Discover how to successfully style the Industrial Aesthetic through Lights!
Industrial design is a prevalent and iconic interior style that many of us are familiar with and have witnessed transition and transform with time. This blog explores the best way to achieve the style in your space, whether you’re looking to find the best way to light an industrial style room or building, or trying to incorporate touches of the style into your home through industrial lights, we’ll explore all possibilities.
History of the style
Industrial lighting is a design style that has consistently reemerged as a popular choice in interior trends from the 1970s to the present. While the style first appeared during the 1700s in the wake of industrialisation and factories, created to necessitate an efficient and functional environment, industrialism as an aesthetic choice first emerged in America during the 70s alongside a new lifestyle of loft-style living that came along with mass movement towards the city. With traditional homes harder to find, old factories, lofts and warehouses were reimagined as living spaces, birthing the adoption of the edgy stoic style. This then remerged perhaps more glamorously through the early 2000s with the New York loft lifestyle popularised by numerous TV shows and magazines, which continued well into the 2010s, solidifying Industrial design as a now timeless staple style choice.
Importance of lighting: Lighting an Industrial Space
Industrial spaces, similar to Brutalism, are typically cavernous and stripped back to the bare functional materials and elements of the building. There is an emphasis on steel and dark metals, a repeated use of raw materials such as leather and wood, and a lot of natural light present through large windows and high ceilings.
In an interview with Architectural Digest, designers Truong & Dang explained:
“Lighting is very important to an industrial style space […] due to the roughness of the finishes and rawness of the materials chosen, lighting becomes the key factor to breathe life and warmth into the space.”
In this sense the subdued and harsh nature of industrial interior styles facilitates the ability to play with dramatic and eyecatching lighting from showstopping ceiling pendants to clean-lined modern chandeliers.
Opting for warm glowy light that will flood the space will be key to creating an inviting and homely atmosphere, this can be achieved for example through a feature light, while targetted uplighting in high ceilings and corners through the use of spotlights will finalise the lighting design of the space and eliminate strong areas of shadow.
Importance of Lighting: Industrial Lighting Design
With the increased desire and glamour of industrial spaces for homes and businesses, those wishing to adopt the bold style without committing to the full lifestyle can effortlessly and most effectively inject it into a space through industrial style lighting.
Industrial Lighting design features iconic and recognisable forms, often the key element in achieving an authentic industrial look. These can come in many shapes and sizes from stripped back sputnik chandeliers, to exposed wall lights and caged table lamps. The most common and key elements of the design include:
- Exposed metals in finishes such as brass, copper or pewter
- Simple clean lines, no embellishment
- Exposed bulbs
- Caged elements
The great thing about introducing industrial lighting, is that its subdued design codes incorporate themselves effortlessly into other design styles, and can be used as a subtle element alongside other aesthetics as opposed to a full scheme.
For example, industrial lights look natural alongside other paired back styles such as a rustic or Scandinavian aesthetic. Which can be a great way to balance out what is often considered quite a harsh design.
Industrial wall lights easily blend into other interior styles due to their simplicity and minimalism, seen here matched with rattan and soft furnishings.
A statement Industrial style chandelier can be a perfect masculine touch to feminine or softer spaces to create a sense of balance in your space through subtle contrasts.
Links to sustainability
Another benefit of adopting industrial designs into your space is the way this looks can be easily and authentically achieved through reclaimed or recycled materials, due to its raw appearance.
A modern approach
The current trends towards industrial touches within the home is currently focused on Kitchens and Bathrooms. Kitchens leaning more into using industrial lights for the simple country rustic appeal, but pairing these harsher designs with soft greens, interesting marbles and natural woods to soften.
Shop industrial kitchen lights
Industrial Bathroom lights is a great way to add a vintage and stylistic choice. These look great in a tiled manhattan style bathroom for an authentic feel or again mixed with softer colours for a less edgy and more contemporary approach.
This blog is part of a series exploring iconic 20th century lighting styles and how you can easily incorporate them into contemporary homes. Explore more below: