Industrial furniture, the latest and greatest design trend to rock the interior design world, is now being brought to a new level of public interest by the purpose-built website Industrial Style Furniture. The website brings together pieces made by the company alongside unique and interesting industrial furniture from tried and tested crafts houses. Check out the website for the best industrial furniture, or if you are an artist and would like to feature your wares.
Industrial Style Tables
Resin river tables are the talk of the interior design world now. These tables feature beautiful fresh or reclaimed wood, featuring natural burl and gnarl that leaves openings for artists to make beautiful tabletops. In times gone by, artists would pour resin like the color of the wood, and some still withhold that practice to this day. However, the breath-taking river tables we are talking about here feature one or multiple striking colors that complement the color of the wood to create stunning art pieces. These pieces are made industrial using thick metal legs, sometimes reclaimed pipework or other joinery and machinery from old factories.
An offshoot of industrial style furniture is aviation industry furniture, and one of the most stunning pieces of aviation furniture I have seen recently was a glass-topped table supported by an old jet engine. The glass allows the beauty of the machinery to take precedent, reversing the usual center of attention of the aerospace industry. Jet engines are truly remarkable feats of industrial engineering, so highlighting this with either clear or colored glass is a work of genius.
Industrial Style Lighting
There are many kinds of industrial style lamps, from nixie bulb adorned steampunk-esque pieces to the more futuristic lava lamp. It is a hotly debated matter as to whether lava lamps are industrial style furniture, however, the scientific inspiration and laboratory atmosphere enabled by each harkens this bold claim validity.
A more common sight and easily accepted piece of the industrial style furniture catalog are lampshades made of metal, usually featuring intricate geometric designs.
Industrial Style Seating
Some industrial furniture sees artists repurposing defunct machinery, as seen with the propellor tables mentioned earlier. Another example of this trend is the use of cars and car parts to make furniture such as sofas. A popular use case is to take the front section of a car’s chassis, the part that would usually house the engine of the car, and turn it into seating. Popular examples include the use of classic cars such as old Fords such as mustangs, or racecars like Ferraris.
Chesterfield sofas are a more accessible style of industrial seating. Chesterfield sofas were a symbol of wealth for captains of industry, during the industrial revolution. These stunningly beautiful and intensely comfortable settees are making a huge comeback in recent years, due to the popularity of industrial style and a certain vintage feel (that is specially brought to the table by the leather of faux leather chesterfield industrial style sofas.
Industrial Style Accessories
Pipe shelving is the most widely seen and easily adoptable piece of industrial style furniture. It is synonymous with the concept. Whether using old, reclaimed pipework from a demolished factory, or new pipes that have been either buffed for shine or weathered for an aged look, these pieces make any room have a certain instant vintage charm. Coupled with thick leatherbound tomes and a range of industrial style accessories, these can make even the most lifeless room overflow with character.
Industrial Style Clocks
Again, clocks within this design trend feature either new or reclaimed metals and woods. Standout pieces include ones with skeletal faces, which means that the clock’s inner workings are shown through the glass on the front. These pieces are often tied to the sub-trend of steampunk, but I would say that these pieces are often the epicenter of any truly industrial styled space. I have seen skeletal clocks embedded in coffee tables or walls, making breath-taking centerpieces. Vintage timepieces can also feature in industrial style spaces, such as pocket watch chandeliers or simple reclaimed alarm clocks.
Steam clocks often used to signal the start or end of a working day in factories, have now been brought into modern homes. These can be used as door “bells” or simply as a decorative addition with no utility.
Industrial Style Desks
The working world sought to distance itself from its industrial heritage until very recently. Now, CEO’s and the new masses of work-from-home employees are seeking to bring some of that vintage feel into their new offices. Huge chunks of old machinery are now being repurposed as the underside of giant desks, symbols of power and character.
Beds
Beds with scaffold frames are becoming a popular choice for those seeking to have industrial style bedroom furniture. Whether actual scaffold or just thick pipework, these beds feature the same comfort of a regular bed, but with the added benefits of durability brought by these thick frames. These beds are also modular, meaning smaller kid’s beds can be adapted into larger beds as kids grow. This makes these beds highly popular among money-minded stylish parents. You could even turn a single bed into a bunk bed when you have more kids. Attachments are sometimes sold alongside, such as night lights or bedside tables, that bolt easily to the frames.
Industrial Style Storage
Industrial style storage is another common sight in the industrial design world. Often, this just resembles old crates cleaned up for use in modern homes and businesses. However, this has since expanded to encompass another staple commonly seen. Old, heavy, large trunks typically used as suitcases in years long gone are now stylish adornments. Some of the quirkier sights include old fuel pumps hollowed out and turned into wardrobes or chests of drawers.
Conclusion
In summary, industrial style furniture has all the same categories of furniture as normal. However, each has its own selection of beautiful relics to spruce up any space.
