Industrial Home Decor on a Budget

There is a world of difference between a shabby home and a home that has a rough, worn-down look to it on purpose. The first is obviously the result of neglect, while the second is proof of great care, attention to detail and good taste. 

Many home-owners find the industrial style very appealing. It is perfect if you’ve turned an old loft, storage or warehouse into your home, because the industrial design is already there – you just need to make it attractive looking. 

Even if you live in an “ordinary” house, you’re in luck because you can be spending very little for industrial home makeover and getting a lot in return. 

Repurpose, recycle and visit yard sales Some of the things that can make a house achieve an industrial design look are: 

• Unpainted walls 

• Rough, brick walls

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• Worn-down furniture

• Partially peeled paint on wooden furniture

• Old-fashioned recliner sofas

• Old-fashion curtains and tablecloths 

• Vintage tables, chairs and photo frames

• Vintage looking bedroom chest

• Metal furniture 

• Metal file cabinets 

• Metal ornaments (candle holders, sculptures, wall decorations)

• Common light bulbs high on walls

• Wire lampshade

• Wooden bench and table in the kitchen

• A unique, rare object like a dress maker’s mannequin

Repurposing old furniture or items bought in yard sales is the way to go when decorating your home on a budget. You can use metal file cabinets or old heavy-set suitcases to turn them into living room coffee tables; some old metal wheels can be placed on walls as decoration; vintage posters partially torn at the edges can be framed and used as wall art. These are only a few ideas, but you’ll get much more inspiration once you take a look at the yard sale collection of potentially charming items. 

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How to use colours

One of the most obvious things about industrial interior design is the lack of colour. Walls, furniture and flooring are usually steel gray, metallic silver, black, sometimes there’s the warm colour of wood and there are some lighter tones - beige, light gray and white. 

If you are sticking to this industrial colour scheme, you might want to break up the cold tones with some colourful painting, one yellow or red piece of furniture, a red leather recliner sofa, yellow flowered curtains, etc. The vibrant detail would definitely bring out the trendy side of your home decoration.

The coziest “unfinished” bedroom

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For a really stylish industrial and completely inexpensive bedroom decoration, all you need is a set of wooden boards, an old brick or some kind of peeled-down wall, simple metal chair or night stand and a glass vase (or bottle) filled with fresh flowers.

Of course, if you have money to spare, you can go for a very modern and much more elaborate looking bedroom design:

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Notice again how the colours are toned down - there’s the prevailing gray and white and a few other subtle colours. Also, the homeowners opted for a fake brick wall showing through, which is interesting and modern. 

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Wood is very industrial looking Wooden floors, walls, ceiling, furniture and other home details are good choices for big, empty spaces that can’t or don’t need to be filled, but should have some sense of warmth.

Whether you like the minimalistic, steel and furniture approach, or you prefer the warmth of the wooden features, either way you'll be saving a significant amount of money while decorating your home in great style.