There is something special about a room that feels like it has a history, and just gazing into a room that connects itself to the past provides a feeling that is difficult to beat.

This is part of the reason why modern farmhouse has consistently remained one of the most popular interior design styles of all time, but this historical connection also explains the rise of industrial-themed design styles over the past few years.

What happens when you bring the farm and the factory together? 

You get ‘rustic industrial’, two fantastic styles that work great together because, whilst they are so different in terms of details, they are both loved for exactly the same reason.

We have 15 years of experience working with industrial materials like scaffold boards, which we use to full effect in designing beautiful furniture - and the rustic industrial trend feels almost perfectly designed for us, certain to enjoy a particularly long shelf life!

If you want to harmonise your pastoral with your steampunk or have a home full of character you want to bring out to its fullest, here are some of our top tips to help you nail the rustic industrial look.

It goes without saying that the secret to both rustic and industrial design is truth to materials, and this kind of honesty is not only what we have built our entire range upon, but is the glue that holds the rustic industrial style together.

The entire point of the style is about celebrating the history of your building and your materials, so a set of shelves made from chunky reclaimed scaffold board make for a perfect statement that captures the uniqueness of your home and everything that makes it.

Beyond shelving, tables and chairs made from reclaimed and aged wood, metal plates and brackets, woven natural textiles and even elements of patina can give your room life and heritage.

The most beautiful aspect of rustic industrial, and one element we love in particular, is that it works best if your wooden elements do not match; the more types of wood with their knots and stories to tell, the more varied your room will look and the more comfortable it will feel within.

What makes rustic industrial such a wonderful interior design style to try is that you are free to mix the different vintage features with modern accoutrements, design elements and finishes.

For example, whilst our beautiful rustic coffee table is a perfect centrepiece, especially with Art Deco hairpin metal legs to match the rustic industrial aesthetic, you can pair this table with any sort of chairs you like.

Whether you want to go for simplistic Shaker-inspired architecture or a more post-modern armchair, you can make rustic industrial work for you by balancing the ratios of the different aesthetic elements however you want to mix them.

Industrial design styles rely heavily on celebrating the beauty of utility, so the best way to maximise your rustic industrial look is to strip away the wallpaper, carpets and facades and see what structural features you have to work with.

Every part of the room, from bare brick walls and hardwood floorboards to structural beams and even exposed pipes, all form part of the story of your room, and rustic industrial is all about bringing these elements to the forefront.

If you already live in a unique space, celebrate its individuality, but if you do not have that many structural elements or you live in a rented flat and cannot make substantial adjustments, we may have a solution for this too.

We have a wide range of cladding made from reclaimed scaffold board, but by far the best look for a rustic industrial finish is our range of scaff brick cladding, which you can affix to the wall to provide some extra rugged individuality. 

After all, a little bit of industrial flavour in the right places can often be enough with the right furnishings and fixtures, whilst stone effect vinyl flooring and even false pieces of pipe, used scaffold tubes and metalwork can complete the industrial style.

Given just how long we have worked with the materials we now use to make beautiful furniture, it is perhaps no surprise that we are fairly devout followers of the idea that form follows function.

Whilst the term is usually used to describe architecture and how a building’s design should reflect how it is used, we also like the idea of celebrating what a building or a room used to be through the design decisions we opt for.

This is especially important in a flat constructed from a warehouse, factory or other industrial building, as not only are there utilitarian elements that you can integrate into your design as discussed above, the shape of the room itself is often rather unique.

Take full advantage of this; maximise the space of an open plan mezzanine and add tables such as our narrow console tables next to the wall to create a large, inviting central space.

We obviously can help when it comes to adding some truly wonderful limited edition pieces of rustic industrial furniture, but the best way to succeed with the style is to go vintage.

Whether you head to car boot sales, surf online auctions for cheap and lovingly distressed pieces or rescue a sofa left on the side of the road (as long as you clean it first), the secret to rustic industrial design is mastering imperfection.

Not everything has to be a bric-a-brac special; if you have your heart set on a new chair or new desk, you can by all means add it to your room; after all, the key to rustic industrial comes in the mixing and matching of so many different design elements.

All interior design styles are ultimately completed by the tiny details, and whilst the other five points are focused on the central pieces of furniture, shelving, fixtures and fittings, adding throws, cushions, rugs, and an interesting array of shelving knick-knacks makes the room your own.