Loft Chandeliers

The industrial and urban loft style requires a thoughtful attitude to the choice of chandeliers and lighting fixtures in general. Translated from English, “loft” means “loft”, which, in fact, characterizes this style quite well.

“Light, more light! "Is the motto of the loft-style rooms. Indeed, the huge open spaces under the high arches of girded ceilings require skillful lighting, which can often be created only by an experienced designer.

The “Loft” style itself started back in the 20s of the last century. The crisis hit the American enterprises, forcing them to hastily curtail production and transfer it to the suburbs, and sell empty industrial buildings for a pittance. Bohemia immediately began to move into non-residential buildings in Manhattan, seeing the beauty of such facilities. They didn’t break their heads over the arrangement: they dragged the old furniture, and some lighting devices left some of which already existed.

Time passed, and the concept remained the same, but now Loft chandeliers are made not from scrap materials, but from exclusive designer ones, and they sometimes cost indecently expensive. However, a large selection of different options presented by the style as a typical design allows you to choose models for almost any wallet.

Loft imposes sufficiently rigid restrictions on the choice of material from which chandeliers are made, on colors and even on the intensity of the glow of light bulbs. In addition, there are certain rules that indicate to place different types of chandeliers at different heights. All this is done with a single purpose - to divide the space as efficiently as possible, highlighting each of the zones in a special way. “Functionality is above all,” says one of the rules of stylistics.

For each of the rooms a certain type of chandelier is chosen. Initially, the loft rooms did not have partitions and walls, the whole room was an apartment, so each of the functional areas was highlighted in its own way and with its own device.This moment also should be considered when choosing a chandelier.

For loft rooms are selected various chandeliers, ordinary and not. One of the most famous is the so-called spider - heavy round design with bulbs in a circle, located on the frame, resembling spider legs. Nowadays, there are variations, for example, a spider on flexible legs-cords, picked up with the help of a special device-holder fixed under the ceiling. If you hang the lamps on the cords without a device-holder, you will get another typical option for the loft.

Round Gothic chandeliers with candelabra are popular design solutions. Candles have long been replaced by electric counterparts that mimic their shape and structure, but such majestic models are attached with the help of coarse chains, as in the old days.

Edison bulbs, which differ from the Ilyich models by the structure of incandescent elements, are used in loft style along with others. They do not need a floor lamp, as the dim, steady-burning light is soft in itself and does not need additional dispersion.If you hang a simple cartridge on the cord and turn on the Edison bulb, you will get another Loft "chandelier". It is worth remembering that this type of lighting "eats" a lot of electrical energy, be prepared how to spend money.

Track hinges are an aluminum tire, on which are placed several lamps. The tire is the most mobile and versatile option of all those listed; it can be hung at any height and supplemented with different types of light bulbs that work well together. Ordinary Soviet ceiling lamps, as in war films, fit well into a loft, especially if they contain remnants of “native” paint.

The most common thing to see is metal loft chandeliers. They are different in their design: from pipes, from flexible parts, in the form of projectors, similar to any plumbing elements, tire, simple Gothic, in the form of a wheel, with an oval plafond - the list goes on almost infinitely.A real find is the combination of various forms of metal shades located at the same height.

Choose high-quality metal products from cast iron, stainless steel, aluminum. Bronze models usually do not fit the style, as well as the usual brass or gold-plated.

Glass in all possible ways is another extreme of style.

In addition to standard glass chandeliers, crystal figured decanters for cognac or empty whiskey bottles with stored labels on them are used as plafonds. Such chandeliers as if declare an emphatically simple attitude to life, the absence of any attachments, and also show that, as they say, everything will fit in the household.

Plastic chandeliers are a budget option, however, there are some nuances. Plastic is stylized as metal, painting it with various powder paints. One of the most frequent options is to paint a plastic ceiling from the inside with a matte silver paint that imitates aluminum, and for the outside, an unpretentious color is chosen, for example, gray or khaki.To include such a design in the interior, you need to try, since neither gray nor khaki are typical for a loft.

Wood models are not used and not found. Wooden constructions for a loft are not modern enough and too sophisticated. In this style, everything breathes simplicity and functionality, while wood is a claim to a certain elevation and classical correctness.

Loft style likes extremes. Large or small chandeliers, it does not matter, the main thing - not average.

In most cases, rather large single variants or a large group of small ones are chosen. Chandelier should look massive, regardless of the size of its components. It should be borne in mind that the smaller the details of the chandelier, the brighter the light that it emits. For example, a single light bulb in the ceiling should be warm, even slightly dim, while the “bunch” of light bulbs should radiate so much light that it was impossible to look at them.

The choice of color depends on the type of chandelier. In short, the theme of coloring has already been touched upon in the section on materials now it's time to dwell on it in more detail:

• In most cases, loft chandeliers are made white, black or transparent. The first pair of options refers to the construction of metal, and the last - to the glass. Modern plastic models (especially the “spider” models) can be bright: red, neon-yellow, aquamarine, and acid-green.
• White the chandelier is chosen in cases where it is not planned to make a catchy accent. It also happens that the white wires are designed to "dissolve" in space, allowing transparent shades with unusual light bulbs to float in the air without support.

