Loft style in the interior of a small apartment: tips for decorating

In the forties of the last century, in the United States, which at that time experienced the period of the Great Depression, the economic and industrial recession, people began to occupy the empty buildings of the factories and factories for housing. They had neither the opportunity nor the great desire to change something in these production facilities.

For this reason, many of the elements characteristic of industrial buildings remained unchanged and became the basis of the emerging style. Water and ventilation pipes and unplastered brick walls, ceiling beams with coarse lights hanging from them imperceptibly "flowed" into a new style, which was called a loft. But no matter how hard life was for a person, it is typical for him to decorate and equip his dwelling, and over time people began to create original, stylish and unusual interiors in such apartments.

Features of style

Often, this style is called "attic". This is how it is translated from English. Its characteristic features include the following features:

• Simplicity of the situation.
• High ceilings.
• Minimum partitions (only the bathroom is separated).
• Lack of luxury goods.
• For the zoning of the premises, furniture or movable partitions are used, which should be opaque from below.
• Absence of draperies.
• Wallpaper in the loft style is not used.
• Maximum use of natural light.
• Engineering communications are open - these are loft style elements.
• The abundance of metal is welcomed.

Many fans of loft style, having read its characteristics, will be upset. It is obvious that in a small modern apartment, which is located in a multi-storey building, these requirements will not be met. But do not despair, for modern designers there is nothing impossible.

One-bedroom loft-style apartment can be decorated today, although for the sake of justice it should be said that it will be rather stylization rather than pure style. But this does not disappoint the owners of tiny apartments, dreaming of such an interior.

Style loft in the interior of a small apartment

Today we will consider the two most common options - a studio apartment with high ceilings, but a very small area, and a legendary Khrushchev with ceilings about two and a half meters.

In the first case, modern interiors in the loft style are quite suitable, and you can even increase the area by organizing a sleeper on the newly created second floor. To do this, you need to equip the site, which should be taken to a mark of at least 1.8 meters. Such a reconstruction is possible if the ceilings in the room are not lower than three and a half meters.

Under the site usually equip the office, library or simply organize a recreation area with an armchair and a coffee table. Such a ceiling height allows the finish to be white (standard for loft) or darker. You can use stylized wooden beams to finish the ceilings in such a room. Installed on them, small metal lamps will look organic.

And if the ceilings are low?

Undoubtedly, this option is more difficult to perform, since the free space, which is typical for this style, is limited by the size of tiny little rooms and low ceilings. Therefore, without redevelopment in this situation can not do.

The first thing to do is to get rid of partitions and walls (not bearing). This creates a studio in the loft style. But it is necessary to know that such work must necessarily be coordinated and documented in the city departments of architecture.

If you do not plan such a large-scale reconstruction, then you can limit the demolition of light partitions - built-in closets, pantries, mezzanines, which can often be seen in hallways or tiny corridors between them and kitchens. Such designs make the rooms even more cramped and low. And now let's look at how one or another loft-style room might look like.

Entrance hall

If you live in a brick house, it is better to leave the walls in their original state, but the stitches of the brickwork should be lightened a little, thus emphasizing the structure of the wall. In the old house to restore the brickwork, which for many years plastered, painted, papered, extremely difficult. Therefore, you can use wallpaper in the loft style, simulating brick or stone masonry.

If the walls in the hallway are concrete, then you can use coarse plastering (without finishing the grinding). Typically, the hall - the room is dark, so you can prepare the plaster solution from ordinary (gray) and white cements. Such a composition will somewhat clarify the room.

In small-sized apartments, all designers recommend the ceiling to be painted white, this visually raises them. First of all, it concerns a dark and a small hallway.

What should be the furniture?

In such a hallway, the furnishing must be "Spartan", simple. It can be a wooden bedside table without any frills in the form of twisted handles, polished surfaces, etc. and a mirror installed on the floor.

For lighting suitable for the most simple hanging ceiling lights and sconces. It is desirable that they are made of metal. It should be noted that the loft style in the interior of a small apartment, and the hallway in particular, does not provide for hanging on the walls of any objects. An exception can only be an open shelf of a simple form.

Living room

A brick wall in loft style is an indispensable element of this style. In the living room, at least one of them should be framed. To decorate other walls you can use textured plaster.

It is desirable that the floor in the small living room is wooden. You can use a floor covering that simulates concrete or stone. They fit in this style and porcelain tiles, and single-colored tiles.

