Tool room chic is an interior trend inspired by workshops, potting sheds, and utility rooms. It showcases the beauty of functional objects and incorporates them into everyday living areas. Instead of concealing tools, brushes, jars, and baskets, this trend celebrates them. The outcome is an aesthetic that feels organised, intentional, and quietly stylish. If you’re a fan of industrial, functional or utilitarian interiors, you’ll appreciate the tool room chic trend.
Why Tool Room Chic Is Becoming Popular
People seek interiors that feel authentic and personal. Tool room chic meets this desire by celebrating the natural charm of spaces where objects are made, repaired, or organised. Wooden-handled brushes, neatly folded linens, terracotta pots, and jars filled with everyday items all add character without appearing overwhelming. Creative hobbies also impact appearance. Pottery, sewing, gardening, and home projects have become part of modern routines. This trend encourages proudly showcasing tools and materials, which adds purpose and character to any room.
Materials and Colours That Define The Tool Room Look
Tool room chic combines natural warmth with practical structure. Timber, unfinished wood, linen, and canvas sit comfortably alongside galvanised metal, stainless steel, and simple wire shelving, creating a balance of soft and sturdy textures. The colour palette is calm and functional, with mushroom, olive, warm beige, charcoal, and muted blue providing a timeless backdrop that makes practical storage feel purposeful. The overall effect is organised, tactile, and quietly stylish, with useful items displayed thoughtfully rather than concealed.
How To Introduce Tool Room Chic At Home
Hallways are an ideal starting point because they rely on simple, useful displays. Hooks for coats, bags and hats instantly introduce the look. A bench with baskets creates practical storage for shoes or dog leads. A peg rail can hold keys, umbrellas or everyday essentials and helps the hallway feel both functional and welcoming.
Living rooms can incorporate subtle touches of this look. A woven basket filled with blankets, a wooden tray for your remote controls or a metal shelf styled with books and practical objects brings in the aesthetic without overwhelming the space. The idea is to introduce honest materials and everyday items in a gentle way.
Kitchens work well with this aesthetic because they contain objects that are both beautiful and useful. Wooden spoons, ladles and boards displayed on hooks become part of the decor. Glass jars with grains and spices bring order to open shelves. Stainless steel trolleys can hold pans or baking trays.
Utility rooms also suit this style beautifully. Open shelves can hold laundry powders in glass jars, neatly folded towels, wooden brushes and canvas laundry bags. Galvanised buckets bring character and practicality. Hooks for aprons, cloths and reusable bags help everyday tasks feel calmer and more enjoyable.
Bathrooms also work well with this trend. Wooden bath brushes, glass jars filled with cotton pads, neatly folded towels and simple metal shelving all suit the style. A small row of hooks adds quiet structure. Everyday essentials become part of the styling and help the room feel calm and easy to use.
A home office naturally suits tool room chic because it contains stationery, tools and supplies. A pegboard above the desk can hold scissors, notebooks and small baskets. Wooden trays keep paperwork tidy. Jars can store clips, pens or drawing materials. Combining metal shelving with woven storage offers balance and creates a creative, organised atmosphere.
Craft rooms naturally suit Tool Room Chic because they celebrate creating and doing. Pegboards can hold scissors, threads, and tools, while open shelves display jars of materials and neatly stacked boxes. A wooden table with trays for ongoing projects keeps the space organised yet inspiring, allowing the creative process to become part of the room’s character.
Garden rooms and potting corners are also ideal. Terracotta pots stacked, tools hung on hooks and seeds stored in jars bring charm and order. A metal shelf or potting table keeps everything ready for use and brings the outdoors into the home with purpose and beauty.
Why Tool Room Chic Feels Like A Lasting Style
Tool room chic feels like a timeless style because it embodies nostalgic comfort. It brings to mind craft rooms, garden sheds, and old hardware stores where everything has its place. There’s a clarity in displaying tools and objects openly and ready for use, which creates warmth and makes a home feel lived in and loved. It offers a way to style a home that feels purposeful, grounded, and genuinely welcoming. Give it a go, and I can guarantee you’ll be hooked on this interior trend.
My Favourite Utility Tool Room Buys
One of my favourite shops for utility and tool room products is Labour and Wait in Shoreditch. Keris Design is the place to buy beautiful pegboards. Other places to shop include Etsy and Amazon; search for utility products or utility home items. I bought a cute red metal set of drawers designed to store screws and nails, and now I use it as my tea bag drawer. Take a look at garage storage and tool shop websites for utility-style storage solutions. Ebay and Facebook Marketplace are other shopping channels where you can buy second-hand items that are useful and on-trend.
Author: Homegirl London. Photographs: Homegirl London.