The loft style is becoming increasingly popular not only among owners of large areas and country houses, but also those whose apartments cannot boast of large dimensions. Loft style is a combination of tradition and new. Plastered or painted brick walls remain traditional; by “new” we mean modern materials. But the main feature of this style remains open layouts, the absence of partitions in the room, high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows.
One of the most common and modern styles of interior design is “loft”.
Basic color scheme for a loft-style living room
The advantage of this style is considered to be the complete absence of standards. When choosing a color to decorate your living room, you should focus on your own preferences. The most unexpected colors are allowed, such as red wine, black or blue. The use of gloomy and even gloomy shades is due to the fact that “loft” translated from English means “attic”. Light colors are used to create accents.
The ability to combine unusual decorative elements with familiar things makes this style truly original and universal.
The most widely used colors are:
- Loft-style living room: the most common option for decorating in gray shades. A room where three walls are painted gray and one, for example, blue, looks very impressive.
The emergence of the loft design was associated with the liberation of vast areas of former factory and production premises.
- Yellow or orange look impressive against a brown background. The ideal solution for such a space would be furniture made from wood.
Previously, this design was used only in public places, but then it was chosen by representatives of creative professions.
- Beige and cream colors are ideal for decorating a room. Loft furniture in a pleasant coffee color will soften the interior of the living room.
Nowadays this design can be found in small offices, living rooms, and offices.
- Using yellow color is suitable for people with creative thinking.
A distinctive feature of the space design is the desire to create an environment similar to an industrial space.
- Black color is great for large spaces. However, overdoing it can make the room look overly gloomy.
Ordinary apartments do not have large areas or panoramic windows, but here you can also create a unique design.
- White color is considered traditional in the design of a small living room. Snow-white ceilings and walls visually expand the space, making it light and free.
The correct arrangement of furniture and the presence of elements used in industrial design allow you to plunge into an atmosphere of comfort, coziness, and creative originality.
Methods and materials for decorating a living room in a loft style
Floorboards or laminate are most suitable for loft-style flooring. These materials are the best solution to emphasize the minimalism characteristic of this style. It is allowed, but much less frequently, to use stone or decorative tiles to decorate the floor. For the baseboards, solid wood is used, painted in appropriate colors. This move allows you to achieve unity of space.
Much attention is paid to the functionality of the room, the ability to change something at any time, without thereby spoiling the overall “picture”.
To visually expand the space of a loft-style living room in an apartment where dark shades predominate, the ceiling is painted dazzling white. But to follow the original idea of this style, many designers leave the ceilings untouched.
In the loft style there are no strict rules or restrictions, which gives freedom to implement the most daring ideas.
When decorating walls in a loft style, it is important not to forget that the decoration should be as simple as possible. They can be painted with white paint, but a more interesting solution would be to preserve the brick walls without decorative finishing. A brick wall can not only emphasize the uniqueness of the interior, but also zone the space. An alternative to brick walls would be plastic panels that imitate the pattern and structure of brick, wooden boards or vinyl wallpaper with an antique effect.
A characteristic feature is the combination of modern and old-fashioned furniture.
Loft living room, concrete walls painted in warm shades look appropriate here: ivory, pearl gray.
Furniture can be made of various materials, for example, leather, wood, metal.
Important! When choosing concrete walls, it is important not to overdo it. Unlike brick, which many associate with warmth and comfort, concrete creates a cold and monotonous atmosphere.
To increase space, it is better to limit yourself to the most necessary items, a small amount of decor in the form of modern paintings.
Finishing features
Designing a living room in the Loft style may seem like a simple task. As such, there will be little or no finishing.
Everything should remind you that the space was industrial, warehouse, attic, and should be designed with this concept in mind.
Brick walls are not plastered, or rough, without leveling.
The floor is concrete or wood.
The ceiling is high, unpainted.
All kinds of communications - electrical wiring boxes, ventilation and water pipes are in plain sight, not hidden, not disguised.
On the contrary, they can be emphasized, highlighted even more strongly against the general background.
An important attribute is the construction of a fireplace or any other hearth, imitation of them with photo wallpaper or plastic panels.
You can install a potbelly stove or build a wood-burning stove out of brick, which will also highlight the specific features of the Loft style.
In the design process, it is important to correctly combine modern and classic, rough and elegant. Straightness of forms, deliberate aging, roughness are specific features of the style that must be taken into account in everything - both in the finishing of coverings and in the selection of furniture.
In the apartment you can use modern plastic panels and photo wallpapers with imitation of brick walls, fireplace, hearth and wooden boards. It is better to make the floor warm. Leave the ceiling high and inaccessible. It can be casually painted with chalk or lime. Or roughly clean the plaster completely and leave it in its original bare form.
It is important that the roughness of the walls, floor, ceiling, and the presence of “decorative cracks and potholes” remain in place and are not smoothed out by anything.
Decorative elements and accessories
Decorative elements are not alien to the urban style. The design of the loft living room makes extensive use of stone products, carved elements, and souvenirs. However, small figurines or sentimental items will look ridiculous in such an interior. A beautiful solution for a loft living room would be large artistic photographs, large paintings in the style of pop art or abstraction, and large floor vases.
The color scheme should contain more light tones.
