Loft Living

The Boho Industrial style isn't afraid to bare it all! What might seem flawed to others becomes the Piece de resistance under the artful eye of those with a penchant for loft living. Proudly on display are crossbeams, air conditioning ducts, sprinklers, seemingly unfinished wooden surfaces, exposed brickwork and more. There's something oddly comforting and alluring about this brazen display of what everyone is at pains to conceal! An edgy yet mature sensibility and an unpretentious approach to innovative decor choices typify the Boho Industrial home.

Boho Industrial: Bare It All

The Boho Industrial style is effortlessly cool in its upcycled charm, wearing its rough edges with unpretentious elan. What started out as an industrious way to make the most of suddenly empty loft spaces, factories, warehouses and cellars, as industries moved out of city centers in the 1940s, now finds its way into enviable modern homes and luxuriously spacious apartments.The movement came into its own in 1970s New York and experienced a resurgence at the turn of the century. Today loft living and industrial style is firmly entrenched as a subculture. One that's committed to creating functional, unassuming, yet uber stylish homes and commercial venues.

Boho Industrial spaces have emerged in cities around the world, often home to the arts and clubbing scene. Take Athens' Gazi district that once housed the city's gasworks. Today, you'll find cafes, restaurants, and art galleries; the tall brick chimney at Technopolis at the center of it all. Berlin's Privat Club is another Boho Industrial haven that is home to a club that echoes with the sounds of indietronic and ska music. A far cry from the space that once witnessed nothing more exciting than sacks of letters waiting to be sorted and franked, in its erstwhile post office avatar. Closer to home, Fabric in London transforms a Victorian-era meat cellar into a hip clubbing venue. The interiors of the Ravensbourne College of Design London house an industrial palette of metal mesh, concrete, and steel in an un-compartmentalized space; a backdrop that's in line with the ethos of the department-free approach of the institution. What's common to all these places, and the countless homes created in transformed mills, cellars, warehouses and factories, is an audience that shares this love of industrial overhauls and reinvention.

There are boundless possibilities and potential to be creative with such sweeping spaces. Which is what made industrial and loft style design so popular among the swish creative set that included legends like Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat in the '70s. The very thought of Warhol conjures images of the artist in that vast industrial loft space he called home. Basquiat, no less accomplished, and half of the graffiti artist duo known as SAMO, left his mark on the cars of D trains he rode on his way home before striking it big. His graffiti epigrams were incisive and distinctive and soon won a following among those with a penchant for the unusual. The American artist found his early inspiration not in art galleries, but in a copy of the complete Gray's Anatomy. An unexpected choice of reading, his mother handed him the book when he was laid up with an injury at age eight; it is believed to have influenced a lot of his later work including the Dutch Settlers collection. And that's precisely the kind of unusual inspiration that the Boho Industrial style is known for.

Projects like the Westbeth Artists Housing in NYC's West Village that transformed an old Bell Telephone Laboratory into affordable living for artists and their ilk, or the more recent Biscuit Company Lofts in L.A., cemented the idea of industrial conversions. Who'd imagine that one day the site for the Nabisco biscuit factory where thousands of delicious Chips Ahoy! Cookies rolled off lines, would one day see Nicolas Cage lounging in a sprawling penthouse in that exact space? It's on the backs of the visionaries behind these overhauls that the Boho Industrial loft-living concept has become more relatable, and part of the fabric of modern living today.

Transcending Time And Space

Time and space take on new meaning in a Boho Industrial home. What was once a grungy warehouse might now be a luxurious open plan home. Interconnected rooms are separated visually by pieces of furniture, a few steps, or even near invisible glass walls.The Boho Industrial home manages to make you forget its origins as you sink into a comfortable warm brown tufted Italian leather couch, only to be reminded of its gritty past when you glance upwards and see its high ceilings and exposed crossbeams. Wood, stainless steel, glass, concrete...a motley array of textures and materials become oddly in sync in these stripped down interiors. This is a home of contrasts. Rough against smooth. Old against new. Earthy against lustrous.

