Urban Lofts


My brother and his new wife are soon to be moving into a beautiful urban loft located in the mid of downtown LA, how much more jealous could I be?!  Then again it would be hard to trade in my organic vegetable and fruit garden for a loft that has no planting space at all.

They were able to secure for themselves an absolutely beautiful and eccentric urban space; concrete flooring, open piping, partial brick walls and all, an all-encompassing fun space to design and decorate as your home.  With this new home of theirs constantly on my mind I looked up a few decorated urban loft spaces that I felt were inspiring.

As much as I like the idea of minimalism and modern themed homes I love too much the feeling of being cocooned and comfortable at home, for me this means rugs, rustic, color, fun, cute, wood, chandeliers... all that makes a space feel homey to me are these things, thus the loft pictured above is more my style.  I love the red on the spiral staircase and the use of rugs throughout, not to mention the teal colored tufted armchairs.


The use of wood is important in the loft pictured above. In terms of the decorating approach the loft is absolutely gorgeous, the use of wood gives the feeling of being grounded and lends an atmosphere of comfort while at the same time there are big proportions of modernism (*ahem, the kitchen area).  And while the loft is largely decorated in the minimal style it positively lacks the coldness of the usual minimal home.


Rugs?  A very important tool for any decorator but more-so with lofts as the rugs have a tendency to look even more exaggerated in this type of space.  The use of a contemporary rug in a loft can amplify the feeling of the modern in the urban loft while opting for a more classic tufted arabian rug can give an immediate feeling of warmth.  Pictured in the loft above is an area rug for a space that is decorated in the minimal contemporary style, not only does the area rug organize the space but also give off the feeling of a lived-in space, all as a result of the color and style of the rug; the perfect way to add a bit of character.


Cement walls and cement floors is almost always the case when moving into an urban loft, this can be seen as quite a hurdle to those who wish for a more comfy style home.  Pictured above is a loft that was transformed into a comfy space.  The large french-style windows, plush sofa and built in wall divider all enhance the general mood to a more contemporary chic space.  The use of lamps and the large amount of seating choices all point to the idea that this is a space you can sit and be comfortable in, that you can spend time in and talk in.  A very good example of allowing your furniture to do the talking for you.

The cement-floored and walled loft pictured below is much more modern and holds tight to the theme of the urban loft, the use of metals and the exposure of the cement floors and walls reiterates this theme beautifully.  Cement, metal, glass, leather are all textures that are modern and it is made sure, in this loft, that these elements are exposed, hence the absence of floor coverings such as rugs and the absence of wall-coverings such as tapestries and pictures.  By using the natural elements already part of the structure the modern and raw-looking loft feels quite natural, simply enhancing the natural (but urban) beauty of the space.



Leaving my favorite to last, the cement floored and brick walled loft.