Urban style

Bestselling author Sara Emslie shines a spotlight on urban industrial style and shows how reclaimed materials can add warmth and personality to your living space.

New pressures on housing mean that pioneering homeowners are converting ex-industrial, non-residential spaces into innovative homes, while others are taking inspiration from the industrial look to bring character to newbuild interiors. In the 1960s and '70s, many urban warehouses and factories became vacant, attracting the first wave of artists and creatives seeking large, affordable studio spaces. Since then, industrial areas in many cities have become sought-after residential districts and urban regeneration has gone from strength to strength. Nowadays the trend shows no sign of waning, with a second generation of urban pioneers cleverly converting former lofts, warehouses, schools, factories, offices and retail spaces into unique and highly desirable homes. In Urban Style, Sara Emslie investigates the practicalities for transforming non-residential spaces into homes, the key elements of the look - from exposed brickwork to copper piping and metal roof trusses - and the related rise in the popularity of industrial design. She then explores twelve inspiring and varied real-life homes that showcase the very best of the Urban Style look.