Industrial & Urban Modern Decor: What Your Style Says About You?

 City life

Hello and welcome, home decor lovers. I'm Sue. And I'm Val. And this is Design Meets Decor, brought to you by Naomi Home. In this podcast, we will analyze how home decor styles act as a mirror that showcases who we are as a person, and provide inspiration for styling and upscaling your spaces. We do all of this while living, laughing, and low-key lucid.

In this episode, we will continue in our journey where we will go over our 56 home decor styles that we have in our quiz. Today we're going to talk about industrial and urban modern. If you're interested in finding out which home decor styles you match with, you can check out the link in our bio, take the quiz, and then join us back here at Design Meets Decor where you will learn more about your style and what it says about you.

Now with all the introductions out of the way, we will get started with industrial. Industrial home decor style- Mm-hmm ... is very inspired by old factories, warehouses, and it's really catered towards what we would call rugged urbanites. Yes. I would say this style is very unapologetic. Like, it has all these rugged style- Mm-hmm, yeah

and look. Very unapologetic. Very bold. Yes, very, like, unfinished. Yes. Going off of how bold it is, this style has a very bold color palette. True. It has lots of dark browns, black, grays, a lot of reds, like brick red colors- Mm-hmm ... like orangey. Um, you'll see some beige here and there, but I would say the main colors are probably, like, the dark browns.

You see that a lot in the furniture, and of course on the walls, 'cause industrial loves its exposed bricks. That's true, the terracotta colors. I would say for this style specific, it's not one that relies a lot on the paint. Mm-hmm. The color palette is just everywhere. Like, you do have terracotta colors because, as you mentioned, the brick walls.

You do have browns because they love using leathers, and you'll see the black and gray within metal accents and stuff like that. Yeah I know you mentioned at Val where you were saying that this started with, what was it like? With warehouses. Oh, yeah, warehouses and, um, old factories. How industrial came to be is one of my favorites because these companies that were in these areas had to, like, shut down and move elsewhere, and then instead of becoming abandoned, they turned these warehouses and factories into what we call now the industrial homes.

And they mainly did it for the transition of people coming into these areas to live here, and they just needed a small space, so it helped out. That crisis happened where these factories and businesses had to go, but they helped with the new population that was coming in. Yeah, it's why you find a lot of these type of styled homes in big cities like Chicago or New York.

Correct. That's why a big personality trait for these people is how they're big urbanites. Mm-hmm. It also adds to the style. People who embody this style are very big city folk. They love the convenience of having places nearby. Yeah. Always having something to do, 'cause there's always an event or something happening in the big cities.

Right. Going off of how people that get this style usually live in the city, they tend to be very bold and independent. They have that raw edge to them, which I think you can kinda see in the color palette. That's true, yes. And they're very practical people, so they appreciate utilitarian spaces. So this is more of a minimal style, too.

I'll say the people in this style are hard workers, not as determined or as involved like the Bauhaus home decor style. It's not really that related within the personality of the people who embody this style, but in the history of when this style came to be, these homes were made intentionally for the hardworking individuals who are coming in to work in the city.

But they're mainly, like, city folks. They love going out and being busy. Which it's one of the reasons why I don't think I would embody a person who fits in this style, just because in a perfect world, I would love to live in a city and go out and do all these events, but it seems very hectic, very active.

So I wouldn't say I embody somebody with this style. No, I, I agree with you. Like, it, it is very, like, busy and outgoing space, and it's not for everybody. But I don't see myself being this person- Yeah ... who loves the city lifestyle. So I definitely don't match the personality of the people who embody this style.

Mm. However, I do say that I am hardworking enough to be like, yeah, I have that in common with the people who embody industrial. But other than that, their, like, main traits, no, I don't. Yeah, like when I see a picture- Mm ... that has industrial style, all I hear in my head are the car beeps and- Ah, yeah ... the traffic.

So that, that also drives me away from it too. That's true. I'm pretty sure some people do like it. It's part of their lifestyle, and they might tune it out. Yeah. Now, going into the materials that they like to use, this one does lean more into manmade materials, but it does love the rustic wood that is like a big statement piece.