Window decoration

It is known that the windows in industrial buildings differ from residential by their large sizes. In the old Khrushchev they are standard, and they can not be increased. But to increase them visually, perhaps by ordering frames with vertical imposts. Better if the loft-style windows are wooden, since there should not be plastic in such an interior.

Curtains are not recommended. Windows remain free of any textiles. You can only use horizontal blinds, dropping them only in the evening and at night, and in the afternoon they fold over the window.

We select furniture

The style of the loft in the interior of a small apartment is attractive for many young people in that you can use a variety of furniture in the room: both in color and in size. If you liked the big sofa "under the skin", then add to it one armchair, floor lamp and TV - and the room is furnished.

It is very important that the furniture is not adjacent to the walls. In the loft style, this is a must. The distance to the walls must be at least thirty centimeters.

Room in the loft style should not have in its interior more than two colors-companions. For example, they can become black and white, sand and brown, which are later played with different shades. A few bright accents can only be textiles - a small mat at the couch, decorative cushions on it.

Bedroom

For interior decoration in the loft style, the bedroom uses cold natural colors, with light shades predominant. A small bedroom will look more spacious, thanks to the contrast of shades. Most commonly used are:

• gray;
• white;
• Red (individual elements);
• dark brown;
• Blue (accessory).

Furniture in the style of a loft for a bedroom is selected in accordance with certain rules. Interior items should be as multifunctional as possible and at the same time embody the most original and bold design ideas.

The bed must necessarily be made of metal. Fabric upholstery is allowed. You can choose a completely wooden model. But in this case the wood should not be covered with varnish. In such a bedroom is allowed a minimum amount of furniture:

• Capacious wardrobe;
• a large bed;
• Curbstone.

The bed is installed near the wall, with elements of unfinished finishes. The rest of the furniture is placed chaotically. As a rule, interior objects become bright accents against the background of light walls.

Textile

Even such an ascetic style as a loft does not do without textiles. True, it is limited to its minimum amount. We have already said that the curtains are not welcome in this case, so the textiles are presented only with a blanket on the bed and linen. Can be used and carpet on the floor, but a small, saturated bright color.

Kitchen

The main task in the design of a small kitchen in the loft style is to create the most functional space in a limited space. When the shape of the kitchen and its area are not a matter of your pride, you need to use some design tricks that will help visually and functionally, at least slightly, change the space.

It is important to pay attention to the proper zoning, which is achieved not only with the help of furniture, but also thanks to the competently chosen color of the walls. For kitchen in loft style, its maximum illumination and furniture arrangement is very important.

Many believe that the kitchen in loft style is dark and gloomy. But this is a delusion. Today, designers prove the opposite, creating kitchens in warm and light colors. Often in the interior next to the brick wall you can see glossy white tiles and textiles in calm tones.

But most experts in the field of design are sure that in a small apartment the kitchen should be combined with the living room. In this case, they recommend to equip the kitchen in the most inconspicuous place and to play it unusually. So you can visually expand the space. For example, in the living room to make a wooden floor, and for the kitchen area - from the tiles. Practice proves that kitchen-living room in loft style is the most profitable solution for owners of modestly sized apartments.

In a small loft kitchen there should be a lot of household appliances, and among them there should be both modern models and rare samples. For example, an old plate can coexist with the latest model of a refrigerator with a built-in computer.

Bathroom and toilet

And these rooms should be designed as simply as possible. But if you take into account their size in small apartments, it becomes clear that the owners will not be able to afford any excesses simply.

In these rooms it is undesirable to use a bright tile with a pattern. To the style of the loft is more suitable monochrome or white-black mosaic, not having a clear picture. Many glass and metal are welcome. The sink can be made of stainless steel. Excellent complement the chrome-plated interior of the large heated towel rail.

Plumbing, even modern, should be simple forms. Bath - always on the legs.

The advantages of style

As you can see, the loft style in the interior of a small apartment, being, in fact, minimalistic, allows you to rationally organize the available space. But it does not become lifeless and cold. Lovers bring bright accents to the interior of their house and original loft solutions allow you to experiment, to show imagination, perhaps more than any other interior direction. Therefore, if you love strange, and sometimes ambiguous accessories, surreal paintings, sculptures of scrap metal, then go for it: the loft is your style.