The Wheatley Fireclay Sink and Industrial Modern Design: Designing with the Sink in Mind

Industrial interior design is all about exposing what’s underneath. It’s about incorporating a raw element to create an unfinished look in a thoughtfully designed space. Mixing pieces that showcase style but also have an underlying function is at its core. This design kit featuring our Wheatley Fireclay Farmhouse sink celebrates this ever-growing design trend.

While industrial design is mostly used in loft apartments, commercial spaces, and modern homes around the globe it showcases neutral tones, utilitarian objects and a variety of wood and metal surfaces.

Widely seen as a “warehouse look” you can easily mix the industrial look with a wide range of other styles, like this design kit where we’ve added a pop of contemporary flair. These days this style can be seen in upscale interiors featuring stainless steel surfaces, metal light fixtures and chic vintage furniture. Restoration Hardware has a catalog full of furniture that will foster any designers love of industrial flair.

A few key traits of industrial interior design include:

• Exposed pipes and ducts are a signature element in industrial areas
• Wood areas like tables and ceiling panels pull through a neutral color to contrast the darker metal surfaces.
• Metal surfaces from staircases, window casings, table frames and even metal chairs add to that rugged unfinished feel.
• Metallic feel through the use of colors such as gray to enhance a steely look.
• Vintage furniture and accessories that aren’t just truly vintage, but inspired by or evoke and old factory or laboratory feel.

We have taken one of our new farmhouse fireclay sinks, the Wheatley, and imagined a room design around it using the industrial modern design style.

The Kitchen Sink

This fireclay sink is a classic design with clean lines forming a rim on the front of the apron – we call this the Ledge front. The clean and sleek style of this clay based material fits perfectly with a industrious kitchen look. Sinkology fireclay sinks are made from a mixture of clay and glaze that is fired at extremely high temperatures to make it extra durable, chip-resistant and scratch-resistant.

The stark whiteness of this fireclay farmhouse sink helps to create a pop of white against concrete counter tops, brick walls, or other elements of industrial design. While the style of the sink is considered “farmhouse,” the reversible apron front helps the sink to be more versatile in modern spaces.

The Faucet and Accessories

The faucet featured is a Pfister Wheaton in stainless steel with a single handle and pull-down sprayer. Because stainless is selected as the finish, Sinkology also offers the Wren, an American-made stainless steel bottom grid, and a nickel disposal flange.

The Decor

Reds are a typical color seen in the industrial modern style, but any bold color will work. Much of the industrial modern style is subdued and comes from the surrounding: brick, concrete, wood, etc. So, it’s important to have a lively, consistent color that you focus on in your design to brighten the space and give a deliberate pop of color. The old motor oil can has been repurposed into a trash can, and the red salt and pepper shakers and red linens help the color carry through to the rest of the space. We have also included a decorative axe from Best Made Co. with a great pop of red around the axe handle.

Tin signs, metal containers, old wooden boxes, and wood accents are also great in this style. We have included a piece of reclaimed snow fence from Centennial Woods as a thought starter for a wooden wall accent or kitchen furniture, like a butchers block, bar cart, or stools.