Industrial Bathroom Design (2024)

Category: Interior Inspiration

Posted by Tom Drake on16th February 2021

Industrial Bathroom Design (6)

The industrial design philosophy began in New York in the 1950s and swiftly made its way to the home kitchen. Now, industrial design has found a new base for inspiration in the bathroom.

Industrial bathroom design has a focus on strong, tough materials. Think less sleek chrome, more brass, copper or steel. If you're going to include any other materials such as wood, think aged woods with a slightly tarnished look. Industrial design will often feature a contrast of light and dark fixtures and fittings, perhaps white wood with black tiling, or metals contrasting with wood floors.

Soft industrial

As the industrial look can be quite harsh, many people will opt for a soft industrial style. This involves taking some of the characteristics of an industrial bathroom, but using them in a toned-down way. A bare brick wall might be too much for a lot of people, but it's easier to get on board with a darker design style and brushed metallic taps.

Bare brick wall

A staple of the industrial interior is the bare brick wall. This will really give your home that New York loft apartment look, synonymous with industrial style. We wouldn't recommend having all your bathroom walls in bare brick, just one, potentially the exterior wall as in the bathroom below, will be enough.

Industrial Bathroom Design (7)

Grey

Grey is a colour which has seen a huge increase in popularity over the last couple of years and it's a colour perfectly suited to industrial bathroom design. When looking to add grey into your industrial bathroom, look for darker grey tones, or as in the image below, add greys with a slightly ‘rougher’ texture. Choosing modern, sleek grey fixtures and finishes isn’t going to give you that industrial aesthetic you’re looking for.

Industrial Bathroom Design (8)

Black frame shower screens

Alongside grey, black bathroom fixtures and fittings have seen a recent surge in popularity. Luckily, this colour is perfect for your industrial bathroom so you’re going to have lots of options. We recommend ablack frame shower screen. These have the same aesthetic as the old windows in a New York apartment (think Monica's apartment in Friends), giving your shower that slightly rustic look.

Open shelving

The industrial bathroom is all about moving away from sleek, built in furniture and embracing a slightly more rustic, chaotic design style. One easy way to get this look is fitting open shelving to hold all your bathroom essentials. If you want to go one step further, refurbish an old piece of wood and install your shelves using steel tubing.

Industrial Bathroom Design (9)

Subway tiles

Subway tiles, given their name due to their similarity to tiles used in stations across the world, are becoming an increasingly popular choice in homes. These are ideal for anyone who wants to embrace the industrial look in a subtle way.

Industrial Bathroom Design (10)

Copper & brass

Metals are a staple of industrial style, but getting the right type is crucial. Sleek, shiny metals such as chrome won’t give you the raw look needed for an industrial bathroom, which is why we recommend copper and brushed brass finishes for your taps and shower fixtures. Both of these finishes have a much more rustic look and will add a different shade of colour to a room which could otherwise be quite dark.

Copper pipework

Although you will usually find it in your heating system, we’re seeing more people use copper pipes in ingenious ways. Whether it’s a handy robe hook or the towel holder in the image below, it’s these small touches that can really help to complete the look of your industrial design.

Industrial Bathroom Design (11)

Ceiling hung lighting

If you want to give your bathroom lighting an industrial flavour, ditch the built in lights and go for lighting hung by wires from the ceiling. Whether this is just a bulb or a metal lampshade, it's an easy way to move from a classic built in bathroom in favour of the slightly more chaotic industrial style.

Industrial Bathroom Design (12)

Concrete vanity units

Aside from metal, there are few materials more synonymous with industrial design than concrete. Once a material only found on construction sites, more recently its unique textures and strong aesthetic have been introduced into homes. At Drench, we have a great selection of concrete vanity units which will help you introduce concrete into your bathroom without the huge costs involved in poured concrete furniture.

Wash stands

If a concrete vanity unit isn’t for you, then we recommend a washstand basin. The exposed metal gives the open, non-fitted look seen in many industrial bathrooms. These are also ideal for anyone who wants to create an industrial bathroom with a more traditional feel.

Dark & aged woods

Although we love industrial design, it can sometimes feel quite cold and clinical. One way to add an organic touch whilst keeping the same design style is the use of darker or aged woods. These will give your bathroom a more rustic look and the texture of the wood will be a welcome change from the darker and metallic materials in the rest of the bathroom. We've mentioned darker and aged woods as this is crucial for the industrial look, with lighter woods such as pine being too modern.

Industrial Bathroom Design (13)

That concludes our guide to industrial bathroom design. Whether you want to go all out or just have some smaller industrial touches, we have a fantastic selection of vanity units, showers, taps and heated towel rails for you to choose from.

Industrial Bathroom Design (14)

Tom Drake

Tom is passionate about writing content to help people improve their homes. Whether it’s installing a new tap or choosing the right toilet, he’s here to help our customers make the right choices and solve their DIY conundrums. He’s also a dab hand at interior design and loves keeping up with the latest bathroom trends and new technologies. When he’s not writing for Drench, you’ll usually find Tom cycling or out on the football pitch.

Read more articles by Tom Drake

Share me

Be the first to hear

Thanks for subscribing

Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest discounts, exclusive updates and design inspiration straight to your inbox:

Check your inbox for some exclusive content, just for you.

Get social with us

You might also like

  • Read about The 5 Top Bathroom Trends to Try in 2024 as Chosen by our In House Designer

    The 5 Top Bathroom Trends to Try in 2024 as Chosen by our In House Designer

    Looking for bathroom inspiration? We asked our design expert to lift the lid on her predictions for 2024's hottest bathroom trends.

    Posted byNancy EmeryView more blog posts in the category Interior Inspiration

    Posted on 31st January 2024

    4 Min Read

  • Read about Can You Put a Freestanding Bath in a Small Bathroom?

    Can You Put a Freestanding Bath in a Small Bathroom?

    Love the elegance and style of a freestanding bath but wondering if you can have one in a small bathroom? Here’s everything you need to know.

    Posted byDominic Lees-BellView more blog posts in the category Interior Inspiration

    Posted on 31st August 2023

    6 Min Read

  • Read about 7 Beautiful Bath Panel Ideas

    7 Beautiful Bath Panel Ideas

    Whether you're looking to revamp your bath panel or looking for ideas on how to style one, our expert guide is full of inspiration.

    Posted byDominic Lees-BellView more blog posts in the category Interior Inspiration

    Posted on 11th July 2023

    5 Min Read

Industrial Bathroom Design (2024)

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Rubie Ullrich

Last Updated:

Views: 6366

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (72 voted)

Reviews: 95% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Rubie Ullrich

Birthday: 1998-02-02

Address: 743 Stoltenberg Center, Genovevaville, NJ 59925-3119

Phone: +2202978377583

Job: Administration Engineer

Hobby: Surfing, Sailing, Listening to music, Web surfing, Kitesurfing, Geocaching, Backpacking

Introduction: My name is Rubie Ullrich, I am a enthusiastic, perfect, tender, vivacious, talented, famous, delightful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.