Cleanliness, straight lines, essential and raw materials to create an impression of robustness and simplicity. These are the most immediate characteristics of industrial furnishing, a style that has recently become very popular among people who love comfortable and efficient environments that evoke the atmosphere of a New York loft, i.e. housing born from the conversion of old warehouses or industrial buildings, which became very cool at the end of the 1980s. They are especially noted for their very high ceilings, large openings and mostly free-plan rooms.
A type of design that can be adapted to all rooms in the home but which is particularly suitable for furnishing kitchens, and not only for aesthetic reasons: on a practical level, a dry, minimalist space allows for more orderly and productive work in the area dedicated to cooking.
In this article we will focus on some of the fundamental aspects to take into account if you want to create an industrial-style kitchen. From the materials to be used, the colours to consider, and the most suitable lighting, with particular reference to kitchen hoods as an essential element that can reproduce and complete the desired effect.
Raw and robust materials
The pillars of industrial-style furniture include the use of raw, robust materials such as metal, stainless steel, natural wood and concrete. Giving the kitchen environment an authentic and durable look, they can be used for floors and worktops as well as furniture and hobs, helping to give a solid and durable character to our kitchens.
Neutral colours and dark shades
As the right compromise between vintage and minimal, neutral colours and dark shades are predominant in the industrial style. Here, shades such as grey, black, brown and off-white, both for the walls and for the main elements of the furniture, combine to give the room an austere yet sophisticated look typical of New York loft conversions. However, touches of colour are not to be avoided: they should be added through small decorative objects or accessories, creating a balance between industrial rigour and the cosiness that should never be lacking in domestic spaces.
Industrial style lighting
Another characteristic element of the industrial-style kitchen is pendant lighting. While metal pendant lamps, inspired by old industrial chandeliers, are indispensable for illuminating a kitchen and giving it a cosy air, LED filament light bulbs are particularly popular as they add a vintage effect, evoking the first incandescent lamps used in the industrial era.
Salvaged objects and pipes in plain sight
As typical elements of this type of kitchen, wires, cables and mechanisms of various kinds are no longer hidden but, on the contrary, are deliberately displayed. Equally characteristic are the recycled objects previously used in factories, such as lamps, drums and basins, as the industrial style lends itself (by definition) to intriguing mix-and-match combinations of elements from different eras. Thus vintage pieces and gear parts coexist harmoniously with traces of piping deliberately left exposed, becoming part of the décor and producing a very stylish and fun result.
Essential and ultra-contemporary hoods for the industrial-style kitchen
Among the key elements of an industrial style kitchen, an important cooker hood is a must, whether it is positioned over a cooking island or on a wall, close to the burners (in the case of in-line kitchens). In such a space, in addition to models that evoke retro atmospheres, essential and ultra-contemporary design hoods also make an excellent impression, generally with a smooth finish, whether glossy or matt: an element that, in addition to fulfilling its function with style, also represents a piece of furniture that is well integrated into the design chosen for our cooking area.
Faber's Chloè wall-mounted cooker harmonises with the industrial look thanks to its material finishes and the three-dimensionality of its materials, including old metal, old copper, cast iron, and old brass, reproduced with innovative varnishes. It represents the ideal meeting point between tradition and innovation, ensuring enviable durability and remarkable resistance to scratches and wear. A domestic appliance with a clean, essential style that strikes a decisive balance between up-to-date technology and old fashion aesthetics, it is a furniture choice designed to give a decisive touch of class even to such an environment.
One of the most attractive models in the suspended category, ideal for island kitchens, Faber's Beat hoods represent another interesting option to enrich our 'industrial' area with taste and personality. A style that is enhanced by the conical shape and the simple, linear surfaces as a harmonious meeting point between vintage and minimal, as well as by the four refined colours available in a matt finish - black, dark grey, white, powder blue - typical of overseas loft-inspired furniture. Constructed of high-quality material that is extremely easy to clean, they possess an ideal robustness for a frequently used kitchen and, thanks to the combination of aesthetic taste and modern functionality, they consistently appear in line with the raw yet durable and high-performance character that we have chosen for the most cosy and convivial space in our home.
