Okuzeka
Interior Design vocabulary · Interior Styles

Industrial style

Meaning in interior design, with examples

/ɪnˈdʌstriəl ˈstaɪl/nounCore term

In interior design, industrial style means: A style inspired by old factories and warehouses, using exposed brick, concrete, metal, visible pipes and ducts, and raw, unfinished surfaces.

In Turkish: endüstriyel stil, endüstriyel tarz

How it is used

Common in lofts, cafés, offices and restaurants. Typical items are metal-framed glazing, filament bulbs, leather and reclaimed wood. Designers soften it with plants, rugs and warm lighting so that it does not feel cold.

Example sentences

  1. The café has an industrial style, with exposed brick, black steel shelves and concrete floors.

  2. We kept the original pipes visible to support the industrial style.

Common collocations

  • industrial style loft
  • industrial look
  • industrial chic
  • exposed brick
  • contemporaryDescribes the style of design that is current now, usually with clean lines, neutral colours and a mix of materials; it changes as trends change.
  • eclecticMixing furniture, objects and ideas from different periods, styles and places in one room, held together by a shared colour, material or mood.
  • natural stoneStone cut from the earth, such as marble, granite, limestone and travertine, used for floors, worktops, walls and bathrooms; every slab looks slightly different.
  • pendant lightA light that hangs down from the ceiling on a cable, chain or rod, often used above dining tables, kitchen islands and in stairwells.

More terms: Interior Styles

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: