The industrial and urban style of a loft requires a thoughtful attitude to the choice of chandeliers and lighting fixtures in general. Translated from English "loft" means "attic", which, in fact, characterizes this style quite well.
Features of the
“Light, more light! "- this is the motto of the loft-style rooms. Indeed, the huge open spaces under the high arches of beamed ceilings require skillful lighting, which can often only be created by an experienced designer.
The Loft style itself originated in the 1920s. The crisis hit American enterprises, forcing them to hastily curtail production and move it to the suburbs, and sell empty industrial buildings for a pittance. Bohemia immediately began to move into non-residential buildings in Manhattan, seeing the beauty of such premises. They did not break their heads over the arrangement: they brought in old furniture, and partially left the lighting fixtures that were already there.
The relaxed free spirit was to the taste of many, and the distinctive features of the style began to be copied. All this resulted in a separate style, named after the premises in which it originated.
Time passed, and the concept remained the same, but now loft chandeliers are not made from scrap materials, but from exclusive designer ones, and they are sometimes indecently expensive. However, a large selection of different options presented by style as a typical design allows you to choose a model for almost any wallet.
The loft imposes rather strict restrictions on the choice of the material from which the chandeliers are made, on the colors and even on the intensity of the light bulbs. In addition, there are certain rules that indicate the placement of different types of chandeliers at different heights. All this is done with one single purpose - to divide the space as rationally as possible, highlighting each of the zones in a special way. “Functionality is above all,” says one of the style rules.
For each of the rooms, a certain type of chandelier is selected. Initially, loft rooms did not have partitions and walls, the whole room was an apartment, so each of the functional areas was highlighted in its own way and with some kind of device. This point should also be considered when choosing a chandelier.
Views
For loft rooms, various chandeliers are selected, ordinary and not so. One of the most famous is the so-called spider - a heavy round structure with bulbs in a circle located on a frame that resembles spider legs. Nowadays, there are variations, for example, a spider on flexible legs-cords, picked up with a special device-holder, fixed to the ceiling. If you hang the bulbs on cords without a holder-device, you get another typical option for a loft.
Such "bouquets" of their lamps can be called a chandelier only with a stretch, but they perform the same functional role and cope with it perfectly.
Round Gothic chandeliers with candelabra are popular design solutions. Candles have long been replaced by electrical counterparts that imitate their shape and structure, but such majestic models are fastened using coarse chains, as in the old days.
Edison bulbs, which differ from Ilyich's models in the structure of incandescent elements, are used in the loft style, along with others. They do not need a floor lamp, since a dim, evenly burning light is soft in itself and does not need additional diffusion. If you hang a simple socket on a cord and turn on Edison's light bulb, you get another loft "chandelier". It is worth remembering that this type of lighting "eats up" a lot of electrical energy, be prepared to spend a lot.
Track suspensions are made of an aluminum rail on which several lamps are placed. The bus is the most mobile and versatile option from all of the above, it can be suspended at any height and supplemented with different types of bulbs that go well with each other. Ordinary Soviet plafonds, as in films about the war, fit well into the loft, especially if the remnants of the "native" paint have been preserved on them.
Rusty models can be repainted, especially if you do not want to dilute the dirt, but it is better to try to find an option in decent condition and treat it with modern means that prevent metal corrosion.
Materials (edit)
The most common thing to see is metal loft chandeliers. They are different in their design: from pipes, from flexible parts, in the form of spotlights, similar to any elements of plumbing, tire, simple Gothic, in the shape of a wheel, with an oval shade - the list is almost endless. A real find is the combination of various shapes of metal shades, located at the same height.
Selected high-quality metal products from cast iron, stainless steel, aluminum. Bronze models usually do not suit the style, as well as the usual brass or gold-plated ones.
Glass in all its forms is another extreme of style.
Rich crystal chandeliers or geometric broken designs are found everywhere, depending on the height of the ceiling, one or another variety is used.
In addition to standard glass chandeliers, crystal figured decanters for cognac or empty whiskey bottles with preserved labels are used as shades. Such chandeliers seem to declare an emphatically simple attitude to life, the absence of any attachments, and also show that, as they say, everything will fit in the household.
Plastic chandeliers are a budget option, but there are also nuances here. Plastic is stylized as metal, painting it with various powder paints. One of the most common options is to paint a plastic shade from the inside with a matte silver paint imitating aluminum, and an unpretentious color, for example, gray or khaki, is chosen for the outside. To include such a design in the interior, you need to try, since neither gray nor khaki are typical for a loft.
Wood models are not used or found. The timber structures for the loft are not modern enough and too sophisticated. In this style, everything breathes with simplicity and functionality, while wood is already a claim to some kind of sublimity and classical correctness.
Dimensions (edit)
Loft style loves extremes. Chandeliers large or small, it does not matter, the main thing is not medium.
In most cases, rather large single options or a large group of small ones are still chosen. The chandelier should look massive, regardless of the size of its components. It should also be borne in mind that the smaller the details of the chandelier, the brighter the light that it emits. For example, a single light bulb in a plafond should burn warm, even slightly dimly, while a "bunch" of bulbs should emit so much light that it would be impossible to look at them.
The size of the chandelier also depends on the room in which it is installed. Somewhere it is preferable to install a narrow long track structure, and somewhere to hang a large diameter "spider".
Colors
The choice of color scheme depends on the type of chandelier. Briefly the topic of colors has already been touched on in the section on materials, now it's time to dwell on it in more detail:
- In the vast majority of cases, loft chandeliers are made white, black or transparent. The first pair of options apply to metal structures, and the last to glass. Modern plastic models (especially "spider" models) can be bright: red, neon yellow, aquamarine, acid green.
