The avant-garde loft style has gained tremendous popularity among city dwellers in recent years. The combination of space and functionality inherent in this style provides a comfortable urban living experience. In this article, we will explore how to give an ordinary kitchen a loft-like feel.
Key features of the loft style
Lofts were originally attic spaces above factories and industrial plants. These small rooms were first inhabited by poor artists, musicians, and writers who couldn’t afford proper housing. But times have changed, and now, half a century later, loft apartments in former industrial buildings are purchased by the most affluent individuals, and this design style is considered elite and bohemian.
Given its unusual history, the loft style is easy to distinguish from its competitors. Imagine the interior of an abandoned factory with its bare walls, beams, support columns, exposed pipes and wires, and simple concrete floor. Instead of workstations in this gloomy interior, simple utilitarian objects of daily life should appear: a sofa, a table, a wardrobe, and a few surrealistic paintings.
In a loft, there is always a lot of metal, and the decoration predominates with brick, concrete, and weathered wood. Former non-residential spaces have high ceilings, large windows that allow plenty of natural light, and large doorways that characterize them. The loft style reflects all of these features in one way or another, but its main feature is maximum free space. Perhaps city dwellers who are tired of cramped spaces find this design style appealing due to its casual openness.
Color solutions for a loft-style kitchen
Before decorating a kitchen, it is important to determine the color palette that will be used. For the loft style, an achromatic range is often chosen, with splashes of textures like rust, red brick, and wood.
White kitchen
A pure snow-white shade will give the kitchen interior a fresh and neat appearance. You can paint cabinets, countertops, and furniture in the dining area entirely or partially with this color.
Silicate brickwork is often present on the walls, sometimes with whitewash directly on top of it. Loft ceilings are almost always white, which visually makes them higher. In small spaces, it makes sense to use this color for the floor as well.
Gray kitchen
Metal is the most natural environment for an industrial interior. All shades of gray, from mirrored polished steel to dark matte graphite, will be appropriate in a loft. Thanks to the neutrality of this color, it can be mixed in any proportions and applied to any surfaces.
Black kitchen
Charcoal black, which should be used moderately in other interiors, is perceived organically and easily in a loft. It is perfect for large spaces, making them complete. Dark furniture, appliances, and tinted glass will perfectly complement this somewhat brutal kitchen design.
Wood color
A characteristic feature of loft interior design is old solid wood furniture, ceiling beams, and sometimes even a plank floor. Unvarnished cabinet fronts, as well as other elements with the characteristic pattern of wood grain, will transform a cold industrial interior into a cozy and homely one.
Brown kitchen
The ochre-brown color of burnt clay is an integral attribute of brick walls. In old buildings, where each rectangle was manually formed over a hundred years ago, the brickwork is intentionally left free of plaster to see its original appearance in all its glory.
Materials and finishes for the kitchen
In the 20th century and even today, industrial spaces were not famous for their elegance. They designed hastily constructed walls, economical flooring, and basic furniture only for working conditions, not for beauty or comfort. Although natural materials were once easily accessible and highly valued, they can always be replaced with new building innovations.
Flooring
The classic loft style features concrete floors, which were ubiquitous in factories, and neutral solid wood parquet, varnished or enamel painted. But there are other variations.
Kitchen floors can be covered with tiles or ceramic tiles imitating grey stone; laid with linoleum; or made with a poured floor. Laminate is not recommended for cooking areas as it cannot withstand moisture and will warp.
In small loft kitchens, it is better to choose light-colored floors – white, steel, with a glossy even surface. Parquet laid perpendicular to the window will visually elongate the room.
Walls
When discussing industrial design, the first thing that comes to mind are completely bare walls made of brick (red, white, gray, or black), rough stone, or concrete. They don’t necessarily have to be real – an imitation will do just fine. You can achieve this by using textured ceramic tiles, decorative stone veneer, plastic panels, or vinyl wallpaper.
An innovative idea for decorating a kitchen in the loft style is chalkboard paint. This will result in a black, matte wall that looks like a school chalkboard. It’s easy to draw on with chalk, write notes, recipes, make shopping lists and menus. The surface has a very stylish appearance and you can quickly clean any previous creations off it with a damp sponge. Additionally, chalk won’t leave any scratches on the paint.
Ceiling
In a loft-style kitchen, you can completely forget about finishing the ceiling! Concrete ceiling slabs will fit perfectly into the overall design. If the height of the room allows it, you can complement them with wooden beams, metal lattices, fire extinguishing pipes, and ventilation.
In small kitchens, it is better to level the ceiling, paint it white, or stretch a white PVC film.
Textiles
In industrial interiors, textiles are almost nonexistent. In extreme cases, you can cover windows at night using light-colored white, brown, or beige curtains. Vertical blinds are also occasionally used to enhance the height of the kitchen, as well as roller or Roman shades.
Loft-style kitchen furniture and appliances
Since open space plays a major role in loft interiors, furniture should be as lightweight and inconspicuous as possible. In large rooms, it won’t be difficult to arrange items, and there’s a wider choice of textures. However, when arranging a small kitchen, you’ll need to follow certain rules to visually expand it.
Kitchen set
Kitchen sets for industrial-style interiors usually come in two types – straight and corner. If necessary, you can order a custom design, taking into account the architectural features of the room.
The facades can be made of roughly processed wood, covered with neutral-colored enamel, or laminated film that mimics metal. An interesting finishing option is a stone veneer – a flexible, thin layer of stone that looks like real rock.
For a small kitchen, it’s better to choose a light-colored kitchen set without handles and protruding elements, reaching up to the ceiling.
Dining area
For a loft-style kitchen dining area, simple and compact furniture is suitable. For example, chairs shaped like wireframe crystals, thin A-shaped metal legs, and a wooden, metal, or glass table with rectangular supports.
In a small space, you can replace them with a narrow bar counter-divider and high bar stools.
Storage systems
Unlike most other styles, a spacious loft allows for open shelves, racks, or hooks. This is convenient in its own way since it is easy to see where everything is located.
However, if the kitchen is small, it’s better to hide utensils and groceries behind the cabinet doors. For storing various small items, consider incorporating pull-out drawers, folding and drop-down structures, corner rotating shelves, racks, and magnets. Appliances can be left visible, but it’s preferable to choose them in a consistent style.
Refrigerator
A distinctive feature of a loft-style kitchen interior can be a red retro refrigerator with rounded corners. It will serve as a bright accent, standing out against an achromatic background. For a more subdued design, a modern stainless steel model would be suitable.
Decor and accessories
Loft style doesn’t require any special decorations, but to make the kitchen cozier, you can hang wall clocks and a few paintings by contemporary artists, create chalkboard surface writings, display small indoor plants, stylish dishware, and interesting cutting boards for food preparation.
An open wall space is suitable for an unusual shelf in the shape of a bent pipe. Various vintage items can make a nice addition – a round alarm clock, a kerosene lamp.
Proper lighting in the kitchen
In the loft style, simple lighting options are used, reminiscent of times when electricity was just emerging. Hanging light bulbs with black sockets and no lampshades; black, red, or steel metal chandeliers in the shape of desk lamps; spot LED lights on small brackets; spotlights and tripod lamps – there is a wide range of choices to provide the necessary brightness in the kitchen during the darker hours of the day.
Loft-style kitchens – photos
In the collection below, we have gathered photos of the best designer solutions for loft-style kitchens. These images will help you find interesting ideas for remodeling, see what different types of finishes look like, and decide on the choice of furniture and other interior items.
Small loft-style kitchen design
Loft-style kitchen-living room design
Corner kitchen design in loft style
Loft-style kitchen backsplash
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