Modern loft style for apartment and house (with video)

Although new building materials appear on the market with enviable regularity, interiors do not become more diverse. They are all very predictable, almost standard. There are only a few styles in which you can challenge the established stereotypes. One of the bottom – loft style. This combination of incompatible at first glance things, nevertheless, very even stylish.

What it is

You have probably not once met photos of interiors, in which on a rough background – brickwork, allegedly poorly treated wooden walls, gray concrete – are located chic things. On the ceiling there are often massive metal trusses and beams, shafts for laying communications, etc. This is the loft style (from the English loft – non-residential, industrial premises).

It originated in the late 50s of the 20th century in major American cities. At this time, the price of land in the center of the cities jumped up sharply. In connection with what all industrial enterprises began to withdraw outside the city limits. The vacated buildings could not be demolished and rebuilt in time, and were turned into temporary housing. They put up a few partitions, provided minimal amenities – a small kitchen and a bathroom. That was the end of the improvement. It was cheap housing. Until these meters were not loved by artists: to buy huge areas, for nothing. Equip it with minimal expenses for a studio or an exhibition hall. What could be better. However, and they did not worry about finishing the walls. At exhibitions, in studios everything remained almost the same as it was before the purchase: suddenly have to resell and move out.

If we talk about exhibitions, then canvases in a modern manner look even better against such a background. Huge windows in the production rooms gave good lighting, which was also a plus. Ideal conditions for work and sales)))

When equipping the studio, we simply brought in furniture according to taste, which we arranged in groups away from the walls: so that they would not get dirty. The furniture was non-standard and, more often than not, chic, but in small quantities: only the necessary. As the height allowed, they made a horizontal division – they moved the inhabited part to the second floor, leaving the bare minimum on the ground floor.

This contrast – terrible walls and expensive things – gradually moved to houses and apartments in the center, became considered chic. Recently it began to gain popularity in our country: all other styles are too predictable, too similar to each other. But, understandably, not all details are transferred, and not all of them are available: high ceilings – this is not about modern construction. The style that is present in modern dwellings even got a new name – neoloft, but so far it “slips” only among specialists.

Here, in general terms, and the whole loft style. To make it easier to decorate your rooms, let’s briefly list the characteristic elements:

• Rough-hewn walls, beams and engineering systems under the ceiling.
• Large windows or tiered lighting with the use of suspended “factory” lights.
• Minimal furniture standing a decent distance from the walls.
• The absence of trifles and details. Everything is laconic.
• A common room and no walls, only partitions. The bathroom is partitioned off, and not always. Sometimes the bedroom is closed or partially enclosed. But this is not a loft in its purest form, but neoloft.

Repair in loft style

First of all, we need to talk about colors. Since these are former factories, the colors are gray, brown – different shades and combinations. Metal, shiny surfaces are also present. To the interior did not look completely boring, add one or two bright spots, which as a magnet, attract the eye.

Stylizing the walls

With this kind of decoration of an apartment or house, you can see a “raw” brick wall. But this is the result of careful processing and coloring. First, all the whitewash-plaster is scrubbed off, which, most likely, on the wall was. Then, with narrow trowels, knives, screwdrivers and any other suitable tool, the seams are widened. The wall should look like untreated, but the seams should be almost even, and they should be a couple of millimeters deeper than the surface of the brick.

If the mortar spills out, the joints are widened by 1-1.5 cm, then filled with plaster and leveled. The result should be the same: relief bricks and slightly “recessed” joints.

What to do if there are no brick walls, but you really want to make such a relief? There are several ways of imitation of varying degrees of complexity, but it all starts with marking. Standard brickwork has the dimensions of 25 * 6,5 cm, the seam is 1-1,5 cm. This is the marking and apply to the wall.

First you will have to draw, then glue the “seams” with painter’s tape.

After – to apply gypsum or other plaster to the wall. The layer – about 2 cm. Leveling perfectly is not worth it, but the surface should be more or less even. Until the solution has not solidified, remove the painter’s tape, open the seams. Unkempt hanging pieces are picked up, the edges are slightly leveled. It turns out quite a decent imitation.

It can be painted in white, gray. Brick-red – this is only after experiments, since the natural color is hard to pick up. About the same technology of imitation brickwork in the video.

There is another way – cut out bricks from wallpaper with a suitable texture and glue them on the wall. What comes out of this – in the following video.

The next option is to glue clinker tiles, expand the joints. But this – is already fully the technology of laying tiles without any innovations. Therefore, we will not dwell on it separately.

Loft style is not only a brick wall. Great looking and wooden. A simple way to make a relief wall of wood – split the bars in half, paint them with stain different, but close tones, and then glue on the prepared wall so. And turn so that the chips turned out to be the front part. More detailed description of the process in the video.

In general, it is interesting to work with wood. You can use different technologies of painting. Read more about coloring wagon here.

Walls in the loft style are not always undone. Often they have a smooth surface, but in contrast to the untreated leave the ceiling or a few columns in a “pristine” form.

