Examples of loft/industrial style kitchens

8 years ago

Hi everyone,

About 1.5 years ago, my partner and I purchased a loft. We got very lucky and were able to get a very good price and we really love the space. We had that moment where we walked in and in immediately looked at each other and said "sold." The only catch is that it was a foreclosure and during the foreclosure period a number of items in the kitchen were stolen. After saving our pennies, we are ready to embark on part 1 of a two part kitchen renovation.

Part 1 is focused on making the existing kitchen work and will go down this summer. The kitchen is an L shape in a large room. Like many lofts, the entire downstairs is open. We're talking living, dining, and kitchen in one big rectangle. Part 2 will be a total reno that will not happen for 5-6 years. We will likely gut it and start fresh as I have plans to move a number of things. The floor plan will remain the same but it will no longer be an L shape.

As I mentioned, some things were removed from the kitchen. This includes the refrigerator, dishwasher, faucet, garbage disposal, the ceiling cans for lights, and the long run of cabinets in the L. We've replaced everything but the long run of cabinets. The back splash is truly horrible because it just ends where the cabinets used to be and is uneven. It also happens to be ugly. Part 1 will include removing and replacing the back splash, adding open shelving on the run of missing cabinets, fixing a couple of chips on the counter top, and doing some miscellaneous electrical work. We are also having a cart built that will function as an island.

I'm on a quest for images of loft style kitchens. I have scoured Gardenweb, Pinterest, Houzz, Google, Apartment Therapy, Remodelista. While I have found some of inspiration, all of those kitchens are very fancy and not representative of my kitchen.

The key thing I am interested in exploring is how to integrate the kitchen into the very open floor plan. I absolutely love all white kitchens, but that look won't work in my space because I think it will be too "kitchen" for the rest of the space. Our space is very industrial. Most of our furniture is reclaimed wood that is supported in some kind of metal frame. We have a diamond steel staircase. Our dining table is reclaimed bowling alley and our bench is reclaimed indoor basketball court (stripped of lacquers and stained to highlight the natural woods.

I will post photos of my space later tonight. Is there anyone here who can post photos of their loft kitchens for research and inspiration?

Thanks very much in advance. I can't wait to drool over my laptop looking at your photos.

Featured Answer

Nothing Left to Say

8 years ago

You might take a look at Hoosier cabinets. They are inexpensive in many parts of the country and work in an unfitted kitchen.

Our house was built in 1926 and still had some original Hoosier style cabinets which we kept in our remodel. The counter is lower than today's standard, but it pulls out and is very functional for us--perfect for making school lunches, plating and kids helping with cooking. This is ours post-remodel.

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Comments (21)

Nothing Left to Say
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
How do you feel about unfitted kitchens? I think you could save money by buying free-standing pieces, which could later be re-purposed or sold. And I think furniture style pieces could blend in with the open floor plan.

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rjknsf
Original Author
8 years ago
Love that idea crl_. When we do part 2, that is what I was already thinking. I think it would fit with the rest of the space much better as all of our furniture is very unique. Carrying unfitted and reclaimed pieces into the kitchen seems like a good idea. We have a longstanding relationship with a carpenter who has built most of our furniture for us. He will do the upper shelves for us this summer. If I can convince him not to retire, I want him to do part 2 in a few years for the lower cabs. I also really like extremely minimal upper shelving. While cabinets are nice, they are very "kitchen" and the options are so limited relative to price.

I particularly like images 1 (the back wall with the sink) and 4. Whatever goes in as cabinets is something I want to be able to top with a counter top for a uniform work surface. I didn't mention in OP but I am a big cook and I cook a lot so the kitchen absolutely must be functional.

While we are still looking for the right base, our future cart/island will be similar to the one in image 2. However, I will have a piece of honed marble installed as a surface.
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Danielle Gottwig
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Wow, OK, so I live in a rowhouse, not a loft. But I love urban spaces and so I have great admiration for lofts. How great that you found a one that will work for you!

I really like the industrial kitchens, and with a loft you've got the perfect environment for the look. This is where it really "belongs."

Pictures I have clipped (but could only apply to my own space in minimal ways) are probably the same ones you have. But I'll go through them later.

