One of the hallmarks of home styles today is the way elements are mixed together. Wood with metal, stone with glass, brick with brass, as well as other combinations, can work together. Metal that’s tarnished, faded, dented or worn is what’s most striking in industrial or rustic home designs – while polished chrome and shiny finishes are found in contemporary decor styles.

Rustic, industrial, eclectic, ’60s modern or early 20th century vintage have become today’s favorite home-interior designs because of the plethora of flea markets, antique fairs, swap meets, garage sales and secondhand stores that have attracted so many homeowners. Every collector/homemaker has had the freedom to put together a unique home design with each market treasure scored. In fact, to many of these flea market warriors, the more abused and time-worn the industrial, rustic or vintage piece appears, the better. Men and women both find the character of the imperfections in wood or metal pieces irresistible. Bold wooden furniture pieces can provide the charm of a room design and add a one–of–a-kind style with its imperfections. Perhaps most interestingly, this beaten up patina works well when placed next to a leather sofa or upholstered chair.

The wonderful aspects of industrial or modern furniture designs are the clean lines and lack of adornment of each furniture piece. Industrial or modern room styles are not accentuated with many accessories. The original graphic artwork found on a large metal sign looks fantastic by itself against an exposed brick wall. A table full of knick knacks is often found in an eclectic home style that combines artwork collections with vintage décor piece collections. However, a few décor accessories often work better as accents in any interior design, rather than the entire collection. So a vintage décor collection pared down to a few objects will provide a greater design impact. Often items that are simple in function and have a bold industrial or rustic look to them can be the most eye-catching.

Common design characteristics of both the rustic and industrial styles are the intricate designs of early metal machine parts that have often been repurposed into light fixtures, lamp bases, wall décor, table tops and room sculpture. To some, a connection to a past industrial or rural era evokes the design spirit of a purer or more simplistic time. The opposite is true of more contemporary styles. Instead of the patina of imperfections or age, a contemporary style will showcase the highly polished perfections of machine-age designs that evoke the desire for a shiny and perfect future.

Find design ideas online at www.LiveAuctioneers.com and at www.KindaChic.com.

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