Are you looking for a way to enhance the personality and style of your work or home office using an industrial décor theme? Incorporating some inspirational industrial desk décor ideas is one of those timeless ways that you can spice up your office.
This article will present you with 11 modern industrial-themed desk décor ideas to help you not only transform the look of your workspace but also the way you feel when you are working there.
Before we can talk about industrial desk décor you have to understand the design concepts of industrial style décor.
What is Industrial Style Decor?
Design elements of industrial style décor will typically include the following:
- Exposed brick – faux or natural
- Concrete
- Distressed or torched wood
- Recycled materials
- Galvanized metals like tin, copper, and brass
- Iron and steel piping connectors and fittings
- Neutral and natural colors
- Exposed beams
- Vintage and rustic accents
- Full spectrum, incandescent, fluorescent, or LED lighting
- Open and spacious layout
Now that the industrial style has been properly defined, we can now turn to giving your office and desk area that industrial look.
Decorating an industrial style office is a creative and personal experience and the final result should be a transformation that you’ve been eagerly anticipating.
Industrial Desk Décor Essentials
Let’s start with the industrial desk essentials and then move onto the accents.
1. Anchor your Office with an Industrial Desk with Storage.
If you’re going to incorporate décor with an industrial look into your workspace, you must start with an industrial office desk with storage. A practical industrial style desk will always have some room for storing office accessories.
The last thing you want is for your desk to be cluttered with an array of small office accessories like a stapler, tape dispenser, paper clips, binder clips, pens, pencils, and highlighters.
This Coaster Analiese 4-Drawer Antique Writing Desk is a great way to kick off your industrial office.
Highly rated with a country rustic industrial metal and wood look makes it a perfect foundation for your industrial style office.
2. Accent your Desk with an Industrial Desk Lamp.
Office lighting solutions are all over the marketplace. If you are in a dark office with no windows there are steps you can take to simulate natural light in a windowless office. Optimal workspace lighting is extremely important when it comes to mood and productivity.
Whether you have windows or not in your office, a desk lamp with an industrial look is imperative in any office regardless of the style you are looking to achieve. An LED lamp that simulates sunlight with an industrial look is a great option.
This FAGUANGAO Industrial Desk Lamp would be the perfect accent for your industrial desk. It utilizes an Edison bulb which gives off that old-time vintage look. And the bronze piping adds to your industrial desk décor.
Charging ports add a practical and modern feature to the desk lamp. The lamp comes in four distinct styles: Antique, Retro, Rustic, and Vintage. The one shown here is called Retro but could probably be labeled Industrial, but Retro works!
3. Rustic Desk Organizer to Keep your Chic Décor Desk Tidy.
A desk organizer in any office is what I consider an essential accessory. This rustic desk organizer from Liry Products screams industrial design due to the rustic torched wood which is one of the design elements of industrial style décor.
Being able to keep a tidy desk is what you want in any office. This organizer features 6 stepped compartments, 1 top rack, and 2 slide-out drawers to store all of your smaller desk accessories in one small footprint.
4. Stackable Letter Tray Organizer
A stackable letter tray organizer is a great accessory to keep your textbooks, mail, and other work-related papers in one organized spot.
This letter tray organizer from HOYRR has that industrial-style look and will fit in perfectly on your industrial desk.
It just gives you another way to stay organized in your office while at the same time fitting in with the office décor you are hoping to achieve.
Modern Industrial Décor Desk Accents
Having now furnished your office with an industrial office desk, an industrial desk lamp, a rustic desk organizer, and a stylish stackable letter tray, you’re ready to add industrial accents to your chic office décor.
5. Metallic Gears Wall Clock
The industrial style tends to incorporate design elements from old factories and machine elements.
This 15” metallic gears wall clock from FirsTime & Co would be that perfect accent on the wall just above your desk.
This is a design accent that will complement your industrial desk décor essentials nicely.
6. Desktop Concrete Business Card Holders
Concrete is a design element that fits in well with the industrial style. If you are looking to neatly display your business cards on your rustic desk this set of 2 concrete business card holders from MyGift.
They are small enough not to take up much space on your desktop but will display your business cards with the proper décor design elements.
In keeping with your industrial style décor, these concrete business card holders will be a nice complement on your desktop but won’t take up too much space at all.
7. Vintage Gray Wood Decorative Bookends with Industrial Metal Pipe Design
Metal piping and distressed wood are two design elements utilized in industrial style décor. This decorative bookend using distressed wood and metal pipe will blend into your industrial décor office.
