Industrial Chic

To understand the latest home decorating design trend called “Industrial Chic” we are first going to look at a design trend from the past “shabby chic.” Shabby chic design evolved from the good old days when things were made to last and passed from generation to generation. The scratches and dings that where acquired along the way served as a loving reminder of past family gatherings, and helped us maintain a connection to our past.

To understand the latest home decorating design trend called “Industrial Chic” we are first going to look at a design trend from the past “shabby chic.” Shabby chic design evolved from the good old days when things were made to last and passed from generation to generation. The scratches and dings that where acquired along the way served as a loving reminder of past family gatherings, and helped us maintain a connection to our past.

In those days it was not uncommon for people to have considerable amounts of furniture, tools, and items not just from their parent's time but even from their grandparents'. Items of use were passed down, repaired if broken, and overall, the past was valued. That contrasts starkly with today's world of throwing away things after a few years with everything favouring a shiny, new look.

Shabby chic can be thought of as a revolt against the trend toward disposable items brought about by the modern manufacturing age. Instead of buying cheap items that must be replaced often, people have gone back to the past, buying high quality heritage items. The shabby chic trend celebrates the idea that a few scratches and dings actually add character to an item, giving it the flavor of the past. High quality items age with character instead of just breaking. Shabby chic items are expected to look historical with lots of wood, dings, and worn edges.

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The shabby chic fashion trend has been around for quite some time, but recently, a new trend has grown up from it that is sometimes known as industrial chic. Industrial chic design is similar to shabby chic but it has more of an emphasis on metal and an industrial look. Think of industrial chic as the mating of shabby chic with the 'steampunk' look.

Steampunk is an effort to replicate the look of the Victorian machine age technology as it would hypothetically look if carried somewhat unaltered into the current times. With steampunk, expect to see lots of cogs and gears, copper and brass pipes, pressure gauges, and leather!

Born from a combination of shabby chic and steampunk trends, the industrial chic look celebrates the ingenuity, creativity, and flexibility of the human mind to create something new and useful out of something old and abandoned. The industrial chic design is a new and upcoming design trend that should not be missed.