They like manmade materials, like the metals and chrome. Yeah, like you said- Mm-hmm ... even though it's mostly manmade, the natural materials that they use, you'll find it in big furniture pieces, like a distressed wood center table or- Mm-hmm ... um, big cabinet, things like that. But yeah, like you said, it's mostly, um, manmade materials.

They also use a lot of animal hide. Ah, that's true. Yeah, you're right. So it adds a lot of visual, like, texture. Yeah, they're really big on texture. They have, out of all the fabrics, they do like using a lot of leather. They also like concrete. Like- Yeah ... within either floor or decor, they do like concrete.

Yeah, and you'll see a lot of these natural materials in furniture. They like the big, heavy-duty leather oversized seats. So you see a lot of bulky sofas, bulky chairs. You'll see a lot of metal frames, invisible heaters, bolts, and rivets, 'cause of course it is an abandoned factory or warehouse. True. Yes, they do like the bigger size furniture.

Mm-hmm. Those metal legs and the rustic woods, they will use it a lot- Yeah ... in cabinets and rustic wooden tables. So yeah, those are like the type of furnitures that they have here and there in an industrial home decor style. So if you got this style and you're looking for a bold leather chair, our Naomi Home Ziggy Leather Chair will look really good on this style.

We have it in a dark brown espresso color that will fit the dark industrial color palette, and that bulky look, because it has big and short legs with big armrests. I do see the Ziggy Leather Sofa Chair definitely in this- Yeah ... industrial home decor style. I would also recommend our Naomi Home Paola Metal Leg Dining Set.

That one uses a well mix of materials within the black metal legs, and then the tops of it are in a wood finish. It comes, like, in black or brown for that wood look, so you can have that mixture of natural materials and the manmade materials. Yeah, I think that table will look really good, especially 'cause it's minimalist, which is the main decor choice for industrial.

While it does have a lot of that visual going on, because of the bricks and the leather print and the distressed wood, it's still very minimal. That's true. For being a style that follow, like, minimalist decor, this one does have, as you said, like, a lot of noise. It tends to look more busy and more full because of the brick walls, the rustic and the woods.

That adds, like, more visual fullness rather than decor. Yeah. They usually don't decorate as much. If it is with something, it's probably, like, concrete planters. Still very minimal, but yeah, very minimal decor. Part of their minimalist practice is that they do like sealed concrete floors, which is the most minimalist type of- Yeah

flooring you can have, 'cause it doesn't have the divisions of planks or ceramic tiles. It's just a flat sealed concrete floor, which is the most minimalist thing they have. I think that's something that I like about this style because even though I'm not a big fan of minimalism, this one looks maximalist- True

in a way. True. It, it doesn't look completely empty. Yeah. I do like the overall look. It's definitely not me, but still looks nice. Yeah, I think it all goes so well together that even if you're not the biggest fan of, you can still look at it and you're like, "Okay, it's not awful." However, the rustic wood is too much for me.

I'm not a big fan of wood, and rustic wood is actually my least favorite wood. It's, it's the main thing- Mm ... I don't like about this home decor style. Do you have something that sticks out to you? I would say probably how much manmade materials it has. A lot of steel, which I'm not a big fan of a lot of metal.

I do like the, the bulbs that they tend to use, the wrought iron lamps and stuff like that. Oh, yeah, like the hanging- Yeah. But even the windows have metal frames. Typically, yes. So it just feel like it kind of everywhere, and I'm not a fan. I've been talking a lot how I wouldn't, like, use stuff from this style in my personal space 'cause it's not really me, but I would only like it if I lived in the big city.

Yeah. This is a style that is more location, um- Location exclusive. Yes, exactly. That's a good word 'cause personally I feel like you do need to have this style in the city. Yeah. So it's not a style that I personally would put anywhere in my house. I think that's why we can find it a lot in, like, apartments and lofts, just 'cause you'll find a lot of those in cities with the exposed bricks and stuff.

But if I were to put it in a room, I don't know, I think this is the kind of style that you would either have to put it all over your house or nothing, 'cause I feel like if you just put it in one room, it's very bold. It's gonna stand out. Trying to think, 'cause obviously this belongs in either apartments or condos.

I don't see it in a house- Yeah ... unless we're talking about, let's say, a basement or a garage. Like, if you have a woodworking station and you wanna have- Oh, okay ... you will have, like, all those metal tools around and- And the wood ... that would be where you can kinda portray that look outside of, like, an apartment or a condo in the city.

