Guest Blogger: How to Decorate your Industrial Loft

Guest Blogger +1K, Entry #2770, August 21, 2013

There is a lot that goes into living in the city, but possibly one of the most commons things people think about when they consider urban life is the industrial loft. Lofts are typically repurposed industrial buildings, which means that they have an inherent factory feel. By playing into the modern feel and adding some cozy touches, you can bring the dream of city living to reality. However, such a wide open space can be challenging to decorate. Here are a few tips on how to manage.

Try adding vintage modern loft ideas to your home

Image via: William Draper Cabinetmaker

Bedding

It’s fairly rare to find a full headboard in an industrial loft. Most designers choose to let the mattress stand alone on the box spring, which is often lower than what you would find in more traditional bedrooms. One option is to let natural materials contrast with the industrious feel, and pick out a visible wooden platform. You could also opt for a more streamlined approach and use your bedding to cover the platform-less box spring. If you still want some semblance of a headboard, why not paint one? HGTV suggests using an accent wall behind the bed to add a jolt of energy to the space. Or you could install shelves above the bed to create a visual headboard – just be sure to install them high enough that you won’t bump your head!

Decorate your urban loft with these decorative ideas

Image via: Jamestown

Floors

The flooring in an industrial loft can be chilly. After all, it’s unlikely that the building was originally designed for residents. Similarly, unless a wall-to-wall carpet was installed prior to your moving in, the floors are likely bare. Since it’s such a large space, try using a collection of area rugs in various plush textures. This allows the edgy raw flooring to peek through while separating and warming each section of the loft. For a fun and casual look, go for different styles of carpet in fresh patterns and arrange them so they appear less-than-perfectly arranged.

Color scheme

The color scheme is what will truly define the tone of your loft. If you choose white, it will open the space up and make it airy, but will risk making it look too large. If you paint gray, you run the chance of it looking too industrial. The important thing in a space like this is to make sure you’re giving yourself enough room to vary either the textures, the colors or both. For a really cozy look, let hardwood floors be mainly exposed, keep the walls white and allow the furniture, carpeting and artwork to fill up the visual space.

Use accessories to decorate your urban loft

Image via: Peter Molick

Accessories

In a loft, you will likely face some problems with shades. The windows are rarely sized to fit factory made curtains, so your best bet is to opt for custom window treatments. Luckily, discount blinds and shades are available so you can get all the class of a perfectly fitted curtain or shade without the giant price tag. To keep the space from looking spooky, make sure to let in as much natural light as possible, and have a solid system for when the sun goes down. In other words, make sure lamps and light switches are easily accessed, so you’re not stumbling around the huge floor plan in the dark. To separate areas, especially around your bed, consider suspending drapes from the ceiling. Since the walls are probably tall, you don’t have to have floor to ceiling drapes. Simply hang regular sized ones so that the bottoms brush the floor, but the space above is left open.

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