For a living room where a man lives, a bicycle, bike or other masculine items that form a garage loft would be an excellent solution.
In the design of a small living room, special attention is paid to surface coating and finishing.
Furniture selection
Pieces of furniture for a loft-style living room are often characterized by gigantism. Its characteristic feature is brevity and simplicity. Extra details, carving elements or floristry are alien to her.
By adhering to the characteristics of the loft style, you can get a result that exceeds all, even the most daring, expectations.
In the living room, furniture is arranged in islands, each of which has a specific functional load. The center of the room is a sofa, which can be of any color, and a TV. Colors are selected in accordance with the main color scheme.
The right project allows you to create the desired environment in almost any area.
Note! Furniture is never placed along the walls.
It is better to leave many surfaces in their original form, slightly leveling them and covering them with a special varnish.
Style Features
The main principle of the loft style is freedom. Using this style in decorating a living room provides many opportunities for creative implementation. You can make furniture and decor for the living room yourself. By giving up expensive and unnecessary decorative elements, you can not only save on decorating your living room, but also get a stylish modern interior.
If you properly organize and decorate the living room space in a loft style, you can get a cozy room for receiving guests and relaxing, both in a standard apartment and in a large private house. A studio apartment with a non-standard layout is perfect for implementing this idea.
The characteristic features of the style are:
- A combination of vintage elements with modern materials and decorations;
- Possibility of combining a kitchen or bedroom with a combined living room in a loft style;
- A large amount of light and free, uncluttered space;
- Imitation or use of existing brickwork;
- Active use of glass and metal in combination with wood;
- The apparent incompleteness and carelessness of the interior is achieved by visible traces of plaster, ventilation pipes brought outside, unhidden wires, etc.;
- Minimalism in decor, furniture and decoration is also inherent in this style;
- The use of various niches, spiral metal staircases;
- Industrial design elements.
Lighting in the living room in loft style
One of the main characteristics of loft style design is the lighting of the space. Often these are huge windows from floor to ceiling, this is the absence of curtains or curtains that prevent light from entering the room. Large windows are the main source of light.
A classic of the loft style is to create the impression of unfinished renovation.
The lamps are characterized by a simple and understandable form. Many models are made of metal and glass. Designers often choose high-tech style lamps to decorate living rooms. Lamps on cable systems look impressive as ceiling lighting. Light bulbs hanging from wires, rotating spotlights, and spots will provide high-quality lighting for the living room. An interesting solution would be a lamp where a frame made of welded metal rods is used as a lampshade.
Thanks to the presence of original items, an atmosphere of freedom, creativity, and comfort is created.
Additional lighting is provided by wall lamps installed between the window openings in the hallway area. Spotlights and stage lighting equipment are often used.
The color scheme is selected individually depending on the surface area covered by the brickwork.
Local lighting is provided by floor lamps and table lamps. A very common technique is table lamps with height-adjustable legs. These look great near the sofa, providing comfortable lighting.
Creating home comfort is as important a goal as the embodiment of all creative ideas.
Loft style in the living room with fireplace
As has been known since ancient times, fire creates a good feeling of comfort. Even our ancient ancestors burned fires and gathered around them in tribes. Thanks to a variety of electric fireplaces, you can even bring a fire (albeit a fake one) into your apartment.
The loft style in the living room of an apartment will become warmer with the installation of a fireplace - it will perform not only a decorative, but also a useful function, especially on long, cold winter evenings. Agree, it’s nice to wrap yourself in a blanket, brew a cup of your favorite tea and not rush anywhere, but enjoy the warmth from the fireplace and relax.
Beautiful examples in the interior, photos
Living room with fireplace. A fireplace fits harmoniously into the design concept of a rather brutal loft style. It can be made in a modern style and have an unusual shape. Elements made of glass or metal are used as decoration. An effective solution would be to install a wrought-iron fireplace, a hearth stylized as a barrel. A retro-style fireplace will look no less interesting in the room.
It is very important to imagine the end result and understand that it will be the most comfortable for living.
Decorating a small room. Here, special attention should be paid to the choice of color. For a small apartment in Khrushchev, you should not use dark colors or a large number of decorative elements. As furniture for such an apartment, designers give preference to simple items. Using just one element, a bright sofa, wall panel or painting, will allow you to create a bright accent in the interior.
A ceiling painted snow-white will visually expand the space and create the illusion of a large room.
Loft in the living room interior is minimalism and naturalness. This is a wide field for imagination, because standard elements can be supplemented with interesting details that will make the apartment unique and create a warm atmosphere in it.
There are various original options in the loft style, allowing you to create your own unique image.
Living room in an apartment and loft style
If the design of a loft in a private house or factory premises has the same criteria and requirements, then in an apartment they are different, since not all of them can be physically met. So, following the tips listed below, it will not be difficult to create an interior in the living room of an apartment in an industrial style.
More: Ideas of bionics in the interior of the living room - imitation of natural objects
In the living room of an apartment, you need to adhere to the rule, which states that the interior should have a minimum of details; clutter in this case is not at all welcome. Because the feeling of lightness will be lost. Furniture can be either light or dark, the main thing is that it matches the floor or walls.
Create contrast in the living room, this can be a combination of wooden furniture and metal legs, and the severity of the overall atmosphere will be softened by armchairs with rounded wooden armrests.
