan. As long as they have a simple design with sharp or smooth edges in keeping with the rest of the look, they will blend in seamlessly and bring the whole room together. They don’t even have to be part of the same set as long as they share one similarity that has them coordinating!
If you have a kitchen island or bar, there is so much barstool inspiration floating around. We particularly love this bicycle barstool as it combines city and country life in a playful assemble that’ll be the topic of conversation of any guests who stumble upon it.
10. From ceiling to floor
To really capitalise on your industrial style dining room look, you should keep things looking swish from ceiling to floor. You might not want to go as extreme as opting for a concrete floor, but large expansive tiles can create the same effect without it feeling too much like a B&Q floor.
Similarly, don’t neglect your ceiling from your industrial makeover. You might want to brighten and open up the space with a pale off-white shade or create a cosier, all-encompassing haven with a dark ceiling colour.
And don’t forget to add in some industrial style light fixtures to add a depth of character. Faux rusted pendant lights, copper spotlights and hanging light bulbs all work a treat.
Have a go!
If you’re planning to give your dining room an industrial touch, we hope you gleaned all the inspiration you need to bring a sense of modernity into the space. Now it’s up to you to get out there and put it into practice. Which idea will best fit your home?