At a 5” square footprint on your desktop for each bookend, it will not occupy a lot of space on your desktop but you can use it for multiple books. These sturdy bookends are heavy enough to keep many books positioned upright.
8. Decorative Metal Jacks Paperweight
Another cool and chic accent to your industrial office is metal jacks that you can use as paperweights, door stops, or decorative addition to your industrial desktop.
Manufactured with the industrial look in mind, these quality cast iron metal jacks will add not only a decorative aspect to your office but a utilitarian one as well.
9. Bellaa Industrial Typewriter Pen Pencil Phone Holder
This small footprint measuring 5” on all sides Industrial Typewriter Pen Pencil Phone Holder is another appropriate addition to your industrial office.
You not only can store pens, pencils, and markers in it, but it will also accommodate a cell phone at an angle for easy viewing. Makes a cute industrial desk accessory as well as a vintage home decoration.
10. Wooden Perpetual Date Desk Calendar Blocks
If you’re looking to add a rustic look to your desktop these Wooden Perpetual Date Desk Calendar Blocks will certainly resonate with that vintage effect. A vintage perpetual calendar is far more appropriate than a digital calendar in am industrial office.
Instead of a glitzy digital, newfangled, metal calendar, this old-time desk calendar will be a great touch on your industrial desktop.
11. Busted Knuckle Garage BKG-64 Desktop Miniature Toolbox
If you’re looking for a masculine addition to an industrial desktop, this Busted Knuckle Garage Miniature Toolbox will certainly fit in nicely.
The mini toolbox measures 9 inches length, 4 inches wide and 5 inches height. It also measures approximately 3″ deep for the interior of the toolbox.
The Busted Knuckle Garage Miniature Toolbox is constructed of heavy duty 0.24 gauge steel and is spot-welded to create an authentic replica of the toolboxes you find in a professional garage.
This toolbox is certainly an awesome replica of what you will find in any well-equipped garage or workshop. The top flips open revealing a deep storage bin with a felt liner on the interior of the floor. And the top of the lid has a grooved rubber mat to match the professional models.
Summary of Industrial Desk Décor Ideas for your Office
Industrial style décor just may be a timeless style that will always have its place especially when it comes to the office setting. Incorporating industrial desk décor essentials and accents into your office theme will add the personality and look that will make a difference.
This article has presented not only the essentials of the industrial style but ways in which you can accent those essentials with decorative accessories to round out the perfect industrial office look.
Frequently Asked Questions about Industrial Desk Décor
What is small industrial office design?
Industrial office design, in general, is typically referred to as an office décor relegated to a spacious, factory-like, office area with high ceilings. When we discuss small industrial office design we are transferring those architectural elements to a smaller office space.
Those design elements include distressed and recycled wood, iron and steel piping, galvanized metals like tin, copper, and pewter, exposed brick, natural and neutral colors, and vintage and rustic accents or accessories. So, if you work in a smaller office you can still project that industrial look by incorporating these design elements.
What is industrial office furniture?
Industrial office furniture typically would include reclaimed materials specifically wood, brick, metals, and other salvaged materials. You would normally find industrial furniture in a spacious office setting but these design elements can be transferred to a smaller office setting such as a home office.
The pieces could include large workshop-type desks with thick wood slab desktops, metal stools, architectural desk lamps, iron piping with wood shelving, gear clocks, and old-time metal lockers for office storage.
What to Read Next:
- Industrial Office Décor – How to Incorporate it into your Workspace
- How do you Decorate an Industrial Style Office?
- What are Industrial Office Accessories?
- What are Industrial Office Color Schemes?
- 10 Top Practical Industrial Office Décor Ideas for Men
Bob has been blogging for over 20 years and has been an office and cubicle dweller for more than 35 years. He has been featured in numerous online publications such as US News and World Report, Bustle, and Work Awesome (you can read his articles here). He created the popular office website CubicleBliss in January 2011 and rebranded it as WorkspaceBliss in April 2020.
In the office he’s been an IT Manager, Applications Engineer, Systems Analyst, Software Project leader, and Programmer Analyst in his long career. He’s a Certified Microsoft Professional and possesses a Masters of Science degree and two Bachelor of Science degrees, one of those in Informational Technology.
During his career he has worked in the office full-time, as a hybrid remote worker, and has worked from home permanently.
