light mango wood industrial style coffee table with metal frame

The rise of chunky industrial style Furniture

Industrial style furniture is a relatively new trend , it first started to emerge during the late 2000’s, at first primarily within commercial settings such bars ,  restaurants , cafes and coffee houses.  With fit outs exposing pipes and raw brick work on the walls, with bars made from up-cycled or re-claimed materials. The concept originally had some great advantages for the owners in that it was a great deal less costly to re-fit their premises and it boosted their green credentials within public perception by using recycled and re-claimed materials. This inevitably led the way to the use of recycled and re-claimed interior furnishings within these type of new predominately urban commercial establishments.

The natural colour palette featuring grey’s, neutrals and rustic colours also allowed designers to add vibrant colours with the furniture and soft furnishings and some very elaborate interior lighting ideas. Hence the creation and development of the vintage style filament light bulbs helping to create a warm industrial look and feel. Also having the walls a natural colour helps to achieve an illusion that there is more space in these urban premises particularly in lofts  and other reused warehouses.

There are many cultures and societies around the globe that still cannot truly grasp the concept of urban shabby chic, and cannot appreciate the idea of rustic charm. Indeed many of these cultures and societies see it as being old and invaluable dirty even. The concept of urban industrial style for interior design is paramount in Europe, although is making head roads into the US, it will still be sometime before the concept will be grasped in the Far East and South America. Maybe this is perhaps due to the fact that these areas are the newly developed areas and consider new and shiny to show opulence , wealth and status.

As the time goes by, as human beings that inhabit this planet of ours, we will come to realise that we have to have a long-term sustainable strategy, more and more of the old consumer led way of thinking will disappear into the archives of history. As we embrace new ideas of recycling, repairing and sustaining our environment. If you have ever visited a museum and looked upon household consumer products of the past mainly from the 20th century, do you notice that they were built to last many many more years than their modern counterparts. This is also true with the industrial style furniture that has been developed since late 2000’s. It is very robust and durable, Vet  easy to maintain by its owner and user, indeed some might even argue it actually looks better with age.

 

Another great advantage of industrial style furniture is the optical illusion it creates that there is more space than there actually is. Take a look at the pictures above of these to nests of tables from our catalogue, you’ll notice that the one on the left is a traditional style made entirely of wood, and the one on the right is of an industrial style made of a mix of wood and iron.  As you will note the industrial one on the right clearly allows you to be able to see more of the floor and wall underneath and behind it. Where as the traditional one on the left obscures most of the floor and walls. Therefore industrial type of furniture gives the user the  illusion that there is more space in their home without compromising the strength or integrity of the furniture itself. Therefore the rise in popularity of this industrial type of furniture is predominantly because space has become more valuable and less available as we try to build the homes that are required for the rising number people who need them.

This is also true with commercial premises. As mentioned earlier, they obviously do not need to be painted every few years because a stain on the wall here and there will all add to the rustic charm.

solid light mango wood dining table

We can take it a step further take a look at this traditional style light mango wood dining table with chairs. The table and chairs are still durable still easily maintainable by the user but need space around them in order for it to look its best.

By contrast this Industrial style dining suite from my catalogue picture below will still look fantastic even in a really tight space, because the user can clearly see the floor and walls around it.

Industrial style large 175 cm light mango wood dining table with meta stand

Therefore it is clear to understand that the rise of industrial style furniture is a great benefit to all people living in urban environments where space is hard to find, as many developers try to utilise every single space available to turn them into desirable living spaces. There are situations where lofts have been converted into dwellings, there are situations where indeed excavations have taken place and people have gone down below ground level and created natural light through skylights and other innovative solutions.

What is fundamentally key here to understand is that our desire to have a natural environment in an urban setting within our homes.  This is where wood comes into its own as being one of the oldest materials ever used to create furniture in which to make use of. Wood is  both durable and sustainable as it never stops growing and never stops reproducing; it is also very easy to manipulate and easy to work with. Therefore, adding wood into one’s home provides the feeling of bringing the outside inside. Studies have also shown that this is very very good for our mental health as we spend a great deal of our time within our homes. Our homes are our sanctuaries, our places of refuge;  adding natural items into one’s home has been found to keep you connected to the roots of your ancient ancestors who were by definition predominantly nomadic and lived outside utilising every bit of the natural world they could to their advantage.

One of the finest examples of this is this chunky solid wood industrial style dining table:

Contemporary Solid Wood Industrial Style Dining Table

 

Manufactured to the highest possible standards by hand , by master craftsman, it uses a solid chunky whole piece of acacia hardwood trunk,  with literally just the bark removed on either side. The heavy  weight of the top of this table is adequately supported by very strong iron legs manufactured in an X Configuration for ultimate durability and strength.  The unique selling point of this piece of furniture is every single piece is different and unique because of the edges the natural knots where the branches once protruded from the trunk. The amazing grain variations and colours of the wood will add a warmth and natural feel to your living space. Again being able to see the floor beneath the table and benches would also give the feeling of more space without compromising in comfort or design. They are easily maintainable, just use quality tung oil to nurture the wood and Briwax to maintain the finish. The versatility of this dining table it’s by far one of the greatest I have yet seen.

We have delivered them into ultra modern and minimalist of settings within apartments on the Sandbanks peninsula . We have also delivered them out into the New Forest, it’s a very old quaint cottage that has a much more traditional feel. In both situations these tables are a great compliment to the rooms where they are situ.

As we move into the new post Covid world of sustainability and renewable energy and a greener less consumer related  society, we will continue to ensure that all of the wood used within the production of our furniture ranges is ethically sourced and sustainable and meets with the highest forestry standard council FSC approvals.  We continue to look for ways in which to develop the industrial style of furniture with new innovative ways of engineering the stability needed for the support of the wood.

solid acacia wood chunky industrial style dining table and bench set

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, we hope one day to meet you at  your lovely homes, like we did with Mr & Mrs Malakowoski from Christchurch when we delivered their beautiful industrial style dining table and bench set.

Love Scape xxx

 

 

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