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The Industrial Kitchen
Do you like a sleek yet tough looking kitchen? Then an industrial kitchen is best suited to you. You don’t have to take anything into account when picking out items, so you can have fun combining the materials that go with this type of kitchen with your own unique taste.
Read on to find out more about this kitchen style and our tips to get you started.
What Is An Industrial Kitchen?
An industrial kitchen is best described as a kitchen of controlled unfinished chaos. It involves an interplay of materials and colors that has been so well thought out that what you have learned to consider unfinished still fits perfectly into the picture you see.
Because of this imperfect perfect kitchen style, you start to appreciate again the beauty of, for example, bricks and wood that is not 100 percent worked, because of the atmosphere that it creates in the kitchen.
Features Of An Industrial Kitchen
An industrial style kitchen may conjure up the image of your school canteen or the kitchen in a factory or restaurant. These are spacious, with visible piping while especially the walls often look tough. The same applies to a kitchen in this style in normal households.
After all, the distinctive feature of an industrial kitchen style is that as soon as you see it you wonder why a certain wall is not plastered, for example, and whether that supporting beam above the cooktop actually belongs there. However, if you take a step back to take in the overall picture of such a kitchen, you’ll admit right away that the picture is absolutely right.
Probably you recognize the personal preferences of the inhabitants of this house right away. Industrial kitchens give you the opportunity to combine them in a creative way.
It is often spacious, open kitchens where natural stone, wood, concrete and stainless steel objects integrate with each other. Unlike modern kitchens where everything is as much as possible out of sight and built in, in a kitchen of this type your appliances can be seen. And your nicest pots, pans and other cooking utensils may be visibly displayed on a shelf or in an open cabinet.
The typical colors of and in an industrial kitchen are gray, black and dark blue or green, colors that form a nice contrast with the materials you choose.
What style of living can you combine an industrial kitchen with?
An industrial kitchen can be integrated within almost any living style due to the fact that the material is key to this design. However, this kitchen stands out more in the classic style of living, Scandinavian style of living and of course the industrial style of living. In a rural living style or minimalist living style, this kitchen style does not fit as well.
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You can, for example, extend the industrial character of your kitchen into an adjoining living room by using a brick wall there as well. You can also use the same type of weathered or raw wood in the other parts of your home, optically creating overlaps between the different rooms.
The Materials: Concrete And (Weathered) Wood
To recreate the look and feel of a factory, the materials of concrete and wood are great. These materials have been used for centuries in construction, including in the setting up of the very first factories. Hence, they are a good basis for creating this style in your kitchen. Especially if the surfaces of these materials are raw or weathered, you can join this kitchen trend right away.
Now we are aware that you have made sure, for example, that your walls always have a fresh coat of paint. This is especially the case if you previously opted for a different style of living, such as modern.
Fortunately, if you’re handy and patient, you can get to work yourself ageing, for example, the cabinet doors, your wooden chairs and dining table, a wooden wall or the shelves in your kitchen. To this end, we give you three examples in the next paragraph.
Ageing Wood: Three Techniques
There are several techniques by which you can give wood an aged, weathered look. For example, you can:
– go to work with paint and sandpaper. In this technique, you are going to mimic the fact that, for example, the shelf has already been painted several times. You will need at least two colors of paint and different textures of sandpaper. First, sand the shelf. After this, paint it. Let the layer of paint dry, sand it again and paint over it with your second color. Repeat this process until you are satisfied with the result;
– The Vaseline trick: In this technique you apply Vaseline to certain spots of the board before painting and possibly sanding it. After painting, you remove the paint with a cloth, after which you will find that it has only adhered to the areas you did not grease with petroleum jelly;
– Steel wool soaked in vinegar
You definitely have both at home which means you don’t have to go to the store first to give a weathered wood look to one of your cabinet doors. However, you will have to leave the steel wool in a sealed jar with vinegar for at least four days before you can get started. In the meantime, you can remove any layers of paint from the door and sand it down. You apply the solution with a brush which will create the desired effect.
