Introduction
Loft living began in Manhattan as part of the social urban

development during the 1960s. It immediately generated an

entire movement devoted to the recovery of old, industrial

spaces. Today, loft living has been transformed into a product

of careful architectural elaboration that few people can

acquire. In the 1960s, warehouses and abandoned factories in
New York City were converted into residences for a certain

intellectual elite, signifying a change of direction in the

migration towards suburban zones and a resurgence inside

the city that had gone into full decline after industrial

development. The first residents of these recovered spaces

were artists and students with little acquisition power and a

great need for space. They occupied the spaces illegally and

became activists and defenders of architectural spaces

declared obsolete by the industrial sector,representing a

lifestyle in which the creation and appreciation of art
formed part of the daily routine. Soon thereafter, promoters

discovered and commercialized the image and the ambience

of the artists in order to create an attractive and competitive

new product in the real estate market. The loft ceased to be

merely a space for artistic production and took on a

provocative meaning as an emblem of the freedom of new

generations. The contemporary notion of the loft has given

way to flexible and varied interpretations of this unique living

space. Most loft owners are clients who buy shell spaces and

have the interior professionally designed, built, and
furnished. Architects who design loft conversions are

particularly sensitive to the function and materials of the

original building, and search for a marriage between old and

new that adapts to the needs and tastes of the owners.

Although minimalism might still be considered the prevailing

style, there is a growing diversity of loft interiors and

interpretive treatments of the characteristic whitewashed

walls, exposed metal, glass screens, and expansive hard floors.

The loft has also become more accessible to the general

public. Its original definition has been stretched to include a

mass of open-plan living spaces, both old and new. As Lofts

DesignSource illustrates, individual expression is the key;

experimentation with distribution, color, texture, materials,

and finishes can result in highly personalized spaces and urban

sanctuaries in the heart of the city.