‘Loft style’ living is associated with spacious apartments looking out over city skylines, or retro-industrial style loft spaces reclaimed from old buildings. The essence of loft style living involves views, acres of floor space, and clean-cut contemporary looks mixed with a touch of retro industrial styling. All the basics, such as walls and floors need to be totally serviceable and practical. Thankfully for the discerning loft style devotee, our large-format tiles fit beautifully into those parameters – so here’s some lofty large format inspiration to get you started…
Lofty Views
A great choice of flooring is vital in a big space – not only does it have to be spot-on style wise, it has to have longevity, with a stylish look that will stay relevant throughout possible future changes of furniture and colour schemes. Our Mikeno Honey Wood Effect wall and floor tiles in porcelain look exactly like real timber, measure 900mm x 150mm, and can be considered an extremely practical choice for large expanses of floor. And yes, they can be used with our electric Underfloor Heating too – keep those floors cosy, especially if you’re planning to include some lounging-around floor cushions.
All Squared Up
These enormous square tiles (1200mm x 1200mm) are Bayona Grey in porcelain, with rectified edges – which means they can be installed so close together that grout lines can be barely visible (a very good look for large spaces). Get an industrial-style flavour with dark colours, reminiscent of hard-working spaces used for tough jobs, now rescued and revived as comfortable living spaces.
Perfect Patterns
We had to show how our Swing Blue Decor Night & Day tiles also look perfectly at home in a loft-style setting, on the off-chance that you’re not actually looking for large-formats for such a space. These are somewhat smaller encaustic-style porcelain tiles, measuring a mere 203mm x 203mm. Nonetheless, they are very suited to that loft-style ambiance, giving this open-plan apartment a sense of rooftop/cocktail lounge glamour.
From Above
Loft-style living areas may often include a mezzanine floor, which means that family or communal areas such as the kitchen and living spaces can be viewed from a partly-open plan upper floor. When designing these spaces, it’s important that colours, surfaces, and textures flow easily throughout. We suggest that choosing a subtle, low-key design that can be used across various rooms is a great idea. Try our Barbados White Marble Effect wall and floor tiles. In various large formats, 600mm x 600mm included, and 600mm x 300mm as shown here.
Going for Bold
Get a dramatic look with Nature Black Slate tiles – which are actually constructed from porcelain and therefore don’t have the associated upkeep issues that natural slate has. These large-format tiles measure a huge 750mm x 750mm and can also be used outdoors as well.
Pebbles Underfoot
We love our indoor-outdoor Haven Creek Pebbles porcelain tiles … perhaps for an exterior balcony or covered veranda maybe? They measure in at 600mm x 600mm and would definitely add a quirky and stylish influence – and yes, they are smooth enough for use in kitchens and bathrooms.
Grey Giants
We thought a closer look at our 1200mm x 1200mm Bayona Grey would be in order here, to show the meticulous veining detail. These expansive tiles an be used anywhere indoors, and the large scale format and rectified edges mean grout lines are minimised for a sweeping, flowing look.
Black & Pink Perfections
Get that loft-style flavour with our Ardosia Black Antislip Porcelain floor tiles, in large 600mm x 600mm format. Looking like authentic concrete slabs, they have excellent anti-slip qualities and so are super-suitable for use in a bathroom/shower room. Add steel framed windows and shower-screen into the mix and you’ve got a very authentic industrial look. You can add a touch of colour with our Bella Craquele Pink wall tiles (as seen here) should you so wish!
Light & Spacious
Loft-style isn’t always about darker colours – go for white, bright and light in a smaller space to make it appear larger. Try our large-format Invictus White Polished Porcelain wall and floor tiles, measuring 800mm x 800mm. There are also some matching Invictus White Mix Mosaics, which can be an interesting addition for a change of pace and texture, perhaps for a panel behind a basin or at the back of some integrated shelves.
Stoned Love
For realistic industrial-style loft looks, stone or concrete finishes are a suitable choice. Bathrooms and kitchens are hard-working rooms at the best of times, so take it to the limit with durable porcelain tiles that will take everything that’s thrown at the them (well, you know what we mean!). Try our 1000mm x 500mm Evolution Matt Natural Grey floor and wall tiles. The generous size means less grouting and a more expansive look too!
Will you be going for that loft apartment style in your next interior revamp? If so then don’t forget to send us your pictures of your finished projects – share your pics with us over on Twitter tagging @TileMountainUK or on Instagram!
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Linda has worked as a freelance interiors writer and blogger for many years; she has written for most of the major home and design magazines, including KBB Magazine, Grand Designs, Homes & Gardens, House Beautiful, Period Homes and Good Homes. She made the break and moved from London back to her home town of Shrewsbury three years ago and has just finished renovating her house. She also works in an interior design studio, produces copy for brochures and website, tries to tame her garden, aims to finish all the home furnishing projects she has on the go … and loves walking.