Living Room Style Battle: Contemporary vs Industrial

Living rooms are often the focal point of modern homes, and organizing this space is so much more than picking the best furniture and the most eye-catching décor. It’s about designing a space where you can spend time with your family, relax after a long day at the office and entertain your guests. However, there are lots of decorating styles and ideas people like to use and finding the perfect balance between different ideas recommended by famous designers and your personal wishes and desires isn’t easy. The biggest battle in the world of living room decorating at the moment is between the contemporary and industrial style, as these are two options people seem to prefer the most this year, so here’s why each of these might suit your home and how you can determine which one fits your own decorating style better.

The contemporary style

The contemporary design style is all about combining warm colors, comfortable furniture, modern décor and natural elements that create a nice flow in your living room and make it more inviting, cozy and enjoyable. This is supposed to be the space of comfort and peace, so your style has to reflect these concepts too, and that’s only possible with a great combination of colors, layers, textures, materials and patterns that the contemporary style offers.

Keep in mind that contemporary style doesn’t deny the existence of traditional style – on the contrary, it accepts it for what it is, but also tries to upgrade and update it. That’s why everyone who has some free time, a couple of spare dollars and a rich imagination can easily freshen up their traditional furniture and bring in a new dose of elegance into their living space. In the end, contemporary style is perfect for people who love simple yet elegant furniture, aren’t afraid of bold and dark colors, and enjoy environmentally-safe, sustainable décor made from reclaimed materials and second-hand resources.

The industrial style

Unlike the contemporary living rooms you can see in lots of homes in every corner of the world, the industrial style isn’t as common, despite being equally popular. The reason for this is quite simple: it’s just not for everyone! In spite of that, its high ceilings, unfinished walls, unusual flooring, exposed piping, almost steampunk wallpapers and simple layout is highly appealing to certain people, and these are the individuals that take industrial style to a whole new level by personalizing it and adding items in accordance with their own style. That’s the reason why you can see lots of framed photos, decorative and cozy floor rugs in different shapes and sizes, as well as unusual travel memorabilia displayed all around an industrial living room.

When it comes to materials, such a living room has to include lots of wood, concrete, stone and glass, and it’s even better if these are recycled and reclaimed. These materials also dictate a predominant color scheme, so tones like grey, green, brown and even black are perfect for this kind of a setup, especially in a living room that has huge windows and lots of natural light coming through. Nevertheless, it’s important not to clutter your living space, so stick to just a couple of pieces of furniture – a sofa, a coffee table and a bookcase are going to be quite enough.

What do the designers recommend?

Interior decorating styles and trends are constantly changing, and you really have to dedicate all of your time and patience if you want to stay updated and informed. When it comes to deciding on whether you should pick the contemporary or industrial style, the designers are surprisingly united in saying that you should opt for whichever style you want, as long as it’s consistent in every corner of your living room. While this recommendation is something most of them agree on, there are a few exceptions to this rule.

Certain designers, for instance, aren’t afraid of exploring previously unexplored options of the industrial style and thinking outside the box makes them realize how adaptive and versatile it really is. That’s why they can come up with a number of different designs for your living room and cover literally all the wishes and desires you’ve ever had in your mind – from eclectic furniture to unusual décor, and everything in between.

The designers who prefer contemporary style, though, are primarily concerned with adding as much coziness and warmth into your living room, so they explore new materials and try to combine new colors into creating inviting and intriguing patterns on your walls and furniture. They also love simplifying things and bringing out their essence, which is why the contemporary style often repeats the design trends that were popular in the past but tries to update them and introduce them to the 21st century.

How to choose?

Choosing between these two styles is easy – they differ in a number of aspects and picking which one you love more shouldn’t be that hard. First, you need to define your style and learn what works best for you, and only then make the decision. Of course, you can always come up with your own personal mixture and combine elements from both of these styles by identifying the features that appeal to you the most and blending them together naturally and seamlessly.

Deciding which style you’re going to use in your living is never an easy decision and definitely not one you should make hastily and without thinking it over. Yes, you can always redecorate your living space and turn it into something new, but that could be really costly and unnecessarily complicated, so, before you make a decision, talk to people with more experiences – contractors, architects, interior designers and even your friends who have decorated their living rooms in one of these styles can be of great help pointing out the positive and negative sides you might not have noticed on your own. In the end, it’s up to you, so pick a style that suits you, your personality and the preferences of your family.