Yeah, I see that. Mm-hmm. However, if this is the style you got or a style that you're interested in bringing into your home, you can try having exposed brick walls. Not all homes are built with brick walls, so it's not as easy as tearing off the paint, but there are a few techniques where you can mimic the look of a brick wall.

I saw this technique where you would pick the color of the grid, and then with paint tape you would put it around your wall within that patterns of brick, and then you will paint on top of the paint tape. And while the paint is still wet, you will be removing those strips of paint tape, and it will give you that grid of the brick wall look.

We will be linking the video down in the description, so if you wanna try it or just curious to see how it went, you can see it. Yeah, that's a really good little project that you can do if you wanna make your house more industrial. I also feel like since you can choose the color of the bricks, you can go into other, um, industrial inspired decor styles, like industrial chic.

It's very similar, it just uses a little more clean and sleek furniture and a different color palette. Instead of a lot of black, it uses more gray. It's a little more inviting. It's still very dark and bold, but it's still inspired by the old factories. You still see the exposed bricks and the metals, the high ceilings, the, the lamps, the bulbs.

Very similar, just different in a big way that you can really tell the difference. It's also a little more girly, I feel like. It's more chic. Yeah. More chic Another format of industrial that you can try if industrial is too rugged for you, there is a neo-industrial home decor style. It's mainly for the people who are not big fans of living in an actual factory, so it becomes a little bit more homey.

It uses a different color palette, this one being a little bit more bright than the prior ones. Still has the white, gray, black, brown, and beige, but it uses sage and peach colors to bring a little bit more life into it. It also likes velvet. Mm. And they're a big fan of having furniture with wheels that are mobile, so easier to bring in- Yeah

to an environment that is not typically industrial feel. I really like all these styles, though. I feel like- Yes ... I wouldn't mind living in an industrial home. I actually, growing up, I used to watch a lot of YouTubers who lived in New York or LA, and they had this- Oh ... um, industrial style look. I really, really wanted industrial styled apartment when I was little.

Oh. But, I mean, I wouldn't mind living in it, but I do feel like since it's very visually, like, it has a lot of visual noise. Mm. It's not that it looks messy, it just looks, like, too much. It's too much, yeah. Which is funny 'cause I do like too much going on, but this, I feel like this is too much , like with the brick walls and the heights and the rustic wood.

Uh, it might be too much that you don't like. Yeah. Yeah. So that- For sure ... that's hard to push. I'll say, like if, you know, if we're in that scenario where I have a significant other or a roommate that wanted industrial home decor, yeah, I wouldn't mind. I would- Yeah ... I would like it, just I, I would have preferred if it is that we're living in the city.

Yeah. I agree. I wouldn't mind either, but I would really not mind if it was industrial chic. So I think we can wrap it up there for industrial home decor in general. Uh, I think we went over basically everything we wanted to talk about. We said, you know, the origin of it, how it started from companies that closed down, and these factories and workspaces were turned into apartments for people to live in.

We talked about the personality, how these are very city-oriented individuals. We went over the color palette, how it's like dark with all those terracottas, blacks, and grays. We mentioned that it does like a balance between the natural and manmade materials. However, it is more manmade material-oriented- Yeah

with all the steels and chromes. We also mentioned that the overall decor is quite minimal. So we're ready to move on to our next home decor style, being urban modern. Urban modern, I would describe it as a fusion with industrial- Mm-hmm ... style, since it has the exposed bricks, the weathered wood. Also has a lot of metal.

It's very sophisticated, very sleek. Yes, this one is more refined than industrial- Mm-hmm, yeah ... I would say. The people who embody this style do have a very neat personality. They do like the curated luxury lifestyle. They are also very city folk, but not as much as industrial. I would say they're more, like, trend-oriented.

They do like things like high fashion, as well as, like, art. They're very, like, art connoisseurs, like either finding small artists and displaying them in their home. When I see urban modern, especially because it has so many similarities to industrial, I feel like a middle-aged person who lives in an urban modern home probably had an industrial styled home when they, like, first moved to their city.

Ooh. Their early 20s, they had their industrial styled home, and then they grew up, and now they have an urban modern home. I do see your point, but I was envisioning, like, the other way. These are, like, modern influencers. Like, nowadays- Mm ... like, they're very trend-oriented. They want to follow high fashion. But yeah, I do see your point.

