Loft Living Book

Loft Living looks at the modern dwelling phenomenon that is "the ultimate in cool contemporary living". Peggy Vance, considers 15 loft apartments which vary in style from "urban apartments in converted industrial buildings to a rural idyll in a former barn" in this attractive coffee table book. Vance begins with the history of loft apartments, from Andy Warhol's New York, where starving artists were forced to sleep in their studios to save money, to modern, architect-designed warehouses worth millions. She goes on to showcase lofts including a derelict New York power station turned family home, a minimalist converted school in South London and an Italian former factory that is now a sumptuous antique-filled interior. The book covers styles from baroque to ultra-modern and investigates features that include a cinema kitchen, a colourful shower pod and a glass mezzanine. The tales of these conversions are all the more appealing for their human element. Vance comments on what each space is like to live in and why its owners have chosen particular features. The home of William Chatham, for example, a New York architect, whose style changed when he needed to include children in his metropolitan loft or the experience of architects, de Metz and Green, commissioned to design a chic interior on a budget. Interestingly, the book includes a historical perspective on each area and building it looks at and Vance points out architectural features that make particular buildings suitable for loft conversion. For example a former printworks in London's Clerkenwell; which was in such a poor state of repair that it was almost demolished, but its concrete frame structure and huge metal-framed windows made it an ideal candidate for renovation. Accompanied by high-quality photographs that give the book a glossy feel, Loft Living is an inspiration for anyone who is thinking of, or just dreaming about, open-plan living. --Karen HomerRead More