Built in 1925 to house the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, this fantastic red-brick building is currently home to Cucina Toscana, an Italian restaurant on the main floor and two living spaces above. It’s a prime spot, to put it lightly: the lucky owners are hovering above Pioneer Park on the corner of 300 south and 300 West. These two homes encompass the perfect way to live downtown without sacrificing outdoor space.

The designers started stripping away much of what the last tenant had installed in order to reveal all the raw and simple beauty of the space’s original form. From there, they started carefully adding layers back on that worked harmoniously with the industrial vibe. The magic lays in the richness, created with specific materials. Aged, natural, cherry-finished cabinets in the kitchen, dark colors, black painted metalwork: it’s all delightfully juxtaposed by bright white walls and massive windows that allow for copious amounts of natural light throughout the space.

A smart move in retaining this building’s old charm was by keeping the brickwork exposed. The brick walls offer a new look while preserving the history and the original character of the edifice.

The master bath is a dish of gothic industrial: a metal/chain chandelier over a custom, matte-black-enameled tub that’s perched opposite the ebony-stained cabinets. The walls are lined with 48” wood tile planks, which add a lot of texture and a touch more drama. The designers managed to add an organic element to an otherwise very hard and raw space with the grass-cloth wallpaper, and to accentuate the high ceilings, we hung 72” pendants from the ceiling over each nightstand. But the highlight is that double-sided fireplace (so you can take your romance in the bedroom and the living room).

Renovated space is treated as one whole unit converted from its original purpose into new living space which maintain all elements that makes industrial lofts appealing (exposed concrete, high ceilings, big windows, air vents, beams, columns,…)

Entire space can be divided into three functional areas. Left from main entrance, which is located centrally, are located kitchen and dining area. On the right side from main entrance are living area and home library. Space between those two functional areas is used as “reading corner” and can be also used as salon.

Most of its original materials and construction elements are kept in order to preserve industrial spirit and feeling of the loft. Furniture used in this project is intended to break the rigidness of the space itself and create worm and welcoming atmosphere. Transition between brick wall and exposed concrete with new use of the space is achieved through industrial element design such as weathered wooden flooring and light fixtures.

Heather spent all of her spare time in the weeks after moving in getting to know her new city and discovering the challenges of procurement in a foreign country, combing London’s vintage markets and interiors stores for the perfect pieces to complement the flat. With a mix of personal items, vintage finds, and eclectic eBay purchases, Heather has managed to highlight the open plan living space as well as create a sense of security and charm, something that is often sacrificed to ideals of minimalism in such spaces.

The central living space makes you feel tall and proud. The room’s low pieces (that alluring green sofa, Danish lounge chairs, and paintings and signs that sit on the floor) and layered rugs add so much texture, while the vast windows of the warehouse building fill the room with light and energy from all directions. It’s an invigorating space to spend time in, and it’s perfectly balanced by the comforts of the downstairs guest bedroom and bathroom and the mezzanine level master bedroom and en suite.

While there is a distinct lack of doors on the upper level, some clever roller blinds have been used to shield from view a wardrobe here, a bathroom there. Every room—every space—has eye-catching features that encourage conversation or raise a cheeky smile: a buffalo by the bath, horns above the bed, a naughty cross stitch, and a never-ending calendar won in a high school bet.

Having character is much more important than being perfect,

says Heather.

The large windows may present a challenge to the privacy-conscious, but there are blinds that shield the bedroom and frosted panes in the bathroom. Besides, the building is well-located in an area mostly used for office space and isn’t overlooked by large numbers of neighboring apartments. This means this eclectic London loft has the added bonus of being centrally located but also quiet during nights and weekends—ideal city life. Heather admits that the kitchen, while elegant and functional, is the least-used thing in the whole flat, but when the local neighborhood has such amazing food and drink, that’s easy to forgive.

Channing Tatum’s Loft boasts open-steel stairs, the original pine beams and the building’s original mechanical hoist, which you can spot pictured above. It was originally used as a live/work space, with the office on the bottom two floors, but the ground floor is now being marketed as potential retail.

The steel and pine open staircase connects all four floors of living space. Throughout, there are oak floors, exposed oak beams, and lots of exposed brick.