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In addition to these three techniques, you can also stain the wood in your kitchen or deliberately damage it in a few spots with a hammer, other hard object or fire.
Customizing your Concrete Kitchen Wall
You can modify your concrete wall by removing the paint layer with a stripper. In addition, you can give it a coarser look with textured paint and a textured paint roller. In that case, choose dark colors (green, blue and gray or black)
for that authentic industrial atmosphere in your kitchen.
Don’t forget Brick
If your wall is made of brick then feel free to leave it as it is for this purpose. If you would like a brick wall without having to demolish existing walls, you can choose to wallpaper it with wallpaper with a brick print.
Which Flooring to Combine with your industrial kitchen
You can combine the above materials as you see fit in your ceiling, wall or worktop. But also by adapting your floor you will succeed in creating the industrial kitchen of your dreams. A concrete floor lends itself perfectly to this purpose as does one made of wood. You can be rigorous and replace existing tiles with tiles with a concrete or wood look, or look for a rug with, for example, a concrete look. In the latter case, you can easily make changes to your kitchen style again over time.
Appliances In The Industrial Kitchen
Stainless steel also belongs in an industrial kitchen. You can start by making existing metal pipes part of the interior of your kitchen. Next, purchase kitchen appliances made of stainless steel, where it is not a problem if they look robust. Retro appliances will also do well in your new kitchen style. As mentioned earlier, in this kitchen style you may display your stuff ten. A perfect reason to give your favorite soup spoon, pots and pans made of steel a prominent place in your kitchen. The kitchen faucet is also a good option for incorporating this material into your kitchen. Also, decorate your kitchen with a fake steel object made of wood, the procedure of which you can see here.
What Lighting to pick?
Another determining factor for an industrial atmosphere in your kitchen is the lighting. You probably know that fluorescent tubes were mostly used in factories. However, these are dwarfed by the other model lights that provide light for such an environment.
These old-fashioned looking lamps are the real mood creators in your industrial kitchen, making it worthwhile to invest in them. But also modern robust lamps made of metal look beautiful in this type of kitchen Attach or place them in a strategic place in your kitchen and enjoy the result afterwards.
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Prices: Industrial Kitchen
How much you will end up paying for your industrial kitchen depends entirely on:
– The construction of your current kitchen, because it will be the basis for the modifications you may have to make. For example, the transformation from a sleek closed modern kitchen to your new industrial kitchen style will cost more than if you already own a country style one;
– the dimensions of your kitchen;
– your ability to do DIY: for example, can you update your wall with your brick print wallpaper yourself or do you need to hire someone to do it? Do you like to paint or do you just have two left hands which would make you prefer to outsource this project to a professional?
– the new retro or non retro elements you want to add to your kitchen; and
– Whether you want to finish your industrial kitchen all at once or make it a phased project in which you tackle a different part each month, for example.
All these aspects determine the final price you will have to pay for your dream industrial kitchen.
If you want to outsource the entire process to a professional, you can make a choice and request a quote.
If not, the following step-by-step plan may be of help to you.
Steps to create an industrial atmosphere in your kitchen
1. Get inspiration through pinterest, google search, youtube. Do you know people in your network with an industrial kitchen ask them if you can take a look in it;
2. Write down not only what you like about the kitchens you look at but also what you definitely do not need in there. Of course involve the rest of your family in this orientation as well;
3. Go over what you already have in your kitchen and determine what items you can use for customizing your kitchen. Also make a list of things you can get rid of and find a use for them;
4. Determine which parts of your project you will outsource and which you will not. Take your budget into account;
5. Ask for quotations;
6. If your kitchen will be changed by a professional, he will start work on the agreed date. If you are doing it yourself with the help of others then it is time to remove everything you will no longer use from your kitchen;
7. Go shopping and buy the things you need for the project. Think paint, sandpaper, rollers and brushes, wallpaper, a new rug, your new lamps and faucet and other kitchen appliances;
8. Make a plan of action. In doing so, set aside enough time for all parts of the project;
9. Enjoy the end result!
We hope you enjoy your new kitchen!