Use when decorating apartments, especially small ones, OSB (OSB), and in an untreated form. In the sense – unpainted. It can be covered with stain or water-based varnish, the main thing is that there was no shiny film.

And in order not to fix attention on the “unnaturalness” of such a finish, the wall can be painted. Stencil or graphite – what is needed for this case.

Fixtures

Lighting should be bright, but no pomp. Simple plafonds hanging on wires or flexible legs, sometimes – deliberate hooks to which everything is attached. Imitation of the situation “in production”.

If such ideas well in no way “do not warm” is allowed to use chandeliers in the style of minimalism or hi-tech. They harmonize well with raw walls and ceiling. But the color scheme, and the materials used should echo those in the interior.

Chandeliers, in our sense of the word, in the loft style can also be fit, but for this you need to try very hard and play on the contrasts, contrasting the pretentiousness of the lamp – the simplicity of the finish.

As you can see in the photo, sometimes it works. And even the jewelry does not look like an alien element, although it clearly belongs to a different style. But the eye is undoubtedly attracted.

Stairs

If the height of the ceiling allows, arrange a second floor, where the most “private” areas are transferred – a bedroom, maybe – a bathroom. For representatives of “serious” professions may be convenient in the second level to make a study.

As you may have guessed, stairs in loft interiors are most often metal. Simple steps, flat, smooth railings. No curls and pretentiousness.

Reinforced concrete products fit in well: the most industrial texture, the right color. Only when pouring use high quality concrete, which gives a smooth, slightly shiny surface.

The same color – gray – you can make poured floors. Some even make furniture and countertops from concrete. In the style hit 100%, but how convenient such furniture in use – the question.

Design in the loft style

Let’s consider some characteristic techniques that designers use when creating such a technocratic-bohemian design. They will help in developing your own design. There is nothing complicated, but by ignorance you can get into a miscalculation: buy an unsuitable thing.

Вітальня

In living rooms, as a rule, there is a sofa group – upholstered furniture, concentrated on a certain space. Only the loft style assumes its location in the center of the room, so that there was enough space up to the walls: you could freely pass.

Pay attention to the fact that there is almost no cabinet furniture. there are shelves, tables, sometimes shelves. Cabinets if there are, they are very simple, sometimes – metal. Often serve to zone the space: there are also few walls.

What is good such interiors – if you want, they can be decorated for pennies. You go to the flea market, and buy old stuff. The most expensive thing is usually a sofa. The form – is not exactly defined, but certainly not mass “shirpotrebov”. The main thing is to be able to combine everything. There is even a direction – hipster loft – in which a special chic is considered the use of old or deliberately aged things.

It is also worth talking separately about racks and shelves. They are either metal – the type of warehouse, or wooden, but quite simple. Often wood is painted “under metal” or concrete.

In general, in the photo there were already many different kinds of tables, chairs, shelves. All of them have a few common features: simple shapes, dim colors.

Спальня

Loft style in the bedroom is the most “sick” topic. In idea, the bedroom should be open. But few people agree to such experiments. Otherwise – the walls (or one wall) of rough processing, on the floor – a carpet and a chic bed. Of the furnishings everything. If you need a closet, it can hide behind the door, which against the background of the wall can be and unnoticeable.

This interior has a touch of bohemianism. Again, most of the furnishings are from the flea market. But, remembering our recent past, this style is unlikely to be widely popular. Neoloft is more suited to even the most extravagant personalities.

Кухня

Another difficult to design a corner of the apartment. In the “original” version it was a small cubbyhole with a stove, sink, refrigerator and a small table, which could be called “dining” with a stretch. But, our realities are seriously different, and the kitchen in most apartments – one of the most favorite places. Therefore, even in the “industrial” environment it is given a solid place.

All the signs of style are there: simple forms of furniture, open communications, pendant lights and a table on powerful metal legs. Even the refrigerator has an unusual look – the doors are flat, painted under the “old metal”.

But such a kitchen is only a special order, and in everything, down to the last detail. It costs a lot of money, and look such equipment will be only in a large room. Therefore, often when decorating an apartment in the loft style, the kitchen is equipped in the style of minimalism or high-tech. They, as we know, quite well coexist in the same interior.

Bathroom

Any style is multifaceted, and loft – no exception. For some reason it is especially acute in the bathroom: too different approaches to the same task. For example, in the photo below – this is only a formal fulfillment of the requirements of the style: simple flat shapes of plumbing fixtures, the same simple plafonds, restrained color scheme. Only a light patina of style, which, however, clearly guessed.

In another variant, you can see and such a design, as in the photo below. The complete opposite and a non-standard approach. I do not know how about such an interior in the apartment, but at the dacha many, I believe, such an idea will like. In any case, it makes you smile and look closely and is definitely memorable.

Loft style in the interior: photo

Such an unusual combination of opposites awakens fantasy, makes you look at many familiar things in a new way. And to white a lot of ideas, below are collected some interesting interiors and fragments that may be useful.