There's something almost second hand in the casual, unpretentious look of the loft style design. Stripped bare sans the trappings of more glitzy decor styles, there's nowhere to hide with the Industrial style. Each item and design choice serves a very specific purpose. The rugs underfoot aren't just a decorative element, they're there to muffle the sounds that would otherwise echo through these expansive wood and metal interiors. Large oversized windows let in plenty of natural light to keep the room warm in winter and bright in summer. Eye-catching floating staircases lead to mezzanine levels where owners fashion book nooks, workspaces, or spare bedrooms.

Concrete and wooden flooring, distressed finish furniture, it's all in keeping with the Boho Industrial look. An exposed chimney flue in matte black that hovers intriguingly in the large space, that is both a living and dining area, makes a fitting choice. A rolling ladder installed to allow easy access to bookshelves or a wine collection, would be as much there for form as it is for function.

To the uninitiated, the idea of a home in renovated or reimagined spaces might seem a little impersonal. But that changes when you pass through the portals to this home. It doesn't take long to realize just how much personality is packed into this space.

Chart Your Own Path

Transform what in different hands could easily be perceived as a cold cavernous space, into a welcoming home that makes visitors want to linger.Bring out a vintage 19th century unfinished wood dining table to contrast with that contemporary stainless steel kitchen you had installed. The clean lines of a modular sofa in neutral tones fit neatly into the aesthetic of the space. Unexpected pops of muted color come by way of low stools and poufs in soft well-worn leather or flea market fabrics that work as extra seating, footrests or even tables. Pendant lights by Danish industrial designer Cecilie Manz bring just the right amount of light to your kitchen island that doubles up as a place to grab a drink with friends. A patterned rug overlaid on a solid color dhurrie adds to the laid back vibe.

Black metal hooks on the exposed brick wall hold up your assortment of messenger bags, each a one-of-a kind creation by interesting new designers. Who could resist that satchel with an inspired black and white sketch of your neighborhood? Or the graphic of an orange hued vixen in her power suit and glasses that perks up a simple canvas tote? Framed covers of your favorite issues of Wallpaper or Dazed make an interesting focal point on the exposed brick wall in the living room.

If a hunt through the salvage yard sounds like an afternoon well-spent, or if flea market "junk" is high art to you, why hold back? Put that intriguing looking machine part up on the wall as a talking point. After all, the repurposed cycle frame with a fresh lick of paint which now supports the sink in your bathroom had everyone marvelling at its ingenuity!

Even empty spaces lend themselves to more in the Boho Industrial home. That huge blank wall is intentionally embellishment-free, to create a canvas for you to project movies like The Life Aquatic or Mulholland Drive for like-minded friends and family.

Echoing Your Blue Print For Life

As your guests step into your home, they're usually struck by the sheer space and sense of openness that meets them at the door.Life in your home is set to the soundtrack of musicians like M.I.A. whose songs hit the spot whether you're gearing up for a night on the town, or diving into a raging debate on your latest passion project with friends. For the times you do need to leave your loft, you try and stick exclusively to using your custom built fixie bike with its brightly colored tyres and vintage leather seat.

Urban Outfitters is the one place that has never let you down in your quest for comfortable yet stylish designs. The idea that they don't feel the need to have a logo and instead adapt their look to the surroundings and context of each store, is right up your alley. The background in anthropology and the bohemian hippie roots of the founders Richard Hayne and his ex wife Judy, only add to the magnetic appeal. The high ceilings, exposed beams, and that trademark signage that's always fresh - it's no wonder you feel perfectly at home in these stores!

Everyone needs their downtime, and quick getaways to the continent are just what the doctor ordered. The industrial design haven that is edgy Berlin, with its assortment of clubbing spaces, tops the charts. At other times you may be found touring urban meccas on walks led by architects or artists. You revel in the endless inspiration in the old harbor and docks of Amsterdam, now a modern urban residential complex with the kind of overhauls you live for. A graffiti laden wall, an interesting staircase, or an unusual bench found on an insider's cycling tour of Paris... the world is constantly sending you inspiration for your next renovation. And that's precisely why your home, like you, will always be undeniably current, with one eye on the past.