I also love to cook, including bread and things that require preparation, so I'm one 100 percent behind a long stretch of counter for working. If you have just one long run of cabinets or an L, maybe you can get a nice long run between the range and sink. Or, if there is space, you could look for the perfect worktable in addition to what you have on the perimeter. In a local shop, I recently saw a vintage worktable -- metal with a big wood top - and I wish I had enough room to drag it home. I could imagine something like this fitting really well, if you could find the right one.

I too prefer minimal or no upper cabinets. But since you'll be able to see the kitchen all the time, do you want cabinets to be able hide things away? If so, the right cabinets - something minimalist and/or something matching your decor? - might integrate very nicely into the look of the first floor. On the other hand, if you are constantly working in the kitchen and like the look, being able to see and grab your most used items in a moment is really nice. I dislike my faithful pot rack (that we took down in December when we ripped out our kitchen) because it just looked cluttery in our space. All the pots will be in drawers next to the range in the new kitchen. But I loved being able to just reach up and grab whatever I needed. So I can easily imagine loving some open shelves or hooks on the wall for a pot collection instead of uppers. If you are organized enough to keep the open spaces looking the way you want them to look, it would look great. But perhaps that is also a far more "kitcheny" look than uppers.
rjknsf
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks, Historian. Glad to hear you like to cook as well.

We have some placement issues in our kitchen. If you think of the L, the long part includes most of the current prep space in addition to the cooktop and sink, the oven is a single wall model installed beneath the cooktop. The short part of the L has the refrigerator and more counter space.

It is unlikely that I will move the plumbing or the cooktop, but I do plan to upgrade the cooktop to a 36 inch model (rather than the current 30) so I will lose some counter space. However, that will be made up for with the cart/island I am having built.

In terms of major changes for Part 2: I would like to move the current location of the oven to the short part of the L and install a double oven next to the fridge. I also plan to replace the fridge with a narrow model that is tall so as to save space. The short part of the L will effectively become all cabinetry and will include the ovens, fridge, and a small pantry.

The long part of the L will retain the sink and larger cooktop. The upper area will have a range

hood. There is a possibility of extending the long part of the L by about a foot for extra counter top. Additional prep space will be available on the cart/island.

After talking it over with my partner, we really do like the idea of unfitted uppers. We do want some concealed space for food and things we do not want to display or get dirty, but could alternate that with some exposed shelving for other things (we have a pretty nice looking cookware collection). We could have our carpenter create two small cabinets that will be hung as uppers with the open shelving.

I am still working on photos of my existing kitchen (phone issues). In the meantime, I have posted two photos of the bed and cabinets that we designed and selected the materials for and that the carpenter constructed. We could have him build cabinets that are similar to the ones in the photo, but smaller as the ones in the pictures are used as dressers. We also will like go with something other than stained glass in the doors.
cawaps
8 years ago
You might want to check out a restaurant supply store. Stainless commercial work tables are awesome. And cheap, by home kitchen standards.
rjknsf
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Also, I found some old listing photos. We have filled in the missing appliances but the long row of missing cabs and the backsplash are things we need to resolve this summer. You can see that the existing style was very modern but that will change as we remodel. Apologies for the low quality of the photos.

Man, that backsplash drives me soooooo crazy.

I think that the cabinetry is all Ikea, I know for certain that the existing uppers are. The lowers have a ridged white applique of some kind. If you run your hand across it horizontally, you will feel the ridges. The uppers are a white, shiny lacquer. The backsplash is mostly grout. There are tiny black square tiles separated by black grout that is almost as wide as the tiles. That back splash has to go!!!!!!!!!!!!
rjknsf
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks, crl_. I grew up with that exact same cabinet. It was my mom's favorite antique. It looks very nice in your kitchen.
rjknsf
Original Author
8 years ago
Sorry for the double post, but I found an example of what we will have built as an island cart. The only difference is that it will not have the added bar seating and the surface will be marble instead of wood.

Now I just have to find two unicorns: an awesome metal base that doesn't break the bank and the right piece of marble.
Ferry Rd · More Info
Danielle Gottwig
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Some pictures I have saved -

W10 Kitchen · More Info

Lowell Ave. Park City Utah · More Info
homepro01
8 years ago
rjknsf,

Your kitchen bottoms look like poggenpohl not Ikea. Ikea never made a ridged door with integrated handles. If they are not poggenpohl, then the previous home owner used custom doors. If the base cabinets are European or Ikea, you can easily get replacement doors in the style you want.

