Post a floor plan with measurements. You'll get lots of ideas.

I would start with a large rug and a good comfortable sofa. See if you can find a large piece of art.

Is this a space where you will watch TV? Eat?

Yes it is. I want to get a nice couch, bookshelf rugs etc. Confused on couch model/ colors that would go with the space and brick walls. Also trying to budget😊

Start with a couch. Go see them in person. Unless you are short, get one that has a seat at least 18" high. I like Ethan Allen, although they are not cheap, they are made well and use performance fabric. You could do any style. You could mix styles, as well.

A friend of mine recently bought this one. It is elegant and comfortable.

Ethan Allen Design Gallery · More Info

This is a classic.

Ethan Allen · More Info

@Sophia Davies you have a great space for industrial style, but do you like it? Read this and see: 

https://www.houzz.com/magazine/so-your-style-is-industrial-stsetivw-vs~1331143

@Sophia Davies if you do not currently have living room or family room furniture, is that because you are just starting out? Or did you just leave everything behind in your move? Is this a temporary home? Do you think you will be moving somewhere else and hope to take your new furniture with you?

With the industrial style, does this appeal to you?

Bookshelves?

If you don't love the industrial style, then figure out what style you do love and go that direction. I was timid when I started and thought I wanted traditional furniture. Now I don't. I've realized what I like is home as art. Traditional is a safe bet. Other safe bets are a loveseat and two  chairs, not necessarily matching chairs, but they can be. A pair of swivel barrel chairs are very useful. Put a small table between them. You also can have two small tables on either end of your loveseat or a coffee table or a console table behind a loveseat that has it's back to another space. Tie it all together with an area rug you love. It's nice for at least one item to be leather seating for guests with allergies or hot weather, since it can be cool to sit on. 

So how is this… A loveseat (sleeper?) (leather?) with it's back to the adjoining space where you took the photo. A console table behind the back. Two ottomans or stools underneath for extra seating. Two swivel chairs  (fabric) paired together opposite the loveseat. A set of three nesting tables between them (so many styles). An area rug under it all. A wall-mounted smart tv to the left on that wall with another console beneath it or a shelf. And bookcases or etageres on the opposite wall. Console tables are so versatile. The swivel chairs can turn to watch TV or to look outside or to talk with people on the sofa. You can grab some takeout and eat it on the ottoman/stool under the console while watching TV then continue from the sofa. 

What do you think? What are your favorite styles and colors? Whatever you do, don't get big bulky overstuffed furniture.

Will you have a t v?

@houssaon love that sofa

I just moved to this apartment by myself. I used t9 live with a roommate. Now I'm so excited to create my own space with the style I love and I'm trying to get it together. Want to start out with a nice couch/sofa, rug , coffee table etc and then accessories. This apt being a nice spacious one I just want to get it simple but cozy..I've been looking at so many ideas... industrial, splash of colors or neutral lot of decisions to make lol and stay within budget.
Yes I will get a tv for the living room; I have one in my bedroom now.
Loving all your ideas here

Should I go for a wallpaper that goes with our compliments the red brick wall?

Float your furniture…don’t line the walls.. use rugs to define areas…like tv watching…dining….reading…?…don’t over furnish to fill the space…face the furniture toward the view…painted graphics work better on walls…than wallpaper…which could be a nightmare cost wise and to remove when you tire of it…for lighting the big arched lamps will be easier work with ..as they can be placed nearer the wall outlets…

For the walls oversize but flat metal sculptures can break up the big expanses like the brick wall between the windows…the main thing to avoid is keeping everything at people level…but to give the eye something to follow up to the higher levels as well

Lastly don’t choose furniture too heavy to move easily…as it may take a while to get things right as well as needing to sometimes move things to accommodate different kinds of gatherings..

@Sophia Davies a rule of thumb is to think about the walls last. First think of function. Then choose the furniture that best suits the function. Keep the lines simple, clean, classic, time-tested....the little black dress in the furniture world. Nothing bulky or excessive, and no sectionals for your first furniture. 

I'll share some advice I would usually give but am not sure is appropriate for you and this space. The advice would normally be to go shop in an outdoor furniture store and get really good outdoor furniture for your first furniture. Good quality is less expensive. The furniture is light weight and easily moved. If friends or pets or children barf on it or worse, it can be taken outside and hosed down, or the cushions replaced. Then a decade later when you have your first house and can afford to or want to buy really nice indoor furniture you get a two-for... Indoor furniture and your old furniture becomes your patio furniture that none of your friends think they can afford. 

You know, another good source of furniture is grandparents and parents wanting to downsize. I would love it if my daughter wanted some of my furniture. And finally, find a furniture restoration place near you and ask about sources for used furniture of sufficient quality to restore. You can find some really special pieces you will treasure all your life. I got some great tables at an estate auction.

