Industrial wallpaper

Industrial wallpaper draws its strength from the raw and unfinished: the weathered concrete wall of an old factory, brickwork that has seen years of use, sheet steel touched with rust. The style brings the atmosphere of lofts and converted warehouses indoors, only without the dust and the building site. At Selected Wallpapers you can see how convincing that illusion has become: the print follows the unevenness of real concrete, the shadow in the joints reads true, and the colour fades exactly as aged metal does.

What makes industrial wallpaper so recognisable

The style is all about material that visibly carries its age. Concrete effect is its best-known guise, with cool grey tones and subtle marks that are never quite uniform. Alongside it you find plenty of brick, from pale painted masonry to warm red-brown, and worked metal with rust, scratches or a matte zinc layer. What ties these designs together is restraint in colour: grey, anthracite, off-white and earth tones set the tone, so the wallpaper adds structure without taking over the room. It is precisely that calm that makes industrial wallpaper so usable as the basis for a whole interior.

Where industrial wallpaper looks its best

A tall room with plenty of daylight is its natural habitat: an open-plan kitchen, a seating area with steel-framed windows, or a study with black detailing. Yet the style works surprisingly well on a smaller scale. A hallway in a concrete effect instantly gains depth, and a cloakroom or alcove with a brick wall feels considered rather than dull. Put the design on a single wall as a backdrop for a media unit or desk, or cover the whole room for a true loft effect. Because the tones are muted, industrial wallpaper rarely clashes with what is already there.

Combining industrial wallpaper in your interior

The rough look calls for a counterweight. Set warm materials against it: a leather sofa, oak, wool and a softer lighting scheme with several sources at eye level. Metal in the furniture or the lamps picks up the theme without turning cold. If you want one wall to speak without making the whole room industrial, pair the design with quiet plain wallpaper on the remaining walls. For anyone who wants to carry the tactile side further, textured wallpaper offers a relief you can feel that suits this material world, while a touch of metallic wallpaper brings the metal accents back in subtly.

The material and finish of industrial wallpaper

Most designs in this category are printed on non-woven backing, which makes hanging easier: you paste the wall rather than the length, working faster and cleaner. For rooms with more moisture or wear, such as a kitchen or hall, there are sturdier versions with a washable surface. Each product page states, per design, which substrate and finish apply, along with the repeat, so you know how the print recurs across the wall. Unsure about colour or the scale of the concrete grain or brick? Order a sample first and judge it at home in your own light, because grey and rust tones shift considerably with the lighting.

Ordering and hanging industrial wallpaper

Once you know which design you want, use our wallpaper calculator to work out exactly how many rolls or lengths you need; for designs with a large repeat we recommend keeping one roll spare. If you would rather not hang it yourself, our page on a professional wallpaper hanger will help you find a specialist familiar with this type of wallpaper. For questions about a finish or the right quantity, our team is happy to help by phone or email. International shipping, duties & taxes included.