Despite all the space, there are only two bedrooms: A guest bedroom, with its own marble shower and bath, is on the first floor, and the master bedroom is above. The master bedroom, bathroom and dressing area/closet take up the entire third floor. The bed is separated by a floor-to-ceiling steel and glass sliding door.

The kitchen and dining room take up the entire fourth floor–this townhouse requires a lot of stair schlepping. The listing calls the kitchen “nothing short of perfection.” Fancy appliances include a Viking commercial range, a SubZero refrigerator, and a Miele dishwasher. It’s outfitted with black stained poplar cabinets and black marble countertops. The living room, which features the original mechanical hoist, is located right above on the fifth floor.

Keep on climbin’, this time up a circular staircase, and you’ll finally reach the townhouse’s private terrace. From the lush planted roof deck you’ve got views of New York City to the east, south and west. The listing calls it a “dream home,” and it’s certainly a place worthy of a dreamboat like Channing Tatum. Is his company included with that $6.5 million price tag, too? In that case, we’ll take it.

By U.S. standards New York is a pretty old city, and over the years New Yorkers have been pretty diligent about preserving its historic architecture. As we head into the future, we’re seeing more and more old industrial buildings being transformed into beautiful homes. A great example is this Upper East Side penthouse in a water tower that is not only awesome in concept, but is also stunning to look at. Lili and Lee Siegelson, the couple who own the immaculate home, worked with Olson Kundig Architects, and together they transformed two floors of the building into an apartment big enough for their happy family.

When Olson Kundig Architects began an overhaul of the apartment five years ago, Lee had been living there for a half-decade, having purchased the eccentric tower space — effectively the building’s 18th floor, and tall enough to have its own small mezzanine — as a bachelor in 2004. After he married Lili and they had two kids, the couple added the (much more conventional) 17th floor, and now they had to figure out how to put it all together. “At some point,” says Tom Kundig, principal of Olson Kundig, “you just go, ‘At what point are we grown up? When do we start to make a true home?’ They might not agree with that,” he adds, starting to laugh, “but I see it all the time.”

Making a true home entailed completely gutting the 18th floor and cutting a stairwell through from below. The architects custom-designed many of the interior fittings, including a banquette-bench-table dining nook in the corner of the living room. Their polished refinements of utilitarian materials can be seen in details like the exposed-pulley handle that opens the upper windows. The Siegelsons “came to us because of our industrial sensibility,” Kundig says. “What I think of as industrial is authentic; it embraces the function of the place, the materials, and it’s an expression of how it all works together, and that is what they really liked.” To that end, they left the exposed brick walls alone and used steel-chain mesh to cover the huge arched windows in the living room, which extend nearly to the 19-foot ceiling. “It’s really tough and filters the light, and it’s never going to deteriorate in the sun.” They also added a fireplace and chimney — which, if you think about it, is a little funny with all that water overhead. “Thousands of gallons, just right up there above the apartment!” says one of Kundig’s colleagues when I mention it. No wonder the surrounding rooftop garden is so green.

Lounge area

One of the first things you will notice when walking into the lounge is a circular sofa, with eleven uniquely-designed compartments. Different textures, fabrics and colors have been used to create a focal point in the room, which will likely initiate conversation when guests visit the property. Modular sofas also feature in a seating area positioned in front of a large television, and cushions of different sizes and shape adjourn the sofa, which lie in bold contrast to the industrial feel of the rest of the room. However, these elements were already present in the property before the apartment was renovated – the concrete ceiling and wooden floor were discovered by accident when a 200-pound metal door was removed. Contemporary canvas art brightens up the far wall, adding a splash of color and style to the apartment, while mirrors line the ceilings, helping to create a feeling of more space.

Dining area

One of the most impressive features of the apartment is the dining table, which has been renovated and then mounted onto a rough oak worktop. In fact, many interior design elements were made according to the original sketches of the designer. The original objective was to create a unique space with an unusual atmosphere, with many echoes of the classic style of the famous motorcycle brand Harley Davidson. The dining area is a warm and welcoming space ideal for entertaining guests.

