Recently we embarked on designing colours, lighting, and kitchen for a group of flats. On the top floor, the feature penthouse apartment has an urban look and feel with a brick wall in the open plan area a black charcoal kitchen, and an industrial feel bathroom... this got me thinking about the Loft Living look and how you can achieve it.
Loft Living is taken from the industrial style and features high ceilings, brick or stone walls, exposed beams/pipes, and usually involves brown, black, and beige hues. Here are my top 5 tips on how to create the look yourself.
1 - Loft Style Furniture
A loft-style space really shines through the décor and furniture that it's styled with. The loft interior design look is an urban-inspired trend that must be accessorized with complementing home accessories.
Refurbishing old pieces of furniture is a great way to style it. Whether that’s a salvaged wooden chest of drawers or a metal coffee table it can really add the rustic appeal and personal touch.
One of two pieces like this through your home can complete the look perfectly. These can then be interlaced with modern pieces like metal bar stools, parquet coffee tables, and side tables with heavy fabric sofas.
2 - Neutral tones
The very essence of loft-style interior design is the materials and colour palettes used. It’s vital that your interiors have a base of neutral tones running through them. You have materials like brick, stone, concrete, and wood which all give the scheme earthy, rich colours.
Using warm or cool neutrals like greys, beiges, whites, off whites, browns, and blacks all work to give a coherent natural feel to the room and give a base for those natural materials to work from.
3 - Retain original features
As may seem obvious but one of the most important things you can do to get an urban loft look in your space is to keep the building's original features. These include the original brick walls, any pillars and vents, original windows and where possible and practical, the original floorings.
Brick walls are going to be the first thing the eye is drawn too upon entering the space. Large expanses of brick can set the tone immediately, cementing the look you are trying to achieve. If you’re lucky enough to have original brick walls, like one of our recent clients Danny Mac then ensure they are kept and maintained for the new space. Adding lighting here can be really impactful.
If, however, you don’t have a good wall to keep - “Brick slips” may be the answer, they are relatively easy to install and fairly cost-effective as wall coverings go.
Another thing I love that makes all the difference are original factory-style windows. If you are lucky enough to have these, it is well worth the cost of restoring where you can. If not, going aluminum works really well for this style. It’s important to maximize the natural light so keep them unobstructed where possible - no window dressings. If you must have something, let’s face it it is home now and now a factory we are creating, blinds are a better choice than curtains, they give a cleaner, more minimalist look and allow more light to get through when fully open - they can also be a chosen in a colour that can make them almost disappear.
4 - Loft Style Lighting
Your lighting choices not only affect the aesthetic, stylistic look of the house. It can also change the overall mood and feel of space after dark. For an urban loft look, we would really only concentrate on concrete pendant lights and metal lighting.
Nothing screams “industrial loft look” more than concrete lighting. Concrete is raw and stylish and it encompasses the look in its entirety. They look great in groups of three above a bath, an island, or in a feature corner.
Oversized dome-shaped lights are also really popular with this style. They look great and allow for a good spread of light across what is usually a fairly cold feeling space. When it comes to metal lighting, using mesh, cage lights, factory pendants, and desk lights can all work to great effect. They are also great for adding a pop of colour when desired.
Soften Hard Floors (with distressed rugs)
The urban loft look is fabulous and can really offer something different and some wow factor moments, with a gorgeous natural wood flooring really grounding the designs. But, they can, at times, be lacking in the comfort and coziness we expect from a home. The best way to bring this back and inject some life is through complementary soft furnishings.
Faded vintage rugs, rattan chair pads, and linen blinds are absolutely fabulous for this, ideal for loft living sitting rooms and bedrooms, they offer a sophisticated styling whilst adding a little coziness.
Whilst we love leather and cooler feeling material like wood and glass in these designs, don’t overlook the impact cushions and throws either. Distressed fabrics and wool blankets make a great addition to any seating area and can keep it feeling cozy in the evening.
