The aesthetic that I chose for my upcycling project is the industrial style. I have always liked the style as a practical person, and as an engineer and someone who worked as a mechanic in high school, the exposed structure and workings of these spaces are fascinating to me. The spaces also generally have interesting lighting solutions that are uncommon in most modern housing solutions. A particular example I have seen is ceiling-length skylights in a living area that was once a workshop of some type, where the natural light saved on power bills and improved general visibility on the task at hand. But also many of these spaces like the one above on the left are very cozy with a lot of warm brown tones and warming artificial light. This duality captivates me.

The aesthetic frequently features exposed metal, dark and muted wood tones, and generally exposed utilities.

Plants are often used in these spaces to bring life into an otherwise heavily mechanically focussed environment, so since it will be pretty much the only item in my living space with this aesthetic, having that contrast self contained in the item itself will help it to not stand out too much.

For all these reasons, I plan for my project to be a small hanging planter featuring black satin finishes, dark wood, other brown tones, and some exposed functionality pieces.

Sources:

Kocharian, Anna. “Here’s Everything You Need to Know about Industrial Style.” Apartment Therapy, Apartment Therapy, LLC., 7 Aug. 2020, https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/industrial-style-36771433.