Other elements

Other design elements in the home include an original Harley Davidson motorcycle, a gramophone, and two contemporary chandeliers which illuminate the oak table. The kitchen metal worktop has been constructed onto carved food which spells out “eat”, with two wooden chairs on either side. This space is ideal when eating breakfast or grabbing a quick meal. In the bathroom, plenty of gold has been used, whilst floral prints and rustic charm are the design styles used in the bedroom. Contemporary framed art adjourn the hallway walls, which still contain many original elements of the building. As there is no natural light in these hallways, spotlights are used to illuminate the space.

Looking at this huge, honest-looking industrial loft with the old walls of rough brick, cracked wood beams, rusty mechanisms and flaky creaking doors, instantly forgetting that it is located on the top floor of a modern business center, and more recently was a new, blank and impersonal space.

The idea of converting  an empty floor of an apartment buildingto a loft was brought by a customer, and Leo Lugovskoy was happy to help, skillfully transforming a bare concrete space into a lively industrial interior. Good thing, he had plenty of space to work with: the area of the space is 130 sq meters and the ceiling height is 4.2 meters.

The master room all was imagined as a bachelor pad, along with a host experiencing a midlife crisis!

says the architect. Such description says that the customer is okay with humor and irony. In addition, he is an intellectual, lover of music and reading; so the main areas of the loft became a music library and a living room.

A special pride of the architect is the texture of the walls, beams, decking. The effect of the old shabby, “seasoned” surfaces appeared thanks to the artists studio Gregory Protasov.

The effect they have created is so natural

says Lev Lugovskoy

that people, once here, always asked me the same question: Why did you not paint the wall? Did you need to leave the wall to rust and with old paint ?

And that is the main evidence that the decorative component turned out to be very natural.

Equally convincing is the window, with a typical industrial look, old handles and a beautiful arched masonry of old bricks. Many of the objects and ideas in our interior were produced a long time ago – says the architect. We were hunting for them in stores, waiting for weeks of inspiration and joining solutions, dug antique shops in search of the object corresponding to the time and place.

For all his scrapes and authenticity of an old-fashioned loft, it is packed with modern technology: lighting equipment for organ concerts, high-tech sound system for high-quality audio playback and video projection installation to accompany private concerts.

In 1997, Aderhold Properties began the renovation and redevelopment of the historic Fulton Cotton Mill in Atlanta into a community of 505 loft apartments.

Heirloom Design and Build has outfitted this loft in the Fulton Cotton Mill Lofts.

The loft is called ‘recall house’ in Taiwan; the client intentionally requested for the dwelling to instill a vintage ambience. Balancing an industrial and rustic aesthetic, this is highlighted in the open plan arrangement consisting of the living, dining and kitchen, all three spaces have been unified and simultaneously, scaffolding-influenced and wooden features have been chosen for the shelves and dining table.

The residents have three pet cats whom they have requested the designers to specially create an individual nook next to the dining space as well as miniature arched doors for them to freely roam about. The unique character has been further enhanced by the materials used, shown in the careful combination of exposed brick, timber and metal, allowing the home to feel industrial but not cold. From the punctuated iron panel to the the vintage and collective pieces adorned around the house, the project achieves the harmony between comfort and contemporary.

Two decades ago, Queen Elizabeth Street Loft was down and out, a warehouse all but withered. But the owners had other ideas. From the dizzying brick walls to every nut-brown timber beam, this marvellous apartment is not as good as new, but better. Paired sofas and a professional pool table impress beneath the sitting room’s pitched ceiling, while a steel-clad kitchen and a coolly upcycled coffee table are honed and hewed.

Whether you skip to the mezzanine master bedroom, or scan the skies from the loungey balcony, here you can be sure yours is a story that ends happily.

Design for life

The owners are no strangers to restoring old buildings – they do it for a living. For all Queen Elizabeth Street Loft’s dereliction, they fell in love with its structure, and the rest is history.

Stroll across the tan wooden floor for a look at the woven lampshades and off-centre artwork, or spend untold hours in the charming twin armchairs. Stout timber beams span the ceiling, but there’s no lumber to be found in the coal-hued kitchen, with its blowtorch detailing and sleek worktops.

Linger at the pool table, or discover the melange of wood and brick that is the master bedroom. But before you slip deep into the modern four-poster, make time for a nightcap on the scenic balcony.

If you want, you can rent this loft too.