Loft

A social creature who seems to know everyone, Loft J occupant Jamil Malone has hosted several "alcohol-themed" parties and manages to wedge as many as 20 people into his studio. The gatherings are like gallery openings, with the walls of Malone's apartment displaying a roving selection of locally produced art.

Designer Paola Navone transformed a 200-year-old factory in Umbria into an inviting home for Andrea Falkner-Campi and her husband. Once a tobacco-drying plant, and before that a silkworm farm, the home sits 90 miles north of Rome.

The interior of Met Lofts studio suite #634, designed by Laura Schwartz-Muller, CEO, Founder and Principal of FOUR POINT Design+Construction, Inc.

Concrete stairs leading up to a sleeping loft are illuminated with wall sconces.

Indoor Sunbathing“In the morning, the eastern light comes into the small terrace by the kitchen,” De Smedt says. “If I have work to do at home, which I do a lot, I’ll sit at the dining table and just look out. And in the summer, I’m out on the terrace. On clear nights, I’ll head upstairs. There’s a skylight and you can see the stars. Even in the city, you totally can! The skylight really changes the condition of the interior. If you light that gap in the evening from the outside, it’s as if there is daylight.” The Inconstant Gardener“I have a lot of cacti, which is probably because I don’t have a green thumb,” admits De Smedt of his sculptural flora. Inspired perhaps by his neighbors’ greenhouse just across from his patio, the architect’s next project for the apartment involves turning the terrace into something of an oasis—as long as the plants are hardy. “I have an idea to grow some ivy.”

Melissa and Keith Bishop successfully simplified their 720-square-foot loft space. Photo by: Jake Stangel

The demolition of the upper floor, which had been carved up into many small rooms, revealed an expansive loft with an assortment of old skylights. Bartlett often works on a scale that demands the viewer stand 10 feet back to see it best. When each new piece is ready, it comes up here for the second part of her creative process, further work and viewing. The sofa is a custom plywood piece Bartlett designed for her last home.

Globetrotting Belgian architect Julien De Smedt carves out a space to call his own in a converted industrial loft building in Brussels. Photo by Frederik Vercruysse.

Kartheiser's courtyard also includes a dry sauna with a ceiling made from 2,500 pieces of wood.

The clean lines and, in Loft R's case, balcony with a view of downtown's skyline suit Robert Vanselow's urbane sensibility. "This was spot on," he says.

Futuristic floating stairs lead to the loft’s mezzanine. Throughout the lower level, natural stone was chosen for the flooring, laid at an irregular angle to add visual interest.

One entire wall of the space is dedicated to storage. A simple, clean iron rod shelving system was conceptualized to span the entire wall left to right, and both floors top to bottom. Depending on the location of the storage wall, the nondescript iron grid can be used to house items in the living room, kitchen, library, or bedroom areas.

The main bathroom is only partially separated from the sleeping area by a glass partition. The absence of opaque walls creates a feeling of openness and cohesion in the bright mezzanine space.

Casteñada explains, “Everything starts with an interview that I personally conduct with the owner in order to understand his lifestyle and expectations. The final result needs to satisfy the owner’s lifestyle, dreams and expectations, as well as my firm’s vision and design concepts.”

In New York City, Sarah Zames of General Assembly renovated a Greenwich Village loft originally constructed in 1868. "The client wanted to maximize the efficiency of the space," she says. Zames and her team completely overhauled the space to create a modern haven in bustling Manhattan.

When planning the renovation, the owner gave Standard Studio complete freedom to develop the design. In the unconventional bedroom, the bed sits against a black feature wall, with a prominent freestanding bathtub on the opposite side. In addition to the wood beams, all original windows from the old sugar refinery were preserved, to keep the "soul" of the building intact.

Connected to the kitchen by a flight of stairs, the bar features cohesive custom fittings and furniture by Eginstill. Each living area flows freely into the next, in effort to “make the space as open as possible, just like it used to be when it was a sugar refinery” says van Hulzen. “We wanted to [return] the building to its old glory.”

Takuma strikes a pose from the loft lookout as seen from the second floor. The loft is used for storage as well as a place for some peace and quiet.

“We took away a very thick, heavy staircase that led to the loft, and designed one that had a much lighter look,” Wåhlin says. “The new one, made of steel, looks simple and indeed light—but is in fact super heavy and was a real challenge to construct.”