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An industrial kitchen is a great mix of vintage and modern design.
Industrial kitchens make extensive use of open brick, metal, wooden beams, natural wood and solid countertops. It is a clear and raw form of interior design with plenty of room for personal details.
If you want to create an industrial style kitchen, it is easy to get overwhelmed. The style is so eclectic that you hardly know where to start. Modern industrial interior design relies on the most modern kitchen equipment and design and gives a bit of rawness.
This seems fine. Even a quick review of the options available for designing an industrial kitchen reveals a range of options for anything and everyone.
Here’s our guide to help you design a smart, modern industrial kitchen that both looks great and doubles as a great place to cook, eat, and socialize.
Industrial kitchen cabinets
Image source: Garden Designs
The basis for a good kitchen design are the cabinets. There are many good options for industrial kitchen cabinets. The key is to make the space appear as large as possible, even in a small kitchen. Having lots of storage space is of great help, as is the correct sizing of your kitchen cabinets.
Mix textures and contrasting elements. Use cabinets made from natural wood with a pewter finish. Have sleek metal cabinets built in with glass windows. Industrial kitchen design can be as sleek or raw as you like. The cabinets you use go a long way in determining what the end result will look like.
Image source: Custom builder made from rosewood
For cabinet and drawer pulls, you can use anything that looks good. Simple metal trains, or more industrial ones made from reclaimed materials, are both good choices.
Plastic and light colors don’t go very well in an industrial kitchen and should be avoided. Larger handles make your kitchen look practical and focus on ease of use, one of the hallmarks of industrial design.
Industrial kitchen shelves
Image source: Sustainable kitchens
Compare your closed cabinets to open shelves. Large shelves made of natural wood look very good, as do shelves made of brushed steel or bronze metal. Avoid anything that seems too delicate and avoid floral flourishes. You can find wooden shelves that look like exposed beams that look great in an industrial kitchen.
Image source: Paul Craig Photography
Open shelves also give you the opportunity to display accessories or even your dishes. Use practical-looking containers like mason jars or spice jars with bold lettering. Again, you don’t want anything that implies delicacy. Your industrial kitchen gets its organic touch through the use of untreated wood, not through pictures of leaves and flowers.
Industrial kitchen sink
Image source: Interior design by Camilla Banks
A industrial kitchen sink should be big and pragmatic. Large country sinks that were originally intended for canning, cooking, and washing look great as long as they’re not brightly colored. You can also use smaller, more modern sinks. Take a look at rustic designed sinks for some great ideas.
Your industrial kitchen faucet and headlights can have a number of looks. If you want your kitchen to look extra rustic, get a faucet and faucets that look weathered.
Image source: TOLA architecture
You can also look for sleeker versions made of brushed metal to add a more modern style to the style. The lights should all be large and easy to see. This also gives the industrial kitchen a sense of pragmatism.
Industrial kitchen lighting
Image source: KitchenLab | Rebekah Zaveloff Interiors
Look for rustic fixtures or more modern updates of the same style. Lights that mimic mine lights, for example, look great and offer a rough vintage look. The recessed, subdued lighting can highlight the room and the details it contains.
Image source: Honey Bee Interiors
You need enough light to cook well. So remember to choose lighting that will ensure you can see the potato that you are peeling. Warm lighting also looks great in industrial kitchens, which even out the roughness of the style and make the space more welcoming.
Image source: Designaspace
If you want to eat and entertain in this kitchen it is an important thing. Industrial kitchens can easily look cold and hideous. Good lighting options prevent this.
Industrial kitchen island
Image source: Rust Artisan Builders
Make sure there is enough space between your counters and your industrial kitchen island. This makes the space artisanal and is very important in achieving the industrial style effectively.
When it comes to the materials that the kitchen island is made of, the raw materials work great. Use rustic woods for siding. For the surface, dark granite or neutral granite with a low gloss look great.
Image source: KuDa Photography
Marble is too shiny and luxurious for the practical feel of an industrial kitchen. So avoid it. Granite has an industrial, sturdy feel and look to it. You can also use a butcher’s block as a kitchen island. It’s tough and rough, perfect for an industrial style kitchen.
Industrial kitchen chairs
Image source: Compass and rose
Matching kitchen chairs look better in industrial kitchens than a mix-and-match collection. You want to use chairs that are comfortable, but not soft or overly elegant. Square shapes look great.
See if you can find industrial-themed chairs made from tubes. Unfinished wooden chairs are a great choice to balance the hard metal and stone in an industrial kitchen.
Image source: Jane Kim design
For a sleeker look, you can find black chairs in sparse Scandinavian styles. This could also be a good budget option as this type of chair is easy to find at IKEA and other furniture stores.
Industrial kitchen equipment
Image source: TOLA architecture
Your utensils, refrigerator, stove, washing machine, and oven should all be metal. Avoid chrome and look for brushed metal instead. Industrial kitchens look like factory floors, and durable metal items add to that image.
You can also use retro-inspired refrigerators and other kitchen gadgets if you prefer the industrial look. However, avoid lighter colors.
Image source: Esther Hershcovich
No need to hide your cookware. Hang large utensils where they are easy to grab and use. This creates a lived and practical effect.
Conclusion
An industrial kitchen is a useful space that also looks good. It blends retro and modern styles into a raw, edgy look that works for both large and small spaces.