• Black options more justified, since it was the black models that were originally in the style. Black metal constructions are a constant loft classic. Neutral color allows you to choose an unusual form of construction or to complement it with interesting details. For example, one of the examples is a chandelier-cage, inside of which there is another chandelier, but already made of glass, complemented by candelabra with electric candle lamps.
• Metallic models should not be like chandeliers in the truest sense of the word.It is best when strange details are covered with metallic paint: inverted wine glasses as ceilings or perforated spheres.

• The richer the better. Bright models are suitable for the design of a bright loft. Bathing in a huge amount of light, they will create the necessary contrast, and even turned off such a chandelier will serve its purpose, carefully correcting and “highlighting” the surrounding elements.

• Transparent glass chandeliers - A separate topic for discussion. Most often there are pompous models with many small details, more relevant for the theater than for the industrial premises. In combination with raw walls and underlined technological details, transparent glass looks luxurious.

Consider the good location options:

• In the kitchen The use of aluminum lampshades or track tires above the table is encouraged. In general, a loft chandelier for the kitchen is the best choice as it does not occupy floor space, leaving more room for maneuvers. Glass models will not fit in here, the underlined neglect of pretentiousness for a taboo kitchen.

• For the bedroom you should choose a single model on a flexible but durable cord. It is possible to hang on a similar chandelier on each side of the bed above the bedside tables, placing the hangers almost close to the wall. Also a good choice would be to use a few small bright spotlights just above the head of the bed. In the bedroom, the chandelier should not be located in the middle of the room, as usual, but in the sleeping area.

• For living room You can choose from a fairly large model range. Both small spotlights and spider chandeliers or classic crystal baroque options will fit in here. The use of a metallized large sphere, going down to the middle of the distance between the floor and the ceiling, is also not forbidden.The choice of a single option is carried out after analyzing all the essential factors, such as natural lighting, the overall color content, the prevalence of a particular material, the height of the ceilings and the total area of ​​the room.

• If you ventured to issue loft-style nursery, for her it is definitely worth picking up a flexible “spider” construction made of bright plastic. The chandelier should be mounted under the ceiling, so that the child could not reach it and get an electric shock. An interesting choice will be the installation of tire structures, supplemented by searchlights, or the choice of a large and bright plastic sphere. By choosing a sphere with perforations that creates the illusion of the night sky, you will make your child happy and make the lighting more interesting.

Regardless of the room, it is worth remembering that the loft style does not accept the delicate romantic vintage options for colors and designs. Do not set up experiments, especially if the chandelier is expensive.

In order to correctly select the lamps-suspensions, you should focus on all the information that was set out above, as well as adopt several additional rules:

• The functionality for the loft style is as important as the aesthetic component, which is why you first need to think about the power of the lamp, its usefulness, and only then about the beauty.
• Ceiling multi-level design looks more interesting and dynamic than static. If you are planning to buy an expensive system, consult with a specialist about the correctness of your decision. Usually, professionals provide advice for free directly in the store-salon of light.
• Modern models are equipped with massive details, do not be afraid of this. Big powerful elements are part of the loft style. Against the background of a large room with a lot of open spaces, their bulkiness will disappear, and they will seem to be of normal size.

• The more industrial look the suspended structure has, the better. Ideally, lighting fixtures should be chosen in such a way that they look like new designs from old factories and plants.
• Feel free to create fixtures with your own hands using the materials at hand, for example, bottles or cognac glasses. If you do everything neatly, such an exclusive home-made design will look no worse than a professional design job.

The most important thing: you should not pick up loft-style chandeliers in rooms with insufficiently high ceilings, it looks ridiculous and inappropriate. The concept of style itself involves a lot of space, so you can not “choke” the style, trying to fit it into a small room. Most chandeliers are made with the help of cords-suspensions, which can not be placed in a low room.

You will learn more about Loft chandeliers in the following video.

The use of spotlights on a tire is a universal lighting option for a loft style. It is suitable both for kitchens, and for living rooms, and for bedrooms, while such a lighting device gives enough light, does not take up much space, and fully meets the requirements of style.

Black plastic floor lamps of various shapes are made of a matte material, which acts as a sharp contrasting spot against the background of a snow-white wall. A similar option is chosen to highlight the living room area in the common room.

You can’t surprise anyone with a colorful loft, the only requirement is that the colors should “shout”, feel free to declare themselves.The bright red cord for a soft “spider” chandelier perfectly approached the interior, delicately adding a juicy accent.

Unusual metal suspensions look like painted against a gray wall. The geometric design and pure white color combine amazingly, forming a stylish modern duet. A group of chandeliers catches the eye, acting as a fundamental nuance of the interior.

Using floor lamps of the same design and color, but of different shapes, is a win-win combination. The choice of this option in the design of the bedroom fully justified itself, allowing at the same time to create sufficient lighting and emphasize the triptych on the wall.

Metallic hemispheres fit perfectly into a youth loft, adding a bit of rebellion to an already free style. A strong association with the factory makes the choice of such lamps a very smart move. Symmetry makes the design even more interesting, carrying in itself a deep thought of duality.