How to rock the industrial kitchen look

Interior design trends have been influenced by the 'industrial' look for quite some time now and the kitchen is a good place to incorporate some of these more urban elements into an overall design scheme. When you are starting out with this it is wise to take a good, honest look at your property, its location and the existing look of the rest of your rooms. Some spaces lend themselves naturally to an uncompromised industrial look, by virtue of their functional history, exposed building elements, feature glazing or urban situation. Such properties really embrace the style and can take the introduction of quite dramatic industrial elements without things looking too forced. Other properties, more suburban new builds, for example, benefit from a gentler interpretation of the trend.

There are several striking ways to introduce industrial styling into today's kitchens. Try exposing an original brick wall or create one using brick slips. Use reclaimed wood for flooring, shelving and supports. Explore your kitchen worktop options; there are many possibilities here including distressed metallics, concrete and concrete-effect quartz surfaces. Think about introducing lengths of exposed copper pipework and industrial style taps. If you feel the need for a more subtle industrial look then it is possible to achieve this by selecting appropriate kitchen fittings, such as chunky handles, vintage lighting, timber or metal shelving, rough leather/ black metal counter stools and distressed metro tiling. Try achieving the look you want by displaying reclaimed artefacts on rough open shelving fixed with metal brackets, or use hooks to hang raw metal containers from wall-mounted metal rods. As a general rule, always think in terms of raw texture rather than colour.

If you are interested in the industrial look (or any particular look for that matter) it's always good to start off collecting images of what appeals to you on a platform like Pinterest. As your collection grows you will start to see patterns in what you are attracted to. Narrow it down to elements you really like and ask yourself whether those elements are a) achievable and b) suitable for your space. Talk to your designer early on about your preferred style direction and they will be able to help you to achieve the look you desire across your space.