How to style industrial lighting in your home
Bring modern style to your home with our industrial lighting ideas
Industrial design takes its lead from the styling of factories and other industrial spaces of the past. It focuses on rougher, more rustic items, darker colours and traditional materials such as metals and woods.
From its industrial beginnings, this is a design style which has become increasingly popular in recent years, driven by a desire for more authentic, unique items which move away from the sleek norm.
In this guide, we take a look at how you can bring industrial style lighting into your home and how you can use it as a starting point to incorporate more industrial pieces.
Industrial lighting ideas
- Get started with filament bulbs
- Porch lighting
- Garden lighting
- Larger lighting pieces for room focal points
- Industrial bathroom lighting
- Soft industrial lighting
- Concrete lighting
- Industrial light switches
- Industrial home office lighting
- Soften the industrial style with wood
- Add some colour
- Industrial style, modern technology
- Consider your surroundings
Get started with filament bulbs
One of the easiest ways to introduce industrial style into your home is the installation of filament bulbs.
The industrial design philosophy is one that embraces and celebrates the materials and components that come together to create an object rather than hiding them. Where more modern lightbulbs obscure the filaments, these bulbs make them a prominent feature, giving you a beautiful bulb with a vintage look. These lightbulbs are ideal for pairing with industrial light fixtures, but they can equally be used to add an industrial touch to standard fixtures. Such is the iconic look of these lightbulbs, they can even be used on their own without an accompanying shade.
Porch lighting
The front of your house will be the first thing you and your guests see, so it needs to set the tone for the rest of your home.
For your porch, look to black metallic lighting with vintage style bulbs. Avoid chrome finishes and any fixtures with more modern touches.
If you want to enhance the look of your driveway but keep the industrial aesthetic, take a look at our concrete and black post lights.
Garden lighting
When choosing lighting for your garden, look to vintage styles and darker colours. Industrial style emphasises simplicity and keeping components visible, which makes string lights the obvious choice. The visible wire between the bulbs helps to enhance the industrial look, just be sure to not lay them too uniformly! It’s also a good idea to choose string lights with vintage style bulbs.
Larger lighting pieces for room focal points
When choosing your industrial lighting, it’s important to consider where you’ll need the most light and where the focal point of each room is. These are the areas of your home such as dining room tables or kitchen islands where eyes are drawn to and people will be gathered, so they are important places to stamp the industrial style.
Larger, 3 pendant light fixtures are ideal for these areas. Their size will help to emphasise the industrial aesthetic and their downlighter style will add extra focus to the important areas of a room.
Industrial bathroom lighting
Bathrooms usually feature sleek chrome finishes and smooth tiling, two features that don’t match the industrial design aesthetic. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t add industrial style to your bathroom.
For your bathroom lighting, stay away from chrome fixtures. Instead, choose rougher finishes with texture such as copper, pewter or nickel. Rather than spotlights, go for a metallic dome shade with a vintage style bulb. Instead of a modern mirror cabinet with built in LEDS, combine a pair of industrial bathroom wall lights with a black framed mirror.
Soft industrial lighting
‘Soft industrial’ is a style trend that’s increased in popularity as interest in industrial design has grown. This style has arisen from the fact that many people enjoy the industrial aesthetic, but feel it is too rough and harsh for them to incorporate into their homes. The soft industrial style incorporates many of the aesthetics of industrial design in a way that will look at home alongside other design styles.
Rose gold and copper finishes are a great example of how you can incorporate soft industrial style into your home. These are finishes that still have a slightly rough, metallic feel, but also have a warmer tone than traditional black or nickel finishes.
Concrete lighting
Industrial design tends to focus on metallic finishes, but concrete is another material that shouldn’t be ignored. Concrete has a reputation for being harsh and even ugly, not something you’d find in a home. However, the subtle textures and colour of concrete, particularly how much it stands out alongside other items in our homes, is making it an increasingly popular material for interiors.
At B&Q, you’ll find a great range of concrete finish light fixtures that will bring an industrial finish with a softer colour to your home.
Industrial light switches
Once you’ve installed your industrial lighting, standard white light switches just won’t do, so pair your new industrial lights with a switch that matches the style. In our light switch range you’ll find a collection of nickel, black, brass and brushed steel switches that will contribute to the rustic industrial décor.
Industrial home office lighting
If you’re looking to add an industrial touch to your home office, complete the look with a metallic table lamp. Choosing a particularly rustic style is important here as creating an industrial aesthetic will be more difficult on your desk, an area which will be populated with sleek, modern technology. Complete the look with an industrial style desk with black metallic supports and a dark wood countertop.
Soften the industrial style with wood
As we’ve previously mentioned, the industrial style can sometimes be too harsh for traditionally cosy spaces such as living rooms. You can soften the look of your industrial lighting by choosing fixtures which incorporate wood.
Wood will add a natural touch to your light fixture, helping it feel more at home in your living space.
Add some colour
Industrial design rules place an emphasis on dark colours and metallic finishes. Although these can come together to create hugely stylish spaces, they can also often end up looking the same. You can add some originality into your own industrial décor with coloured metallic light fixtures.
Pair a coloured metal light shade with a filament style bulb and you’ll have an industrial look with a splash of colour.
Industrial style, modern technology
Industrial lighting may have a vintage aesthetic, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the benefits of modern technology. We stock a selection of filament style smart light bulbs which combine beautiful antique style with the benefits of smart technology, such as app and voice control.
Consider your surroundings
When you’re looking to install industrial style lighting in your home, it’s important to consider your surroundings too. Industrial lighting will look out of place in a sleek, modern home in the same way modern chrome light fixtures won’t look right if the rest of your room has an industrial focus.
Even if you don’t want to go completely industrial, focus on the materials you’re using. Rather than sleek chromes, go for rougher finishes such as nickel or brushed brass. If you want to install wood products, look towards darker, real wood rather than lighter wood items.
When you’re choosing your industrial lighting, it’s also important to consider how many light fixtures you’ll need. Industrial style homes usually have a more sombre tone, so you may not need to install as many light fixtures.
The real beauty of industrial styling is the materials that come together to create the aesthetic. From dark woods to rough metals, you can combine these materials in many different ways to create your own unique industrial style space.