33 Interesting Industrial Living Room Ideas

1. Use gray fabric and dark wood combinations

If you’re leaning towards the industrial style, make use of gray colored fabrics. This can be in the form of rugs, curtains, or throw pillows. Additionally, dark wood for tables, entertainment centers, and media shelves works well with both light and medium gray tones.

2. Combine dark wood with natural brick

Standard red and brown brickwork pairs exceptionally well with dark wood furniture. Try looking for wood grains that are unique and stylish to really draw your eye to the area. Additionally, aged or repurposed dark wood for tables, chairs, storage chests, or side tables can be a great match for the room.

3. Don’t be afraid of unique and bold contrasts

When decorating a room that has a large amount of exterior-type brick showing through, don’t try to cover it up with paneling or wallpaper. Instead, choose furniture, rugs, and wall art that works with the colors of the brick and mortar that is exposed.

4. Natural plaster walls work well with beige colors

If your home has exposed plaster drywall, consider pairing it with light colored furniture and other decor. This not only helps to brighten up the room, but can also make the space feel larger and more open. Use colors such as beige, off-white, ivory, cream, and tan to blend nicely with most plaster and drywall.

5. Natural stone can create a beautiful centerpiece

If your home has exposed natural stone instead of manmade red bricks, you have many more options for decor. For example, brown tones in your natural stone can pair exceptionally well with earthtones, pastels, and bright primary colors. Try going for a natural or rustic look by adding in leather furniture and butcher block style tables.

6. Don’t try to hide exposed ductwork

Many highrise apartments will have exposed ductwork which some people may hate and others may love. In order to make this space feel more homey, try separating the upper areas of the ceiling from your living space. You can do this by placing wall art more towards the floor and sitting areas than up towards the exposed ducts.

7. Blend ductwork colors with furniture in the room

You can blend in your exposed ductwork by matching the color of the ducts with the wall coloring or furniture upholstery. Bright colors such as beige and ivory are a great choice as they can make the room feel much brighter and larger overall. You can also use dark greens and browns to create a cozy and more den-like feeling.

8. Go for eclectic furniture choices

If your apartment or living room space has a variety of industrial features exposed, such as bricks, metal support jousts, and silver ductwork, you can add in an eclectic mix of furniture styles to embrace the randomness. Go for brighter colors and bold contrasts that will draw your eye to the living space instead of the infrastructure.

9. Use the randomness of brick coloring to your advantage

If you find yourself decorating a living room that has discolored bricks, use that random coloring to your advantage. You can find contemporary art and stylish rugs that will match the colors surprisingly well to blend the whole room together.

10. Pair your red bricks with natural leather furniture

Brown brick walls are a very common find in many apartments and various houses. If you find yourself at a loss on how to design around this major architectural feature in your living room, consider using natural leather furniture. Natural leather, as well as artificial leather, have a unique color that works well with brown brickwork.

11. Use wall art to uniquely match your wall style

Some walls may have a variety of brick styles. For example, if later repairs were made on the wall, the bricks may not match the original brickwork. In this case, you can embrace the unique look of the wall by finding colorful contemporary or abstract wall art that complements it.

12. Pair furniture with exposed wood roof supports

If your living room has exposed wooden beams supporting the upper floors or ceiling, you can turn it into an industrial haven by going for brown colored furniture such as tables, ottomans, and more. Find a color that matches the natural wood tone of the ceiling studs for the best result.

13. Go for contrasts if you don’t want to blend colors

While many suggestions will be to blend in similar colors, going for a complete contrast can still give your room a unique industrial feel. For example, if you have a red brick wall, consider going for granite, dark gray, and black colored furniture and other decor for a stylish contrast.

14. Consider bakers racks for your shelving systems

Bakers racks are a shelf system that fits in exceptionally well with an industrial decor style. Since these shelving options have both exposed metal and exposed wood, you can use them as a main focal piece of your room or have them off to the side depending on your overall preferences.

15. Look for unique lighting options to match the room

Like all rooms, a living room will need a good source of lighting. This can be natural or artificial. When selecting ceiling lights, consider going for unique styles that will not only provide ample amounts of light, but that will also draw your eye to the area as a centerpiece addition.

16. Look for plaster pots to match the decor

Many rooms look great with potted plants in the area. If your walls have exposed plaster or mortar, look for pots and stylish vases that are made from the same or similar materials. Plaster pots are quite common, and can be easily made if you are a handy person or enjoy doing some DIY projects.

