Achieving the Trendy Industrial Look in Barndominium Homes
Barndominiums – residences crafted from the shells of old barns or purpose-built steel frames – allow homeowners to embrace beloved elements intrinsic to agricultural buildings past for striking contemporary living spaces. Exposed beams, soaring ceilings, durable finishes, and abundant natural light key the aesthetic. Yet many designers now highlight infrastructure normally hidden – namely metal ductwork – to amplify industrial essence further.
Interesting Infrastructure: Exposed Ductwork in Barndominiums
The popular trend of building Steel Barndominiums, warehouses, and other vintage Steel structures into sleek residential barndominiums honor the inherent industrial past through beloved design elements like weathered timber trusses and expansive walls punctuated with steel multi-pane windows. Yet many homeowners now also proudly display infrastructure historically concealed – HVAC ductwork.
Much like polished concrete floors and exposed brick walls speak to the authentic origins of buildings adaptively reused for modern living, visible air ducts and vents amplify these references in a functional form. Just as subway cars or factories flaunt pipe routing and mechanical innards, uncovered ducting strikes a chord of industrial essence and practical rural infrastructure – a vernacular straight from the machine age.
Beyond strong stylistic statements that pronounced silver airways make, skipping unnecessary dropped ceilings also saves cost and time-intensive construction steps. Air flows freely through labeled pathways rather than squeezing into custom closure containment. Owners praise easier access for modifications down the road as barndo layouts evolve.
So whether you admire ornamental grates artfully orchestrating dimensional angles above doorways, appreciate the uncomplicated routing ducts take across open rafters or simply value unabashed infrastructure celebrating agrarian ancestry, exposed ductwork earns validFunction zealots value easy access for serviceability.
Characteristics of Popular Industrial Decor
The industrial style that barndominiums exemplify focuses on simple, functional forms that reveal raw structural materials like weathered wood, brickwork, concrete, and steel. Allowing the fundamental components their moment to shine remains central to the look. Common traits include:
• Exposed Construction Materials – weathered plank walls, structural posts/trusses, unfinished ceilings
• Durable Surfaces – concrete, metal paneling, wire mesh
• Statement Lighting – pendant lamps, track lighting, filament bulbs
• Neutral Color Palettes – black, white, and natural grey tones
Advancing the Iconic Look with Exposed Structural Beams
Exposed Steel Framing: An Industrial Barndo Statement
The “Steel frame barndominium” trend marries agricultural main stays with modern residences by adapting durable barn-styled structures or purpose-built steel frames into expansive dwellings. By accentuating the metal structural bones internally, designers elicit an on-trend industrial feel – a coveted aesthetic for lofts and warehouses updated for contemporary living.
Much like exposed brick, ductwork or polished concrete typify urban renewal projects, celebrating the essential steel framework as an intentional design choice communicates an industrial essence. Framing could easily integrate behind drywall yet leaving beams, columns, and bolted connections uncovered spotlights structural sinew with a metallic sheen.
Beyond strong aesthetic statements, exposing the steel framework also eliminates steps enclosing components only to access later if modifications become necessary. The practicality of an honest open ceiling allows flexibility as spatial needs evolve. Signage, lighting fixtures, or future mezzanines can readily be mounted wherever needed without challenging hidden headers.
From an engineering perspective, the rigidity of steel framing withstands the spans and loading required for barndominium great rooms and garage bays better than structural wood options. Design freedom reigns without overbuilding supports. The intrinsic strength deserves equal admiration.
Whether you admire the architectural aspect of X-braces and knee-braced posts, value steel’s resilient integrity, or simply believe raw modern materials balancing weathered exteriors project an alluring industrial concept, exposed interiors warrant consideration.
A New Barndominium Style
Barndominium aficionados praise the rural structures for space, flexibility and cost-effective builds. Spotlighting functional ductwork and Steel Beams honor quintessential agricultural vernaculars. Blending vintage building gears with modern finishes like wainscotting, accent walls, and minimalist fixtures allows Barndominiums to transcend into hip personalized havens.
So consider flaunting, not masking your steel infrastructure to allow your barndominium’s industrial flag to fly. The bones reveal beauty!
