Our Industrial Minimalist Home

In November, we moved to our newly built home.  Don’t get me wrong, I am not, in anyway boasting about this family achievement, even when I am really overflowing with pride.  It is, after all, a small home, one that is just right for my small family:  me, the husband and the son. And we call it, The Grey House, our Industrial Minimalist Home.

What I am proud of is the fact that we were able to get through, God-knows-how-much struggle to get our ***es to this point.  You would not believe me when I tell you that it has been a whopping 11-year process, the last 3 years being the most painful of all!

They say that all things happen for a reason.  After painstakingly getting here, I thought about what reason could have possibly prolonged us.  Playfully noodling about it, I felt a possible answer. Maybe it all happened, so that I would know what I really wanted and be really happy about it.

Looking back, I was not in touch with what I want my house to look like.  I would be satisfied with any space that has a roof, walls and floor. But after renting for 11 years, watching reality TV shows about real estate, staging and interior design, and considering our financial and domestic capacities and preferences, I have never been more sure, that I wanted an Industrial Minimalist Design for our home.

How did I come up with this Industrial Minimalist Theme?

Unlike many others, I did not browse through magazines or watch interior-design shows, aiming to choose what I wanted.  I simply went through our belongings we gathered through the years and thought of how I wanted to store or display them, unconsciously at that!  When we purchased the lot and starting to apply for a construction loan, I decided to start rummaging so we can get rid of things we would not want to bring in the new house.  Yeah, when I am so into something, I tend to plan and start reaaaallly early.  I, then learned that I was fond of things made of metal, skeleton exposed and unfinished wooden pieces. That was how I decided I wanted to go industrial and minimalist.  We thought we could save some money, too!

Industrial Design

This design has been in trend in the recent years, not only in house designs but even in big events like weddings and birthday parties.  Caterers and stylists would bring in crates of different sizes, slightly stained brass trinkets and roughly finished wooden pieces.  I love them all! Not really am I into elegant, Victorian, all-coiffed styles even with myself.  I wear non-pressed shirts, I fix my hair in a semi-kempt way and I don’t like donning very clean shoes!  Shoes should be a little dirty so they match the ground they are always on.  I will let you in on a secret, I actually step on my own new shoes the first time I wear them outside.  So I think this industrial feel is really me!

According to decoraid.com, Industrial style refers to frill and fuss-free no-nonsense décor that takes inspiration from the lofty look of warehouses, factories and other industrial structures.  It includes the use of bare bricks, metal and wood, as well as, salvaged and recycled materials.

Minimalist Style

I have not finished dreaming of the minimalist design since I know I have a long way of achieving it in our home.  Aside from our humble-size space, the tad hoarding skills of the husband is also not helping me a lot.  The son is also in grade school, owing to the bulk of board games and Lego blocks that he has to own at the moment. And I, as an OT/teacher have a lot of paper handouts, books, craft materials and whatnots of my own.

Elledecor.com states that minimalism’s concept is about clean lines, reductive, uncluttered, monochromatic, simplicity, and “less is more.”   Clean, monochromatic and simple, these are all I want but the word “uncluttered” seems to be staring straight at me right now.

I am virtually opening our doors to you, so you can take a peek at some of our home’s industrial and minimalist details.

Concrete flooring

Bare bricks and concrete finish are the superstars of industrial design.  While some industrial-choosing people had the real concrete finish made in their homes, we opted for concrete-looking tiles that is smooth and slightly glossy.  They were also not as pricey as the concrete-finish formula.  This would also prevent us from incurring repairs of concrete cracks and ease of cleaning.

Monochromatic colors

Both our exterior and interior’s color palette consist of white, black, grey and neutral (wood).  This gives the vibe of minimalism.  To veer away from cold and lifeless feel, we have accent colors such as blue, green and red, from accessories like dining chairs, pillow cases, containers and other decorative knick knacks, found through the house. 

Geometric shapes

Also shouting minimalistic, the grills for our sliding door in the lanai and windows show this square-rectangle pattern that I love.  Our metal stair railing ironically stands out with its diagonal grills arrangement.  I have also inserted a large grey-white striped accent wall, which I imitated from my favorite shirt.

Metal, steel and iron

In direct contrast to the white, the black steel frame drop lights give the spaces elegance while being true to the industrial and minimalist theme.

The steel shelves provide storage for the male dwellers’ collection in this house.

I made sure, iron-wrought items are also represented well in the kitchen.

Metal and wood

Our work bar, the back barn door, the dining table, and the stair case exudes a complimentary mix of modernism and natural elements while remaining in the heart of industrial design.

Rustic DIYs

Because of limited budget, we were forced to create additional storage we can use.  Luckily, the style we chose does not require clean and neat surfaces and lines.  Our works of art, slips through to the rustic vibe. Click here to see one of our major DIYs, the Star Wars Accent Kitchen Drawer.

I hope you enjoyed this virtual tour to the industrial details of our home.  It would have, honestly, taken you the same time to go on a face-to-face tour.