Modern furniture, as well as innovative handling of various well-known materials, including brick, glass and steel, are the fundamental principles of the interior created in the loft style. The latter is ideal for converting a warehouse space into an open-plan apartment. Although, with the right approach, a loft is the style that can take root even in a small country house.
From history
In America, once upon a time, factories smoked the sky on the central streets of big cities, workers worked in factories, filling warehouses with various goods, also located right in the heart of the city. It did not last long, and immediately stopped as soon as rental prices rose. Factories quickly packed their belongings and moved to the outskirts, and writers, artists, designers and poets drove into the vacant buildings - in general, those who did not go to the factories.
Developing a loft project for themselves, they arranged cozy dwellings there, in which they held poetry meetings and exhibitions. Here they whiled away the lonely cold evenings of the fifties of the last century, pressing their backs against the cold concrete wall.
The glory of housing has thus been entrenched in this stylecreative personalities. Most likely, this is what in our days incites hipsters to make something resembling a loft out of their house (photos of such premises are presented in this article).
The age of solitary living of creative personalities in vast areas also ended very quickly with the fact that enterprising people realized that even a shoe factory can be settled in well. Thus, the original settlers of these territories were driven away by increasing the cost of rent, after which bankers, businessmen, lawyers and other we althy citizens moved in.
Today, loft-style design is designed to demonstrate the we alth and creativity of the owner of the premises.
Loft in Russia
In our country, finding a home in this style is a great success, because the majority of people live in simple apartments. But in this article, we will still give some tips on how to bring the style in question into your nest.
Planning features
The main cost item for renovating loft-style housing is redevelopment of the premises. The concept assumes the absence of isolated rooms (as in a factory floor). Space and emptiness are the characteristic features of the style, which is why it is so difficult to implement it in small apartments. If you have at your disposal less than 80 m², while the ceilings are below 3 m, you will not get a full-fledged embodiment of the style, only its imitation.
Loft is a style in which all zones of the available space are allocated conditionally. A permissible exception is the bathroom, while the entrance doors to it must be disguised. The rest of the room should be one common space, created according to the principle of functionality with the help of various finishing materials.
If this studio option seems a little uncomfortable, then you can separate the kitchen or bedroom with mobile furniture, using shelving on wheels, glass sliding partitions or screens.
Color
Loft is an individual style. Some opt for colorful bold blocks of bright hues, while others opt for moody colors and graphics to accentuate an urban feel. When designing a loft, decide what exactly you want from your home: industrial aesthetics, expression, or a mixture of these styles.
Open colors draw attention to themselves in open and large spaces, although it is better to use them "sparingly" - about twenty-five percent of the wall surface in the room. A single wall in indigo or red shades will bring theatrical effect to a “brick” or white interior, as well as highlight a specific area. So, you can paint a blank far wall, and it will perfectly mark a certain area. In addition, add various accessories in the same colors, such as a vase and a pillow, to give the space a sense of continuity.
Remember all the time that the consistency of the interior does not correspond to the ideas of the loft style (photos are given in this article) about harmony and mixing. If bright, open colors younot at all to your taste, then muted smoky shades are likely to please. For example, deep gray-green water and dull eggplant are softer on the eyes, but more sophisticated for urban style. The next advantage of smoky shades is that you can use more different tones in one interior, while creating an aesthetic and harmonious atmosphere.
Loft in an industrial building
Using this style in once non-residential premises means creating maximum comfort in a concrete cold box.
In the main number of industrial buildings of the past years, brick, concrete, wooden beams were in sight. They simply did not need to be hidden, because in the factories they were not particularly chasing comfort. When creating a loft-style design, you need to take into account that often large stained-glass windows, which mostly occupy the entire wall, are often left unchanged in the rooms. Homeowners often repaint their floors or install parquet because the look of the wood provides comfort and warmth. Upholstered furniture and fabrics are also added to the interior.
It is necessary to correctly place accents with colorful photos, illustrations on the walls or bright pillows. There are a huge number of options - do not forget that initially the lofts belonged to creative people.
