The loft has retained many of its original features with high ceilings, pitched roof and huge windows and 2 sleeping decks. Ideal for the creative types looking for a live/work base in the heart of Shoreditch.

Originally designed by Juan Carlos Quintana, a London-based fashion designer who combines Latin American flare with haut couture. He learned his trade from two Spanish masters who had formerly worked for the house of Balenciaga in Spain. When he launched his fashion label Quintana in London he needed a place to work and live. He found the solution in an unlikely place – a former canning factory in Shoreditch, on the southbank of the Thames River.

Before moving into his super-sized loft he had lived in a modest one-room apartment or bedsit in Chelsy. The difference could hardly be any greater – before, a small, cramped space, now a huge, two-storey loft in an erstwhile canning factory in London’s East End. Juan Carlos and Chris, a screenwriter friend, initially had to overcome a few difficulties in adapting. “We felt as if we were sleeping in a park or football field, ” says Chris, who felt lost in the vastness of the neo-Gothic building.

Shoreditch Loft

Juan Carlos, who comes from Guatemala, arrived in London in 2002, working first as a freelance fashion designer for Matthew Williamson, Jenny Packham and Michiko Koshino. As he had already had more than ten years of experience as a fashion designer in South and Latin America he finally plucked up the courage to head for Europe and set up his own label Quintana, which proved very successful when he held his first show in Paris in 2008.

Creativity at work generally translates in a kind of genius on every level of life. Clever ideas come quickly to Juan Carlos and his friend in their private sphere as well. For instance the problem of feeling lost in their loft was solved simply by setting up a protective tent in which the fashion designer and the screenwriter slept for their first year in the loft. It also had the advantage of lessening the pressure they felt to turn the former factory into a home from one day to the next. They took their time converting the industrial space and it paid off.

You can even rent it here: rent this loft

The building in Shoreditch where the loft is located

Original interior – 1

Original interior – 2

A dysfunctional condo in a former industrial building has been transformed into a modern oasis, a second home for a busy international couple. The existing industrial elements have been exposed, celebrating the history of the space. What was formerly a chopped-up and segmented space has been opened to the expanse of industrial-style factory windows, bathing the space in natural light. Designated spaces are defined with furnishings, as opposed to walls. Throughout, custom furnishings and storage keeps clutter out of site. Special care was taken to ensure sprinkler heads, audio-visual and electrical wiring, and switching were invisible, creating a flawless environment.

A divider, housing both the media center and platform bed, separates the living space from the bedroom, without creating a barrier. The media center, custom designed by Studio Santalla allows for the Television to be concealed when not in use. A comfortable black leather sectional from B&B Italia sits atop a custom designed mosaic cowhide area rug. Though few, the iconic furnishings provide soft relief from the industrial space.

A custom, eat-in kitchen integrates the appliances and the cabinetry, keeping messes out of site.  The sleek workspace provides a home for a sculpture from Keith Milow. A space-defining wood and glass desk provides a workspace for two, and a pedestal for a bold sculpture from Nelson Carrilho. A massive painting from Keith Milow provides a stunning backdrop to this home office.

The large walk in closet includes a counter for folding clothes.  The custom minimal cabinetry has been designed to house off-the-shelf closet organization from the Container Store. The sleek bathroom space is bookended by a frosted glass watercloset and a dark tiled shower.

The focal point of the loft is a a double-height, open plan living and dining area. Floor to ceiling windows flood this room in natural light, increasing the feeling of space. White walls contrast gently with the parquet flooring and the splashes of color given by the paintings and the decorative elements. Exposed pipes give the place an industrial touch, without interfering with its overall harmonious appearance. Lighting is ensured by two intriguingly-shaped lamps, one descending from the ceiling and the other placed on the floor. The bedrooms are in perfect chromatic tune with the living room. The kitchen is also highly modern and it goes without saying-all-equipped.

What’s more, this home is famous. It has been used Beyonce and John Mayer that filmed music videos in there, it has also been used as a set for “Damages” and for Esquire magazineâ€s photo shoot in 2009′s Sexiest Woman Alive Kate Beckinsale. So itâ€s not just another townhouse with a pool inside. Some research of the propertyâ€s records showed that it is owned by Marcus Nispel, the director of movies such as “Conan the Barbarian” and the remake of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”.

The residence is located at 214 Lafayette St. and over the years it has been used as a factory and a gallery space. When the current owners bought the place in mid-1990s they spent around 12 years renovating it. So you can imagine that it has been a dramatic change. The volume above the pool is a space that can be used as an office and above that thereâ€s a three-floor residential apartment with three bedrooms. Itâ€s a large residence with a modern interior and lots of options regarding its use.

{all the pics are taken by Donna Dotan}

The house has been recently renovated by architect Anna Noguera and has and incredible design which integrates old and new, integrates traditional and contemporary elements: “The new layout respects the logic of the structure to adapt it to the new functional requirements. On the ground floor, from the main door, the vestibule and small premises are accessed, on the first floor are a dwelling with an exit to courtyard and garden, and the second and third floors accommodate a duplex dwelling, with the night zone in the lower floor and the living room and kitchen in the upper floor to provide vistas and a roofed terrace. The project is organised around the two centrelines that structure the floor plan. The staircase has been shifted to place it next to the lift, in the interstitial space between the two directional lines of the centrelines. This space is configured as the hinge that generates the entire layout“.- stated Anna Noguera, architect of Alemanys 5. We are looking forward to your impressions about this diverse and unique project.

via Freshome.com – Interior Design & Architecture Newsletter

This classic contemporary interior design by Pietro Carlo Pellegrini brings new life (and love!) to an old attic of a historic building located in Lucca, Italy. An urban-style living room is occupied by two chic sofas – a regal blue “Mex Cube Sofa” by designer Piero Lissoni and the crisp, white Philippe Starck “Private” sofa – facing the piece de resistance, a black Bisazza mosaic wall dubbed Napoleon, designed by Carlo Dal Bianco. (Love the white Cactus sculpture by Gufram!) Light oak floors and an exposed-beam white-painted ceiling lend the space a Nordic style. Through deceivingly small windows, natural light filters through gauzy white curtains and floods this large space. The kitchen is enclosed behind an ultra-modern folding glass wall. White cabinets line the remaining walls and at the center, a black table-style island provides prep space, a cooktop and eating area. An intriguing blue-lit hallway leads you from the living and dining areas to the bedrooms. The master suite is a dreamy space furnished with a cool, white LIPL bed by Jean Marie Massaud and Cloud end tables by Piero Lissoni. The ensuite bathroom, also a black Bisazza masterpiece, is accessorized by an unusual mirror hovering over a chic Bull stone sink by Antonio Luppi. Inspirations via At Casa

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