When I first moved, I wasn’t too keen on the idea of living in any Philly apartments. I’d lived my whole in a house–even in college. The idea just never sat well with me. However, Philly lofts fit my budget perfectly. While it wasn’t exactly luxury living, I was close to work, bars, restaurants, and other amenities that come from city living. After a few years of living in a loft, I will readily admit that my reservations were for nothing.
Here are a few of things I learned from living in a loft, so that you can make your place all the better.
1. Consider Your Interior Design.
Most people living in a loft don’t really care about how their apartment is decorated, but believe me, choosing the right color schemes and furniture arrangements can go a long way to making your place not only more comfortable, but also your own.
You want your color scheme to be cohesive. Usually you can see your entire living space in the sweep of an eye when you’re living in a loft, so you need to make sure that your colors all work together harmoniously. It makes things neater, cleaner, and more pulled together. This same idea goes for your furniture. Don’t mix and match styles. You might like that one rustic coffee table, but if your chairs and sofa are modern, you should probably rethink things.
2. Divide Your Spaces.
Living in a loft means that you don’t really have “rooms” per say. One of the oldest tricks in the book is to use area rugs to define the different parts of your apartment. You want to choose rugs that are big enough for all furnitures in that particular space to fit on, but you can always layer a different rug on it to add more color and softness.
You can also divvy up your rooms with open-backed shelves. These can act like walls that have the added benefit of easy storage and decoration. You can place books on them, curios from your travel, statuettes–anything really. If you’re using an open-backed case to create a living room, you can put your DVDs or video games there, and for your office, you can put important files and other office supplies there.
3. Loft Your Bed.
An excellent way to utilize your space when living in a loft is to install a loft bed, which also has the added benefit of creating some privacy to your built-in bedroom. Of course, you should consider just how comfortable you are needing a ladder to get in and out of bed every day. If you’re cool with it, then a loft bed is definitely worth considering.
These are just a few of the things I learned while living in a loft, and now you should seize the opportunity to experience these great apartments for yourself. If you have any questions about living in a loft, feel free to ask in the comments.
