Decorating with houseplants to match your industrial interior style

When you think of industrial design and home decor, raw materials, soft colours and open spaces may come to mind. You might have seen industrial styled interiors in commercial areas or restaurants, but you can also make this cool and edgy look work in your own small interior space! The industrial interior style comes in all shapes and sizes and decorating your industrial space with the right houseplants can provide the perfect final touch! Let’s dive into the industrial interior style and list the best plants that will complement your industrial decor!

History of industrial interior design

Yes, even interior design styles have a history! But this is a rather cool one. As the industrial interior style appears to be a modern style, their roots go all the way back to the Industrial Revolution in the 1760s and the Second Industrial Revolution in the 1870s. The Industrial Revolution marked the beginning of mass production in parts of Europe and the USA. Factories were the beginning of industrial architecture, with large windows, lots of natural lights, concrete floors and brick walls. While old factories had existed for more than 200 years, the industrial style really caught on in the 2000s. New York and other cities were facing housing shortages, which led to factories being converted into industrial loft apartments with open spaces and raw materials. Almost as how you see them in the movies, right?!

Lately, some elements of industrial design are making an appearance in the minimalistic and Scandinavian interior styles, which are growing in popularity. The neutral colours, distressed leather, and use of old wood and other raw materials mix well with hygge, the cosier, minimalist/Scandinavian style.

Features of industrial interior style

Industrial interior designs use materials and details that would originally can be found in industrial settings such as factories and warehouses. This style includes the use of ‘raw’ and ‘less polished’ materials, like a brick wall, concrete floor and bare bulb lighting. These features may appear ‘cold’ to some, but as said before, actually this interior style incorporates many elements of the Scandinavian’s interior design. Let’s dive in some of the most outstanding features of industrial interior design:

• Neutral colour palette: industrial interior decors don’t simply use shades of white like other minimalist designs. It utilises the spectrum of whites, greys, blacks, as well as neutral tones of brown.
• Architectural and raw materials: instead of using drywall or wallpaper, this style features exposed brick, concrete floors and visible industrial pipes and ductwork.
• Open spaces: the industrial style typically has open floor plans and high ceilings. Those high ceilings are often designed with a large window section to provide natural light.
• Reused materials: a great way to bring natural elements into an industrial home decor is with reused materials, like old wooden coffee tables and bookshelves made of driftwood.
• Natural textiles: simple but cosy textiles and fabrics like linen or leather are often used in industrial spaces.

The best plants to add to your industrial interior decor

In this interior style, most of the time ‘less is more’. Luckily, there is a way to match houseplants to your industrial interior style. This interior style shows a cool and edgy contrast between metals and living things, so why not plants?! Besides that, industrial interiors often have the perfect natural lightning, which is super great for plants too! Greenery and this interior design style can be the perfect match, as long as you pick the right plants. We’ve listed five great plants that will definitely help to add some bold, green accents to your industrial space!

Philodendron Birkin

This tough beauty is perfect to add some subtle greenery to your interior. The Philodendron Birkin has beautiful light-coloured stripes on her dark green leaves and provides a contrasting range of tones. Give her a spot on your wooden coffee table or place her in an industrial bookcase and she will steal the show!

Zamioculcas Zamiifolia

This green friend is the perfect addition to an industrial interior. The Zamioculcas Zamiifolia is super easy to care for and with her lush green leaves she will definitely shine in every room. Give her a spot in your bedroom or kitchen, as she loves a shady spot. This way, your bedroom and kitchen will be filled with green too!

Strelitzia Nicolai

Let’s move on to the big boys! (or girls?) The typical, industrial open spaces lend themselves perfectly to larger plants. Bringing elegance to the harsh elements, the Strelitzia Nicolai will definitely be a showstopper in an industrial home and stand out with her long stems and large voluptuous leaves! Her sister, Strelitzia Reginae, is a great pick too!

Yucca

Another option is the extravagant Elephantipes Yucca. She is a tree-like plant that will have multiple stems in one pot. On top of her stems grow green leaves in a plume shape, how cool is that? Place this big beauty in a pot made of natural materials and she will fit perfectly in your industrial home!

Ficus Lyrata Branched

Lastly, the Ficus Lyrata will really add to the unique and clean-cut look of the industrial style. This giant beauty is extra special as she has multiple branches. This way she easily fills up your industrial space, not only in height but also in width!

Industrial plant pots that will match your interior!

With a plant comes a pot! We understand that you want your plant pot to match the Industrial ambiance of your space, so we’ve listed a few pots that we think match this cool and edgy interior style perfectly. All these pots have a basic and neutral style; the features of industrial interior design.

Industrial interiors are a great way to keep the architectural aspects of your home intact. Adding the right plants will give your industrial decor the perfect finishing touch and will add personality to a room. We’re pretty sure that this cool and edgy style will stick around for quite some time! And how about your interior style? We would love to see your (industrial) space with plants! Share your space with #PLNTSvibe on Instagram.