FRIDAY BOOK STACK : THE INTERNATIONAL BOOK OF LOFTS

I really enjoyed making the first Friday book stack and thought, why the hell not make it a regular thing? If we can't actually go to the place to take photos in person, the sure as hell next best thing is to get the inspiration from books! The book we're talking about today I actually ordered sometime in December last year. I remember seeing it on Tumblr and getting hooked into the vibe and aesthetics immediately. When a book gets it right, I gotta have it and so I went onto abebooks and purchased it. This came all the way from Detroit and the title is no longer in print, so I feel like it's totally extra special. I've always and will always love lofts for their youthful, artistic, bohemian feel and now I can own something that I can go to to access that lifestyle via images forever! 

This was my favourite ( OK one of my favourites ) lofts. That white plastic looking table you see is called a " Boomerang " and was made by designers Maurice Calka and Leleu Deshay. Only 35 of these were made in the world, so whoever owns this loft really has it going on. 

Doesn't this space just make you want to spread your arms out wide and give a good, long stretch? The space feels immense. There's just endless room for decorating, parties, furniture. In the book, the authors wrote that lofts were perfect spaces to be creative because they hold lots of room and usually lots of light as well. This loft exemplifies this point perfectly. You feel like you could really fly around in here if you had wings. I like when spaces go un-conventional and the fact that the stairs have no railing makes this space feel irreverent and un-intentional.

I like the floors here. Very Italian and European. This whole space is like a mix of a sumptuous Italian country estate meets Spanish clay cave. I like the chill out space that's right there with the candle and the rugs.

So this particular cheese plants and white sheets aesthetic is still very relevant right now. This book was published in the late 80's so I wonder if this was when it began?

Expansive, expansive, expansive. Love it. I'm all about having 'floating' furniture that stands in the middle of the room. I like the spontaneity and the improvisational feelings that it gives off. Of course, it's a lot better to do this in a bigger room such as the one above. One of my decor dreams is to live in a space with huge windows such as this that don't have any curtains. I want the 24/7 open planned view of the outdoors. I like that feeling, it makes you feel like you're on top of the world when you have a view like that.

When I saw this photo, I thought of all the great lofts I've ever seen and realised that this is where they started off their life. As workspaces for labourers. Now, this space is probably well worth over the one million dollar mark. 

 The origins of the loft spaces that we know today.
Lofts started off their lives as factories and offices for workers in the beginning of the 19th century. Textile workers, painters, factory workers making all sorts of things called the loft spaces we love and want to live in today, their work spaces then.

The romance of lofts for me, is about the people who make the spaces into both a home and a studio. I can't think of many things as good as having a wide space to call home and a studio. One part where you eat, sleep and watch TV. The other where you write, read or paint. All with such good lighting and so much room to make yourself at home. The birdcage here is really, really amazing. I fall in love with spaces which call to something exotic, far-off, weird even.

 Loving how this particular owner has managed to make this loft look really grown up. We usually think of people such as artists or young hip professionals as those who seek lofts as their home but this space is decorated in a way that suggests the owners are neither of the two profiles I just mentioned.

Initially, I was amazed at this because I thought this was a legitimate apartment but then I realised this was actually a film set for the movie, "Year of the Dragon" which was made sometime in the 80's. I suppose it is too good to be true, but I have seen actual properties that were on the market that were just as impressive as this. I think living in a space like this would change your perspective about life. Spaces have the power to do that. They really do shape our world view and if a person actually lived in this one, their world view would be as far and wide reaching as the one in their living room.

Love the potential that lofts offer 

Your parents loft ✌

Beautiful kitchen. It's practical, modern, clean and easy. Check out the light up wine corner at the end of the bench. And can we talk about how high the ceilings go?

A part of me will always be in love with the whimsy and playfulness of spaces like this. I guess that's because although I feel like I'm about 45 inside, I love child like things because they take us away from the drudgery of the everyday. Living in a space like this would make us feel like children again, and in the best possible way. The pop of colour in this space in contrast to the chalk white of its surroundings make it feel surreal.

Bookshelf porn yes! 

Loving the green house vibe of this home. You can really see how far this aesthetic has come. White sheets, neutral surroundings and having a virtual forest in your own home. It's no longer the eighties anymore but this look doesn't seem to be going anywhere.

If one day, I'll ever have the means to buy a property I know that I'll be wanting something that's old. Old homes have charm and personality. They have something to say and to offer. They have dimensions and aren't flat. They provide a sense of privilege simply by us living there. This space mightn't be that old but I chose to share this tidbit because the walls looked a little shabby. But the shabby walls is what I like. Perfect spaces are boring and offer little to us by means of communicating something deeper about life or the nature of living.

Just like in painting, life imitates art. Spaces that we like, are seldom flat. I like when kitchens have hanging mobiles because it brings immediate life and dimension into the eyes landscape. Having thing suspended in the air also provides drama ( you know I love me some of that ) I also like the Memphis designs vibe of these colour trimmed chairs.

Make some magic like this in your home. Get imaginative and crazy.

OK, so I'm really liking the blinds which are just above the sleeping area which doubles up as a wall. No matter how old I get, the makeshift vibe will always be fun and exciting for me. There's something of an eternal kid in me. This space is tetris come to life.

The gritty New York vibe of lofts and the classic things which you might see around loft spaces.

An old photo of a painter in Paris and his atelier. He's surrounded by antiques and painting tools. The romance and escapism of this photo is crazy and that's why I loved it and had to show.

Very nice

This wall separates the bedroom from the rest of the apartment. it's essentially just one floor and one room but they've managed to make it seem like a one bedroom apartment as opposed to a studio.

Lofts seem to be a lot more pre-dominant in countries outside of Australia. I think this has to do with the history of Australia as a whole. Certainly there are quite a few lofts and warehouses here in certain suburbs but as a whole, we haven't really had the same historical vibe where there's been a lot of industrial spaces in the past like the UK or US.

What did you think about these lofts? Were there any that you wanted to live in? Have you ever lived in a loft? 

See you in the next post!