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15 cool industrial loft ideas

Love industrial apartment decor but don’t live in a New York city loft? Don’t let the lack of brick walls, exposed heating ducts and three metre high windows dampen your designer spirit. We asked our industrial style gurus — stylist Lucy Gough and Furniture Village buyer Tom St Quintin — for their top industrial loft ideas. Read on for 15 of the coolest ways to achieve your own industrial-style loft.
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1. Industrial apartment decor in metal and wood

Nothing says industrial-style loft quite like metal and wood furniture. Think a powder-coated black metal storage cabinet, a rustic wood dining table with a chunky black metal trestle base, or an oak sideboard with hammered metal door handles.

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2. Wood on wood on wood

Layering wood — wood floors, wooden dining table, wooden storage furniture — in different tones and textures gives a living space an earthy vibe that’s so in keeping with modern industrial interiors. Lucy says, “Mixing and matching new oak furniture with reclaimed wood pieces adds personality to a room.”

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3. Mixed media

Combine organic materials — wood, metal, leather, concrete — with natural fabrics and painted surfaces in earthy urban tones (charcoal, petrol blue, chocolate brown) for industrial style that feels sophisticated and inviting.

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4. Green and gorgeous

Urban living lends itself to indoor greenery. (After all, if you live in a loft you probably don’t have a garden). Cultivate herbs and succulents on a windowsill, display a terrarium on a sideboard, or even install an indoor living wall next to a large abstract canvas.

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5. Urban sprawl

Nothing says industrial-style loft quite like an oversized leather sofa. Stretch out on a modern leather sofa with square arms and deep seats or, if space allows, treat yourself to that iconic centrepiece of loft design: a Chesterfield sofa.

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6. Cool — and cosy

Urban style isn’t just for living spaces. Industrial loft ideas work great in bedrooms, too. For a sleep-friendly space, balance industrial edges with warm lighting, rich hues — we love this season’s berry shades — and a luxe upholstered bed frame.

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7. It’s elemental

As always, clever accessorising can transform a living room. Give your existing wood furniture an urban edge with metal or glass vases and, as Lucy says, “A large outdoor mirror with an artfully weathered wood or metal finish looks right at home in a loft-inspired living room.”

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8. Lofty heights

To create a feeling of loft-like space in your urban living room, make the most of room height by painting walls, ceiling, skirting boards and door frames in the same (neutral) colour. Make windows seem bigger by hanging floor length curtains a touch higher than usual.

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9. The functional and fabulous industrial-style loft

The best industrial apartment decor is utilitarian and fuss-free. But functional can still be fabulous. Choose characterful industrial storage furniture like real wood sideboards and display cabinets. Tom says, “Go for statement storage pieces in real wood with metal details — built to last and so very cool.”

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10. Pared-back palette

Neutrals like off-white, taupe and pale grey are fabulous for walls, but don’t forget about those earthy industrial tones — rusty brick red, gunmetal grey and warm oak brown — for giving your industrial-look apartment personality. Add small-scale pops of colour with cinnamon, teal and mustard-yellow cushions.

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11. It’s in the details

Some design details are just so urban — hairpin legs on coffee tables and console tables, floor lamps that look like old movie cameras, church pew-style dining benches, antique signage as artwork. Lucy’s recommendation? “Intersperse vintage finds with clean-lined modern pieces for an eclectic industrial look.”

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12. Size up

Real lofts are big spaces with plenty of room for proportionally large furniture. Tom says, “To dial up the urban style, go industrial scale for your dining table — or at least as large as you can fit in your dining room.”

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13. (Re)claim your style

Reclaimed timber is the quintessential industrial style note. Look out for cabinets made from salvaged wood, or dining table tops crafted from vintage railway sleepers. Tom says, “Perfection has its place, but not in the urban loft. Look out for characterful furniture made from reclaimed timber.”

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14. Soften things up

Balance hard urban edges with luxe fabrics and furnishings. Pair a metal and wood industrial dining table with high-backed velvet dining chairs, and cover rustic wooden floorboards with thick pile rugs.

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15. Industrial illumination

Bare filament light bulbs — no shade required — and vintage-look tripod floor lamps are perfect for an urban living space. Lucy says, “I love lighting in metal or ceramic. Pick vintage-inspired pieces for that industrial utilitarian look.”

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For even more industrial loft ideas, visit our room-by-room industrial style gallery. We hope you’re inspired to go forth and create the urban space of your dreams. Please share your fabulous industrial-style loft living space on Instagram with #MYFVHOME.

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