The concept and techniques of finishing in the loft style

Recommendation points

• What is Loft
• Style business cards
• Lighting
• Furniture and Attributes
• Typical finishing techniques

The “Loft” style is considered one of the leading trends in modern interior decoration. Quite often, this name is understood as some kind of mixed style, however, thanks to the review on the site, you will learn about the characteristic features of the industrial style, its goals and objectives.

What is Loft

The name “Loft” comes from the English word Loft (Attic) and brings together a group of premises that originally had an industrial purpose, but converted for other purposes – trade, living or creating an office with a colorful design. As a rule, the reorganization of the upper floors of industrial centers was carried out in a similar vein, where there was no decorative decoration as such. The view of bare building structures has become the hallmark of the Loft style.

While it may seem that the concept is based on quite simple principles, the concept of Loft is broader than it might seem. It combines not only visual and stylistic components, but also a number of functional features. The Loft style owes its appearance to the revitalism movement, the main goal of which is to breathe a second life into unused properties. Thus, the loft is a whole movement with well-defined and, importantly, constructive tasks..

Separately, it is worth considering the neo-loft phenomenon – the use of characteristic materials and finishing techniques in order to imitate the original concept. In this case, the loft does not have to be the upper tier of the building, it can be either an ordinary one-story house, or a separate room in a building of any type and purpose. It is this direction of interior design that is implied when it comes to industrial or industrial-urban style, while Loft takes a much more isolated position..

Style business cards

1. Almost complete absence of decorative finishes. Premises used for production purposes are settled on the “as is” principle without leveling the walls with plaster or drywall. To give hygroscopic materials increased performance is allowed by simple painting or varnishing.
2. Open laying of communications. When dealing with a loft, you should not be embarrassed by the type of ventilation ducts, pipes of the fire extinguishing system, channels for electrical wiring.
3. Use of structural elements as they are. Most of the structural elements and equipment of an industrial facility remain in the interior, including metal stairs, handrails, crane beams.
4. Untreated rough ceiling. Steel, wood beams or trusses are perhaps the most characteristic features of the industrial style. The seamy side of the roofing cake also remains unchanged.
5. Open studio layout. The division of space is allowed only by formal and translucent partitions; it is common to use all available methods of visual zoning of the interior. Many ideas can be found in articles on the site about zoning and furniture, sliding partitions and dozens of other zoning options..
6. The use of authentic materials: no plastic, chrome and stucco, only metal, wood and stone.
7. Lack of bright colors: pastel and faded shades, gray, brown and brick colors prevail in the loft, restrained and natural combinations.

Lighting

The interior style of the loft stems from the industrial urban areas of the United States of the middle of the last century. These objects are characterized by large dimensions and a peculiar organization of natural lighting. Let us explain with the example of skyscrapers: these buildings have panoramic glazing to let in maximum daylight. There are no problems with the lighting of peripheral rooms, but so that the luminous flux can penetrate into the core of the tower, it is zoned with transparent partitions or left free space under the ceiling.

The same tendencies are characteristic of the loft: wide windows to the floor, a single translucent room, divided into functional zones. Capital partitions in the loft limit bathrooms, bedrooms and utility rooms, while almost all living space is a united territory.

There are peculiarities in the organization of artificial lighting. The main light is represented by directional sources: spotlights or lamps with deflectors, the body material is necessarily metal, ideally the lamps should be copper or brass. Despite the fact that the lighting technology is very diverse and numerous, artificial light cannot be called bright: due to the main line, a soft filling stream is created, while a comfortable level of illumination in various zones is achieved by using local sources: floor lamps, sconces, table lamps.

Furniture and Attributes

It is impossible to create a unique loft entourage without the use of special paraphernalia. It is quite easy to understand the specifics of filling the interior: imagine that an industrial building was bought at a bargain price and, nevertheless, there was only a minimum of funds left for its arrangement. Therefore, all the utensils in the house are purchased at flea markets and garage sales..

In the interior of the loft, old, but well-groomed and solid things look most harmoniously. Large upholstered armchair with noble scuffs on leather upholstery, antique wooden writing table, retro-style tea table, soft carpet with high terry pile.

Steampunk is the main style of paraphernalia that goes well with the loft. Old cast iron radiators, steel pipes with cast threaded fittings, exposed wiring on insulators, visible ventilation ducts – anything that hints at industrial manufacturability will be appropriate in a loft or neo-loft style interior.

A characteristic feature of the loft is a large area of ​​walls with a uniform type of finish. By itself, such a coating looks boring; in order to effectively emphasize the appearance, the use of posters is very common. Their topics are very diverse – from old films, collages and advertising signs to rare posters, industrial and propaganda posters.

Items that demonstrate good quality, solidity and some kind of rudeness by their appearance also look attractive. In the loft, blinds with wide slats, massive candelabra and clothes hangers, tables and chairs made of solid wood, a ceiling fan with thick wooden blades, steel ventilation grates look good.

Typical finishing techniques

Despite the fact that the Loft style represents a whole concept and philosophy, which has a much deeper meaning than the visible aesthetic shell, nothing prohibits the use of certain finishing techniques to give your home a special flavor.

Elements of supporting structures. Since open beams or roof rafters serve as one of the main business cards of a loft, in their absence, pseudo-bearing structures are assembled. Wood must be chosen of good quality and artificially aged by roasting or brushing. The creation of columns is simple – using structures from gypsum plasterboard.

Fake communications. As a rule, they are placed under the ceiling, simply by mounting pipes of various sections or metal hoses. Particularly impressive in high rooms are the gray-painted pipes of the fire extinguishing system with red sprinklers, the suspension of lamps on strings by the industrial method, the installation of radiators and fans that simulate the air conditioning system.

Imitation of brickwork or rough plaster. The idea here is the same: if the wall covering does not correspond to the loft concept, an industrial look is imitated with the help of textured plaster. The walls can be made to look like brick by using special finishing panels or by leaving stencil prints on a fresh plaster. The appearance of untreated concrete can be recreated using conventional cement plaster, which is ironed after application.

Patination. The presence of traces of industrial anti-corrosion treatment on steel elements will emphasize the industrial style. This effect can be achieved using paints with a patina effect or chemical copper plating on steel surfaces..

Rough wood paneling. Laminate and MDF panels printed with a set of drawer boards, including embossed panels, serve as the easiest way to recreate an industrial atmosphere.