It makes a little bit more sense story-wise. Like, you started industrial and then end up staying, but move up- Yeah ... to urban modern within your years of hard work. Yeah, I'm giving- That could work ... I'm giving a face to- Yes ... these people right now. I would say, though, that I don't think I would fit- Mm-hmm

somebody who embodies this style. I don't think I'm very sophisticated. I'm more of just, like, whatever. Um- Yeah. They are very, like, strictly, like, they like the luxury. They do sound like very sophisticated- Yeah ... individuals, and that's a little intimidating. Yeah. We don't reach that extreme. No, no, not f- we're there a little bit, but no.

I will say people who have this style do tend to keep to themselves, I think. Ah, yes. I can probably agree with that for myself. Or maybe the, the art, too. I do like art. Yeah. I agree. I do like the art, but these are people who appreciate art- Mm-hmm ... and the craftsmanship that goes into it. Yeah. I, myself, do want to have a painting on my wall, but it has to be made by myself.

So do you feel, like, artistic in that level of where you would do your own things or you would go out and seek? I think both. I, I love me a museum, I love me an art gallery, but I also love painting. Okay. But I will say I'm not a big fan of the type of art that urban modern uses. On these big paintings you'll see a lot of blacks and creams- True

which is mainly the color palette of urban modern. If you were looking for color, you'll see more grayish, darker blues- Mm. Mm ... and stuff like that. But it's mostly a lot of white and black. Very neutral indeed. This color palette is around the zone I like compared to industrial that had a very darker color palette.

Yeah. This one's a little more light- Mm-hmm ... in comparison. So speaking how similar they are, urban modern does like leather as well as industrial, but it's more because leather is considered a luxurious fabric. They would also use materials like velvet and faux fur. Yeah. You see a lot of those fabrics on the furniture.

The furniture is very similar to industrial. They do like those oversize, um, sofas, but they're a little more sleek and low profile. Yes. I would say they're more linear. Yeah. Less rugged- Mm-hmm ... but still very similar with wanting to have tables with metal legs or metal frames in general. Yeah. You will also see a lot of materials that give it that clean look, like, um, glass or maybe, like, a marble top, things like that.

They also like statement chairs. Mm. That's true, yeah. So they like a statement piece, which I also think they do a lot with their art 'cause it's very big, very in your face. True. So if you're looking for that statement piece- We have a Naomi home mosaic style full length standing floor mirror. We have it in gold, silver.

We have it in black too, so it'll give you that statement piece that every modern likes to have. Yes, especially since it's like a full length floor mirror. Yeah. It's very large. Very oversized. It has like those mosaic styles around it. I would also say the Deborah floating entertainment center for our Naomi home collection.

That piece can really upscale a room into that luxurious feel. It can accommodate up to like a 55-inch screen TV, and it's available in different colors I would recommend the black or white so s- it still matches this style's color palette. And the Deborah fits in with that linear and simple look, which helps it maintain that minimalist, luxurious feel that it tries to go for.

I think so, too. But again, like, with the industrial one, they do, like, a lot of designs in them. Um, still very simple, but it does add a lot of that visual part of it. But it is still very minimal. But I'll say urban modern is more polished. Yeah. Industrial has that texture with the terracotta wall, the rustic wood, the leather.

Yeah, I agree. Mm-hmm. But overall, I do like this style because it is within my category of home decor style. It's in the neutral, it's minimalist, it's modern. Urban modern is not really the result I got, but I do like this style a lot. It does resonate a lot with me. It's a little darker, but, you know. Yeah, I totally see that, especially with the color palette.

Yes. I feel like it's more you. I would say something that I do like about it, too- Mm-hmm ... is probably how much emphasis it puts on art. I love wall decor. If it's art or shelves or anything, I really, really like it, so that's something I really like about this one. Though something I don't like about it is how many man-made materials it use.

I feel like this is one style- Mm-hmm ... that it not very much a balance. Definitely. That's true. It leans more towards man-made materials- Mm-hmm. It does ... with the metals and the fabrics, the glass. It's very polished, too, which I'm not a big fan of. I don't like how unpolished industrial is, but this is too polished for me.