Loft in the apartment
The task of this style in residential apartments is to bring into the interior an atmosphere of industry, unsuitability for life. To do this, wallpaper is peeled off the walls of a cozy apartment, existing communications are displayed for show. Accents inin the form of industrial equipment relevant in the bathroom and kitchen: bronze, chrome and stainless steel. Choose sanitary ware from these metals for your kitchen: countertop, sink, extractor hood, oven, chandelier and other accessories with incredible success will continue the industrial theme of the loft style.
The apartment as a whole should be kept in this design. The bathroom should use the same materials, adhering to the principles of openness of the technical stuffing in order to create a unified atmosphere.
Bedroom ideas
One of the most important tasks in an industrial space converted into a residential one is to feel as comfortable as possible there. This concerns the bedroom most of all, since often there is no division into rooms, and the house appears to be one room. Often use wardrobe beds, transforming beds, bunk beds.
In addition, many designers use zoning techniques to create a loft style. The bedroom in this case is separated by different flooring, glass partitions, lighting, as well as warmer and softer shades.
City life has come a long way over the years, as has the concept of beauty. At the moment, there is a certain industrial aesthetic that can be recreated in every apartment.
Kitchen Ideas
Despite living in a big city, eating out and on the go, we are captivated by the magic of professional chic cuisines from various TV cooking shows. Shining steel crockery and cutlery are oneteam with wooden or tiled floors and brushed beech doors. The loft apartment is also distinguished by the same style.
Freestanding furniture placement in a specific corner keeps the idea of an open floor plan style. In this case, all lockers and drawers are mounted on one wall, while the working mobile table on wheels easily moves around the territory. Pot-bellied refrigerators - cob alt, pale blue, scarlet and pastel pink - are also very popular. At the same time, the standard size of the tile is completely inappropriate here, it is better to stop your choice on a one-color mosaic tile, from which you can lay out an apron between the hanging cabinets and the countertop.
Kitchen Materials
Do not forget that the loft is an industrial style. This means that unbreakable greenish glass and stainless steel sheets will look appropriate here, bringing the spirit of factory ethics - also a spectacular and very common replacement for the usual tile over the sink. In addition, do not forget about things that are in the public domain. For example, wide open shelves, as if floating along the walls, are suitable for such a kitchen. It will also be interesting and appropriate to look here a bar counter with various metal elements.
Loft style living room
In real loft apartments, the living area is separated from the rest of the territory only with the help of proper furniture arrangement. Although even if your room has walls, you can draw inspiration from modern materials and shapes.
You can create a loft style in the living roomfrom seating proportionate places with cream or frankly bold upholstery: shades of blue cob alt, red wine or terracotta. In this case, strong feelings will definitely arise between the leather chair and the couch. All you have to add here is a minimalist or glass wooden coffee table, preferably on wheels. Although you can also put up an Indian Thakat table in case you want to declare that world culture is not alien to you. Also, a geometric expressive carpet on the floor or a shaggy large flokati will be appropriate here. In an open layout, the carpet can play the role of an optical powerful unit that protects the territory created in the loft style.
The living room assumes that all home audio and video equipment will be displayed with respect for logos and brands. Music super center and a huge flat screen TV for the declaration of loft style means no less than the rest of the interior equipment.
Loft bathroom design
Cleanliness, even surgical sterility, is the main feature of a bathroom created in this style. At the same time, the bathtub standing in it can be anything: “on paws”, made antique, with “historical” taps, as well as with ergonomic lining.
It is in the bathroom that modern style reaches its zenith. Mosaic tiles here cover the walls and floors, giving the feeling of a swimming pool, while glass, steel and brushed ceramics will be the "make-up" for all other surfaces. Only unusual terry towels can break the general smoothness of textures. Soffits,built into the ceiling sheds a clear, clean light while exposing any fingerprint, water trail that was left by the owners.
Loft is a style in which it is desirable to install a shower cabin with a chrome old-fashioned large “watering can” high in the wall or directly in the ceiling, which makes it possible to make the most of the available space. But this design is only suitable for bachelors or childless and very neat single couples. Tiled surfaces are not safe for large families.
