In today’s creative society, many concepts and styles have come and go over the last couple of millenniums – From the classics that has stuck around to this very day and some that had a spark of recognition, and then thrown back into the dark, and others that though no longer in use, left a historic mark that continues to awe many people with its unique and beautiful background. But today, we, the team of VMG Work are going to focus on 2 relatively young concept designs that has their fair share of history in the last couple of century: Industrial design and modern design. We’ll talk about the differences between these two home concepts and what makes them unique in their own respective styles.
DEFINING THEIR CONCEPT
Industrial is as simple as it can be: A design defined by architectural elements within a single space. While other styles are created to hide piping, raw structures and ductwork that were deemed unpleasant to the eye, industrial embraces those elements instead, making these raw sightings a focal point in their style. Industrial design is raw, a near unfinished and uncluttered design that provides a welcoming and casual atmosphere that’s relaxing to live in one’s home.
Modern design on the other hand, is the exact opposite from industrial. Modern emphasises a variety of versatile incarnations, making the design itself difficult to define. In simple terms, it is defined as the reflection of modern art on the interiors of a home but carries a versatile characteristics and themes seen throughout its design. While modern design has no clear definition, its lengthy list could be described in parts as its definition.
THEIR HISTORY
Modern design is something that most of us are more familiar with, and a popular concept that has been around since the early to mid-20th century. The style’s originated from a movement towards modernism at the turn of the century, where the mid-century design and post-modern design evolved from it with the idea that “Modern” is the new future in the design world during the early mid-century.
Industrial design has a relatively longer history as compared to modern design, a design concept inspired from the rapid building of factories during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The idea of buildings, abandoned overtime when the focus of workplaces shifted overtime, comprised of raw materials like bricks and steel, designed to last for years or centuries even – has transformed these abandoned buildings into aesthetic living spaces and created an entirely new interior inspiration that still inspires designers today.
THEIR COLOR PALETTES
Industrial design has a simple color palette as compared to modern: Heavily focusing on neutral, close to monochromatic and heavily accented on the characteristics of building materials – Gray tones are the perfect go-to tones for this style. The use of accent colors are possible, although designers would suggest using it sparingly either to give the room a fresh look, or stick to raw tones like rust or wood to maintain the clean industrial aesthetic look.
In contrast to industrial, modern design also focuses on using neutral colors and shades of black and white, but it does incorporate colors – Often bold, primary colors as accents to break up the neutrals and provide focal points. Where industrial goes for the ‘raw’ look, modern opts for the clean, sharp and straight lines even with contrasting textures and patterns. Think of minimalism colors in a room, but with a sparing, bold pop of colors in a furniture, or a décor added here and there.
DESIGN AND DECOR
Both styles has similar approaches in terms of design and décor – Minimal, subtle and sparing use of bold colors outside their main palette. But when we go into the deep details of it, that is where we see a comparing difference between their unique way of using design and styles even if combined with other styles.
Industrial focuses on one main subject – Raw, neutral and monochromatic. Meaning furniture made from wood, iron or steel like coffee tables with casters, or wire baskets is their ideal kind of furniture. You can also throw in some plants to give a fresh look to the space while adding colors. Modern likes the clean, crisp and sharp lines, so furniture made from chrome or stainless steel – Polished metals like steel window frames, or a glass table with a metal frame plays an important role in modern design.
IDEAL ROOMS
Quite honestly, you can use both styles in any part of your home – You’re not confined to use them in specific areas just because an expert or someone with a deep fashion knowledge says so. A true designer would provide you suggestions, or strategies that caters to your ideas, and plan accordingly to produce the ideal room of your choice. But like many of us, we will acknowledge that both industrial and modern design have their share of ideal rooms where their styles are best illustrated.
Many homeowners would agree that modern design are more commonly used in areas where you’d want to present a beautiful room to guests that is clean and spacious – So places like the living room, dining room and the entertainment room are some of the more commonly ideal rooms. Industrial design on the other hand, are opt for those who wants a very raw, warm and welcoming place, so areas like the bedroom, living room and the kitchen are some of the top picks as the ideal rooms.
And with this, concludes our talk about the differences between industrial and modern designs. We hope that this covers and answers all of your questions about these two designs, and provide you a better in-depth on their history and purpose in style. In the end, VMG Work only aims to provide you the best design and style selections to create the perfect home for you.