17. Don’t shy away from unique bright colors

If blending and color matching is not your style, consider going with one eye catching centerpiece color. This works great on a larger piece of furniture or a centrally located area rug. Bright colors such as teal, mint green, fuchsia, and gold are excellent choices - though most other primary and non-primary colors will work.

18. Use vintage and retro styled decor and furniture

The industrial decor style works well with vintage, retro, and repurposed furniture and decor. For example, artistic metal framed chairs, old brass globes, and large roman-style wall clocks can all be excellent decorative additions to your industrial style living room.

19. Look for natural and stylish wood tables

Natural wood matches well with a variety of home decor options, but when it comes to the industrial style you are not limited in your wood choices. Light, medium, and dark wood tones can all work exceptionally well with exposed brickwork, plaster, cement, and metal architecture in your living room.

20. Add some retro flair into the room

Artistic expression from the 50’s and 60’s can be a great addition to your industrial living room. For example, retro movie posters, broadway music advertisements, and other similar forms of wall art can be a unique and memorable addition to any room that has an abundance of exposed brickwork.

21. Bring touches of nature indoors

Bringing in a touch of the outdoors can help soften the stark industrial feel of your living room, kitchen, or other rooms. For example, if you have a fireplace, bring in and neatly stack natural wood. Consider natural evergreen boughs or wreaths as wall decor, and consider going with natural wood block side tables as well.

22. Bronze and gold work well with drywall and plaster

Finding the right colors for your industrial living room may take a bit of trial and error, but it’s hard to go wrong with bronze and gold colors. These colors work well with plaster or cement, as well as brown and red brickwork. In addition, you can find these colors in everything from lamps and tables, to chairs and shelves.

23. Add brick facade to your countertops and tables

If you’re trying to create an industrial feel in a room that does not have any brick architecture, you can create your own. Using brick as the supporting foundation for kitchen islands, half walls between rooms, and framing around windows can turn an average room into an eye-catching industrial space.

24. Use wall art to break up large cement walls

In living rooms that have an exceptionally large, single-colored wall, consider using a large wall art or wall sculpture to help break up. If you can’t find one that will work, you can consider using a wall mural, though this will cover up a large part of the industrial style wall you may be enjoying.

25. Don’t shy away from repurposed furniture

Repurposed and aged furniture is a great addition to an industrial style decor. Look for tables that make use of repurposed wood and metal accents. These may also be the same or similar items you can find when searching for nautical decor. Tables, chairs, ottomans, and shelves can all be found in repurposed styles that will work well.

26. Consider DIY projects to create your own furniture

If you’re looking for a uniform and consistent way to decorate your industrial living room, consider DIY pipe furniture. This is a somewhat in depth project, but can be a great way to get the exact furniture style you are wanting in your industrial living room, bedroom, kitchen, or other spaces.

27. Go for live edge tables

Sometimes, small features can make a huge difference in a room. When searching for wood tables or countertops, look for those that have a live edge. This natural bark texture and unique look will help add to the overall industrialized look of the living room itself.

28. Use small additions of bright colors

If you are unable to decide on a major color to use in the room, instead go for a bold contrast or blending color and use bright primary colors as a spark of whimsy to the room. For example, use a throw pillow, blanket, or rug in any bright primary color as a small accent to catch the eye.

29. Add historical artwork and blueprints to the decor

The industrial decor style embraces historical and vintage styled accents. As a result, some of the best wall art you can find are historical sketches, blueprints, or black and white images of how things were generations ago. Look for framed art, canvasses, or scrolls to hang on your walls.

30. Cobalt blue is a great color to consider

If you’re in search of a single color that can work well with wood, metal, and brick architecture, consider cobalt blue. This deep and rich primary color is perfect for adding to any industrial room. Plus, it’s easy to find as a color for furniture, wall coverings, curtains, rugs, and more.

31. Add retro lighting options to the room

When searching for vintage and retro styled furniture that fits into the industrial decor, consider going with unique retro floor lamps. You can find shaded directional lamps made from vintage photography flashes that make a practical and eye-catching decorative addition to the room.

32. Use floating shelving over a brick wall

If you have a large wall made from red brick, consider using it for installing floating style shelving. These wall-mounted shelves are great for books, decorative accents, small vases, or any number of other design elements you want to add to the room without completely hiding the brickwork.

33. Add vintage aviation style decor

Vintage decor works well in any industrial living room, and you can find aviation, nautical, and war-themed pieces of furniture and decorative pieces that will work. For example, a vintage styled airplane wing or tail fin can make a unique and eye-catching end table near your sofa.