- White the chandelier is chosen in cases where it is not planned to be made with a catchy accent. It also happens that white wires are designed to "dissolve" in space, allowing transparent shades with unusual bulbs to float in the air without support.
- Black options more justified, since it was the black models that were in the style initially. Black metal constructs are the unchanging classic of the loft. The neutral color allows you to choose an unusual shape of the structure or add interesting details to it. For example, one example is a cage chandelier, inside of which there is another chandelier, but this time made of glass, supplemented by candelabra with electric candle lamps.
- Metallic models should not look like chandeliers in the literal sense of the word. It is best when strange details are covered with metallic paint: inverted wine glasses as shades or perforated spheres.
The richer the better. Bright models are suitable for decorating a light loft. Bathing in a huge amount of light, they will create the necessary contrast, and even turned off such a chandelier will serve its purpose, carefully adjusting and "highlighting" the surrounding elements
When choosing a color model, you need to make sure that the shades are as bright as possible, so to speak, are striking.
Transparent glass chandeliers - a separate topic for discussion. Most often, there are pompous models with many small details, more appropriate for a theater than for an industrial setting. In combination with raw walls and accentuated technological details, clear glass looks luxurious
Glass parts are usually not painted, but in some cases light bulbs for a "spider" chandelier are coated with varnish, which shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow, remaining transparent. This option is more appropriate for mixed styles than for a clean loft, but it also has a right to exist.
For different rooms
Consider the best location options:
In the kitchen the use of aluminum lampshades or track tires above the table is encouraged. In general, a chandelier for a kitchen in a loft is the best choice, since it does not take up floor space, leaving more room for maneuvers. Glass models will not fit here, the emphasized disregard for pretentiousness is taboo for the kitchen
For bedroom choose a single model with a flexible but strong cord. It is possible to hang it on a similar chandelier on each side of the bed above the bedside tables, placing the suspensions almost close to the wall. Using a few small, bright spotlights just above the head of the bed is also a good choice. In the bedroom, the chandelier should not be located in the middle of the room, as usual, but in the sleeping area
For the living room you can choose from a fairly large range of models. Small spotlights, spider chandeliers or classic crystal baroque options will fit here. The use of a metallized large sphere descending to the middle of the distance between the floor and the ceiling is also not prohibited. The choice of a single option is carried out after analyzing all significant factors, such as natural lighting, general color content, the prevalence of a particular material, the height of the ceilings and the total area of the room
If you dare to issue loft-style nursery, for her it is definitely worth choosing a flexible "spider" construction made of bright plastic. The chandelier must be mounted under the very ceiling so that the child cannot reach it and receive an electric shock. An interesting choice will be the installation of busbar structures, complemented by spotlights, or the choice in favor of a large and bright plastic sphere. Choosing a perforated sphere that creates the illusion of a night sky will make your child happy and make the lighting more interesting
Regardless of the room, it is worth remembering that the loft style does not accept delicate romantic vintage options for colors and designs. Don't experiment, especially if the chandelier is expensive.
By choosing the wrong ceiling lighting fixture, you risk ruining the whole look of the room.
10 pictures
How to choose?
In order to correctly select suspension lamps, you should focus on all the information that was set out above, and also take into service a few additional rules:
- Functionality for the loft style is as important as the aesthetic component, which is why you first need to think about the power of the lamp, its usefulness, and only then about beauty.
- The multilevel ceiling design looks more interesting and dynamic than the static one. If you are planning to buy an expensive system, consult with a specialist about the correctness of your decision. Usually professionals provide advice free of charge directly in the light store.
- Modern models are equipped with massive details, do not be intimidated by this. Large powerful elements are part of the loft style. Against the background of a large room with many open spaces, their bulkiness disappears, and they will seem to be of normal size.
- The more industrial-looking a suspended structure is, the better. Ideally, you need to select lighting fixtures so that they look like new samples from old factories and plants.
- Feel free to create your own lighting fixtures using scrap materials such as bottles or cognac glasses. If you do everything carefully, such an exclusive homemade design will look no worse than a professional design work.
The most important thing: you should not choose loft-style chandeliers in rooms with insufficiently high ceilings, it looks ridiculous and inappropriate. The very concept of the style presupposes a lot of space, so you cannot "stifle" the style, trying to fit it into a small room. Most of the chandeliers are made with suspension cords, which cannot be placed in a low room.
Discard the idea by choosing a different style as a support, for example, minimalism or hi-tech similar to a loft.
You will learn more about loft-style chandeliers in the following video.
Interior options
The use of spotlights on the tire is a universal lighting option for the loft style. It is suitable for kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms, while such a lighting fixture provides enough light, does not take up much space and fully meets the requirements of style.
Black plastic floor lamps of various shapes are made of matte material, which acts as a sharp contrasting spot against the background of a snow-white wall. A similar option was chosen to highlight the living area in the common room.
You won't surprise anyone with a colorful loft, the only requirement is that the colors should "scream", boldly declare themselves. A bright red cord for a soft "spider" chandelier perfectly matched the interior, delicately complementing the juicy accent.
Unusual metal pendants look like painted against a gray wall. Geometric construction and pure white blend stunningly to form a stylish contemporary duo. The group of chandeliers is eye-catching, serving as the fundamental nuance of the interior.
Using floor lamps of the same design and color, but different shapes, is a win-win combination. The choice of such an option in the design of the bedroom fully justified itself, allowing at the same time to create sufficient lighting and emphasize the triptych on the wall.
Metallic hemispheres fit perfectly into a youth loft, adding a little rebelliousness to an already free style. The strong association with the factory makes the choice of such lamps a very smart move. Symmetry makes the design even more interesting, carrying a deep thought of duality.
