Wednesday, April 8

Lofty Life.

I continue with my recent fascination with loft living. I've been keeping my eye out for a real loft in the city - not one of those yuppified ones popping up all over certain parts of the city. I want a real one, with some exposed brick and beams! I want one with those big windows looking out over the city at night with all those sparkling lights waving back at me. Loft Life Magazine keeps tempting me, sending me these images of lofts from all over the world and it just puts fuel on my fire. I discovered a link on the Loft Life site to a location scouting company that specializing in loft spaces, Inspace Locations, and oh my what beauties they have in their stable! Take a look at these amazing loft spaces and tell me you don't find the attraction of living in such simple, yet stylish elegance!















37 comments:

mrs boo radley said...

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm. They're all heavenly.

Anna @ D16 said...

I used to live in a "real loft" in Red Hook (Brooklyn). It was in an old luggage factory. The building had been divided into apartment spaces with VERY basic kitchen and bathroom areas (really just made out of surplus building materials), but beyond that, there was nothing -- no walls, no lighting, no closets, no built-out areas, just totally raw space. Nothing like the finished spaces in these photos (which to me actually do look "yuppified"!! ...but gorgeous).

It was overwhelming, to be honest. I think if we'd had the resources to be able to hire an architect and/or a builder we could have come up with something great, but without the cash to do that, it started to wear on us very heavily after a while. 30-foot ceilings can feel oppressive when you can't reach them to hang a light fixture (!) or when you have to hire someone to hang sailcloth curtains because the top of the window is 25 feet off the ground. Everything was a struggle.

I still feel sort of sad about the whole experience. If I were to do it all over again, I would look for a loft space that had already been built out and designed for human living. There's something to be said for living a little bit like a yuppie. ;)

Jane Flanagan said...

Gorgeous. Love every last one!

sfgirlbybay said...

Oh shoot, Anna...you mean I have to be 'practical'? ;)

You're probably right...I just didn't want one of those boxes with a set of stairs up to a bed loft area. I guess I just love the dramatic look of these and what you see in films...my friend had a loft and was always freezing! You may be right that it takes money to make these look really fabulous!! Thanks for the experienced, insider scoop! :)

Anonymous said...

i really want a live/work loft space in the future. is there any article or pictures on bayarea artists' live/work space? if so, i would love to see them.

Toshimi said...

oh how i wish i lived in a loft too

Studioayse said...

I have been looking at these pictures for minutes and I couldn't decide which one my favorite is, all of them are fantastic, thanks for sharing!

Laura. said...

oh, so beautiful. and reading about the city lights in s.f. just makes me miss the city so much more than a normal day.

Faith Towers Photography said...

These amazing spaces make my apartment seem so claustrophobic. There is something so simple and elegant about one large room with so much light streaming in. But I do see Anna at D16's point - the larger the space, the larger the art, furniture, and decorative elements have to be. But I don't know if that's enough to convince me not to get one....

Victoria Thorne said...

the whole post is tempting and sparkling...a loft in the city would be grand, esp. sweet little SF. hope it works out...will keep checking...

yvonne said...

Those bright, airy spaces are breathtaking. Makes me feel like knocking out a few walls in my house!

Kelly said...

a real live brick and timber to call home...a dream come true in my book...I often wonder if us West Coasters pine for that aesthetic so much because its nearly impossible to acquire due to those pesky earth shaking moments.

BonBon Rose Girls Kristin said...

Beautiful! I continue to dream of living in a loft from my suburban Florida house. Sigh.

Christine--RHP said...

oh--if I lived in a city again, I think I'd HAVE to live like this--something huge and spacious---but with some sort of outdoor space to garden....

..but I don't know if I'll ever leave the desert. HA!

jamieofalltrades said...

I think about moving into a loft but I can never decided if I'd really miss walls. Funny to think about missing walls. Ha!

Anonymous said...

I love the rustic room with the red furniture. I always do love rustic like decor but I don't decorate that way. =]

Dumbo said...

oh, great! i'm always trying to stop my daydreaming obsession about LOFTS and look what I've found here! My boyfriend is gonna hate you!!!
:)

AnNicole@Our Suburban Cottage said...

Beautiful lofts! I LOVE that armoire in the 2nd photo. Ahhh...it's so fun to dream.

Cupcakes and Cashmere said...

wow, that first image is magical. would you be interested in trading links? xo

Diana said...

dibs on your place if you move!

Joanna said...

Interesting insight into the practicalities of loft living. Thanks, Anna at D16!

Sherry said...

You will find just the right one when you least expect it. We are thinking about converting an old bank building, vault and all.

RNA said...

the first one. wow! I'm currently on a loft hunt in Chicago. It is so frustrating to find the best of both worlds.

Waxy said...

very nice! the circle windows are awesome!

saddleshoos said...

I'm loving these photographs and the decor. Gimme!

Kia said...

Wow! These look awesome! Loft live seem like a lot of fun

Hello Lindello said...

Love the first one. I would keep my loft simple and chic (If I had one!). It would also have a fancy crystal chandelier. I think elegance mixed in with industrial is neat.

RLMEnglish said...

I love the potential for lofts to house HUGE accessories and way oversized furniture. My father lived briefly in a loft in downtown Atlanta and even as a 13 year-old I knew it was not space well-used. He'd kept all of his small apartment furnishings and everything above about eye level just looked naked and unappreciated. I would love to live in a loft now, but my suburban town doesn't really afford that luxury. *jealous*

Meghan said...

Beautiful.

Joanna Lee said...

May I live there, please? Especially the one with the pink couch! How heavenly!

Tracy Lorna Nors said...

Maybe I'll try loft city living next! I dream about 30ft high ceilings! Thanks victoria for the marvelous inspiration.

Sus said...

"I shoulda lived in a loft in my 20s" is right up there with "I oughta be blogging on a MAC and driving a beat-up Volvo" for me. Ah.

Sarah Bradley said...

Although enticing I think I would feel overwhelmed with the decorating. The lack of structure and large scale of the rooms would feel overwhelming. But, these do make it look enticing.

Laura said...

I love using spaces for purposes other than they were originally intended. When I was a kid, I used to fantasize about living in the Metropolitan Museum of art.

I just went to the open house for a church that has been converted to condos (in Brooklyn). I posted pics on my blog.

Anonymous said...

I just landed a great raw loft over here in the East Bay after searching for years in the city. SF lofts are indeed yuppie-fied what with the box size and the over the top pricing... but it is SF I guess. Seriously, check out some amazing raw lofts across the bridge in Emeryville or even west Oakland. I have yet to figure out how to use the thousands of square feet space but we're planning the design in stages and will try photographing it as we go. I am a professional artist and will be entertaining a lot of my clients here both local and international.

sfgirlbybay said...

deedee - thanks for sharing this info. i'd been considering that option as well!

PeppermintDaydreams said...

that massive hook holding the swing/chair, is ridiculously amazing!