12 Luminous Lofts That Pull Off the Industrial Look
Lofts and live/work spaces evoke the bohemian lifestyle of the city-dwelling creative. Often industrial in flavor with open floor plans, lofts allow their inhabitants to wake up paces from their workspace and indulge "aha" moments mid-morning routine. The template is perfect for a bespoke blend of work and home life.
This kind of freedom has had broad appeal, inspiring some to carve out homes in atypical places. From the Dwell Magazine archives, we bring you myriad iterations of the modern loft.
1. A 17th-Century Paris Loft
Author and French designer Daniel Rozensztroch's industrial loft was a 17th-century manufacturing plant in the Marais, a historic district that abuts the Bastille. A row of vintage iron cabinets, mostly recovered from doctors’ and dentists’ offices, separate the kitchen from the dining area. The Gervasoni table was designed by close friend Paola Navone. Architect Dominique Perrault and designer Gaëlle Lauriot-Prévost are responsible for the the tubular pendants over the dining table, which resemble old subway lamps.
Morten Bo Jensen, the chief designer at Vipp—whose headquarters are located in Islands Brygge—and his partner, graphic designer Kristina May Olsen, bought a loft space in the former Viking pencil factory in 2011. They bought the loft from its previous owner, one of five investors who purchased the circa-1910 factory building, roughly a decade ago, in a very raw state.
Beverly O’Mara, an artist and teacher, and Mark Uriu, owner of a residential painting and finishing company, needed a place to work from home. So, in 2014 the couple embarked on transforming a 2,700-square-foot loft located in an 1890 Wells Fargo horse-and-carriage facility in Jersey City, New Jersey, into a flexible art studio and residence.
Shop the Look
Offi Mag Table
The multifunctional Mag Table (1999) serves as a table or stool that holds magazines in its "elbow." And that’s not all this hybrid furniture form can do – position it vertically, so it’s standing on its narrow end, and it works as a laptop stand you can use when you’re seated. A continuous sheet of molded birch plywood forms this bentwood table. The wood veneer or white laminate surface is durable and easy to maintain. The Mag Table offers an inexpensive yet distinctive solution for home or office; use it next to a bed or sofa, or as a compact workstation for computing. Made in Latvia. Photo Courtesy of Design Within Reach
Related Reading: 8 Examples That Show How Loft Living Goes Beyond Just NYC
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