Good luck!
rjknsf
Original Author
8 years ago
I had a chance to take some better photos of my kitchen. I'm too tired to get into ideas tonight but I will provide some of my thoughts tomorrow.
Danielle Gottwig
8 years ago
One look that might run up the middle between your rougher, reclaimed wood pieces and your current sleek-modern cabinets would be something like this - (this a before / after sequence)

Another:

Semihandmade makes these doors for Ikea cabinets, but I'm sure there are several sources for the look.

Semihandmade also has some door options that use reclaimed wood.

Shaker doors might blend well with the right access pieces:

(not sure about that wooden box over top the range, though!...)
rjknsf
Original Author
8 years ago
I do not think the lower cabinets are Poggenpohl. I carefully checked each drawer and pullout last night and could not find any branding. I also checked in the space under the sink and could not find any branding or item numbers. I do like the functionality of the existing bottom cabinets though. However, I plan to switch out the 30 inch cooktop for a 36 induction so I will have to change out some of them. I may also extend the long part of the L by about 12 inches. I may keep the lowers if I can change out the drawer fronts for something less modern. That is something I have to look into.

Thanks for the tip about Semihandmade, I had heard of them and am a bit familiar with the services they offer.

I talked over some of the ideas raised here with my partner. We like the idea of having a mix of open shelving and closed cabinets. We were thinking we could have a cabinet placed on the right side of the sink. Half of it would be covered with a door, the other half would be open. We would also put a cabinet between the sink and the cooktop. We would add shelving above the left side of the cooktop where the picture is now. For backsplash we will do something simple and inexpensive for the time being. Once we do the larger remodel, we could remove the interim backsplash and replace it with something that goes all the up to the ceiling.

We have no windows near the kitchen (can't be added) and it is a dark space. I want to make choices that will make the space feel lighter in combination with adding better lighting on the ceiling. The existing cans are CFL and I do not enjoy the light they provide and try to never turn them on

I do like Shaker style cabinets, so that is another option.

The W10 kitchen photo is probably my favorite kitchen in the world. I am lobbying to put in a brick wall back splash somewhere, but I am having trouble getting the partner on board. We also plan to remove the existing pergo on the first floor and seal the beautiful concrete underneath.
Danielle Gottwig
8 years ago
Goodness, yes, the W10 kitchen photo. Sigh ..
Springroz
8 years ago
I would glue some reclaimed wood over that backsplash for the time being. Or, do the whole wall as a backdrop for some hanging shelves.

Your loft is WAY more "finished" than the picture I had in my head from your first post!
Nothing Left to Say
8 years ago
Have you seen firefly thin brick tile? It is pricey so I would not suggest it for a short term solution, but perhaps for your long term remodel.

Fireclay gallery link.
rjknsf
Original Author
8 years ago
I have not seen that specific brick. If we did install brick, I would prefer something aged.

@springroz: Sorry to confuse. When I said livable, I just meant something that appears finished. We have spent a lot of time and money making our place nice and it is a bummer that the kitchen stands out in its current state.
rjknsf
Original Author
8 years ago
Exciting update: we went to a stone yard today to get the lowdown on marble for the cart I described and we may have inadvertently found the perfect slab.

The cart will be roughly 6 ft by 2.75 feet. Given he size, a remnant piece would be ideal. The only problem is that it is pretty hard to find a remnant that big. This is made more difficult by the fact that there are people with the time to look for big remnants every day of the week, I do not have that kind of discretionary time.

Imagine our surprise when we rolled into the stone yard and our eyes were immediately drawn to a slab of honed Eureka Danby marble that was 3 cm. Our dream was to find a honed marble quarried in the U.S.

To make things even better, it was an orphan piece (last of lot) with some scratches on a corner we don't need. The price is unbelievably low because of its status as an orphan. We immediately fell in love. We think we can get the fabricator to make us a few cheese boards and a piece to set in our windowsill with the part we don't need for the cart. I out that puppy on hold, paid a deposit, and now I need to call my fabricator.
Tmnca
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
To brighten things up, and due to your love for the inspiration photo, I would definitely go with white subway tile backsplash, with darker lower cabinets and a mix of open shelving and sparse upper cabinets where needed.

Congrats on snagging the marble slab!

You might like this kitchen, too:

http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/categories/departments/kitchen/tools/conk/roomset/20153_cosk04a/
blfenton
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
That marble is very very nice. Congratulations on your lucky find. Hopefully you'll now find a base table strong enough to support that beautiful marble.