It... The two extremes, I would say, yes. Yeah. I do like how polished this one is, though the overall feel is too luxurious for me. Mm-hmm. I do like a space that feels more cozy and homey. Yeah. I might not feel comfortable in this home decor style per se, just because it's, like, too luxurious. I would feel scared every day if I break something or ruin something.

Yeah. If you're trying to bring this style- Mm, mm-hmm ... into your home, you want that polished floor, those polished tables. Even just something as simple as adding curated art. Go thrifting. Yes. Go, uh, find a small artist somewhere. Y- you can definitely add that luxurious feel of, like, a one-of-a-kind piece of art or getting leather or velvet furniture to add- Yeah

that luxurious look to your home. Yeah, I think the fabrics is big for this one, too- That's true, yes ... because they do tend to like those- Mm-hmm ... more higher end things. And of course, the color palette, like the blacks and the whites. Maybe a grayish blue here and there. Yes. If I had a roommate or a significant other who liked this home decor style and would like to push it to be our living room or entire home decor style, because of the color palette, I think I can, yeah, I can do it.

Yeah, I would live here. For me, I wouldn't think so, because it is very cold- Oh ... I guess. And I know industrial is so modern, but this one's just mainly, mainly just modern. It is. So I feel like I would fight it a little bit. Yeah, it is a colder look, especially with that color palette of just being mainly, you know- Blacks and whites, yeah

black and whites, a little gray. It does lack on the coziness and warming feel- Yeah ... that homes typically tend to have. Like, I feel like I, I- Yeah ... if I lived in a house like this, I couldn't even sit down on the couch and, like, eat a little snack while I watch TV. I'd just be scared of, like, staining the sofa or something.

Yes, I, I have that same fear, but I think I would be able to deal with it if... Yeah. So we can wrap urban modern here. We've talked about how sophisticated it is and how the color palette is white, black, and gray. How the personality of the people is very, like, luxurious and art-curated individuals. Very hardworking.

Ah, yes, very- Very city folk ... hardworking, sleek. We mentioned how they l- prefer polished, like marble materials, and luxurious fabrics like leather, faux fur, and velvet With that, we are reaching the end of this episode. But before we close out this chapter, Val and I are going to rate these styles on our tier list.

We do want to disclose that we will be rating them according to our own personal preferences. So don't worry if you don't agree with our choices. There will be times that Val and I won't even agree with each other. So if you never heard of a tier list before, essentially it's a ranking system from best to worst, S being the top ranking, followed by A through F.

And for S rank, we will exclusively only leave four choices out of the 56 styles. Out of those four choices, Sue gets two, and I'll get the other two. And just to be clear, the order on the tier list does matter as it is placed within their tiers. Furthermore, for those of you listening in, we will have the tier list up on the screen, so if you wanna tune in and see the current standing of all the home decor styles we talked about previously, you can.

Other than that, let's get started with which one was our favorite? I think, I'm not sure if we're gonna agree, but I think my favorite out of these two was probably industrial. Yeah, I had a feeling you were going more for industrial. Yeah. I definitely did like urban modern more. Okay. I did like both of them a lot, though.

They're both modern, very pretty. But definitely urban modern was my favorite for this one. So let's get going with the tier list. Right now we have mid-century in B tier and Bauhaus in C tier. Let's start with industrial. Where do you see industrial right now on the list? I see it in B tier, but, but not before mid-century modern.

You would still leave mid-century modern above- Yeah ... industrial, right? Okay. So I, I think I can agree with that. Yeah, so, uh, mid-century modern, we'll leave it there, and we'll put behind it industrial home decor style. I know you don't like urban modern as much, so for now let's just leave it behind Bauhaus in C tier, and then as more home decor items come along, we'll start moving them around.

Okay. I agree with that. Yes, 'cause we'll see what we like. Yeah. We'll change it up, you guys. Don't worry if your style's too low. So we're set, and that will do it for this episode. Thank you to all our home decor lovers for listening in. Once again, I'm Sue. And I'm Val. And this was Design Meets Decor, brought to you by Naomi Home.

Make sure to follow us on YouTube, Transistor.fm, and wherever else podcasts are available so you don't miss any of our upcoming episodes. We hope you visit us again soon, and we'll see you next time.