My advice is to buy a very good quality couch first. Simple, clean classic lines. Nothing with exaggerated arms or back or legs. Good bones. Something that can fit in anywhere—-a loft, a traditional home, a farmhouse style setting. Have it upholstered in a good quality beige linen fabric. No wild prints. Again, classic. A fabric that will play well with anything else that you buy. Even if it is the only piece of furniture that you own for a while…buy the best that you can afford. And take your time furnishing your new home! Shop thrift stores, Habitat, consignment shops, and follow sales at high end stores. It is a journey! And can be lots of fun! Welcome home!!

Something like this? Not sure if I want to go for beige and add splash of color with accessories or go for colors

I suggest you choose a neutral color. Grayish taupe or blueish gray. In other words, not something “on trend.” Not if you want to keep it for a while. But before you buy ANYTHING, measure your space. Visit a furniture store. Sit in your couch and or chairs before buying. Furniture ALWAYS looks smaller in a HUGE store. The biggest mistake many first time furniture buyers make is buying furniture that is TOO BIG for their space. And…don’t buy “sets” of things. Your goal should be to put together your room one piece at a time. So it looks “collected” not bought off the floor of a store. That is why I suggest a couch first. And then, perhaps, your rug. And then your chairs. But do measure out your room. If you post the measurements of your living room/combo room here, the pros can help you with sizes of things that you should be looking for. From rugs to couches to chairs, etc. HAVE FUN!

I would not paint or paper the walls. The real feature is that brick wall, which is beautiful and carries the room.

Invest in a decent full sized sofa, - not a love seat and chairs, in a neutral color like beige, grey, olive, or black. You will get much more use out of the sofa than out of a collection of smaller pieces. And you can get second hand chairs to mix and match over time. Get something that is long enough to sleep on if you have guests.

Pieces with simple, slender arms rather than oversize or rolled arms are more practical. If you ever move somewhere with narrow doors or hallways, you'll be able to more it more easily. I advised many friends to purchase Rowe sofas as starter sofas and they have had them 2 decades later. I particularly like this one, which you can switch up over time with different color pillows and throw.

Dorset 88" is a winner. It is available in tons of colors.

https://www.rowefurniture.com/products/detail/dorset-88-sofa

Ikea makes great bookshelfs and some models are supposed to last a long time and be good investments. Get something simple that you can over time use for books or objects or storing extra dishes or whatever else.

A nice woven jute rug will look great anywhere you take it.

I like the idea of an arc lamp in a big space like this.

@Kendrah I need help understanding the appeal of a full-sized sofa. I really want to understand. Please don't think I am being argumentative. In my experience, nobody ever wants to sit in the middle spot of a sofa, so to me it is wasted space. I have plenty of length when I nap on my loveseat. And a loveseat is much better suited to a smaller space that so many homes have. Please help me understand. Is it because I am short and thin? 5'4" Is that why I don't see the value? Because if I thought my tall wide dear friends were uncomfortable on my loveseats, I'd want to make them more comfortable. Thank you so much for your patient and kind response. I need educating.

@Sophia Davies I don't recommend matching the sofa to the chairs. It may seem like a quick fix but it will get boring. I also like to offer at least one leather piece for people with strong allergies. For me it's the loveseat. I love a Cordovan leather loveseat and pair of velvet swivel barrel chairs. 

@Kendrah definitely favors the sofa but I'm not sure why, so let her respond and maybe she will convince us both. If it's for sleeping I will wonder if a sleeper sofa or loveseat is an option in her mind. 

I also wonder about your room dimensions and how they would impact your ultimate decision. Specifically, what is the width of the room in the picture you show? But as long as you are measuring, what is the opposite dimension for the living room. You decide where to stop, as it looks like an open plan that could accommodate a living room near the windows and dining room where you must have been standing. 

Another reason I like a sleeper/loveseat is that it often works great in a home office/guest room. But then so does a Murphy bed.

KL, sofas come in lots of sizes from “apartment” size to…over 100”. That is why people are asking for dimensions. I, too, am short. I have two love seats that I bought long ago (before you were probably born!), and have had them reupholstered 3 times. They were/are great quality. BUT…in many ways, I find a sofa more practical for a first timer like you. Why? Rarely does more than one person sit on a loveseat at my home when I have a gathering. Seriously! If two do, they are crushed together! Yes, you can curl up on a love seat. (I can too.). But you can stretch out on a sofa. And, at least two, possibly three, can sit on it. Where more people make an error is to opt for a sectional…which give the illusion of lots of seating but don’t really. Everyone is all lined up in a row, and then there is the tricky corner bit! When you get dimensions of your space, post the floor plan here. You will get lots of options from wonderful PROs. (I am not a PRO. I have had lots of experience, trial and ERROR, with my own home(s) over the years.). I will be following your journey!

The sets you show are too traditional and will also be overwhelmed in the space. Looks like you like traditional, but keep in mind the loft’s style.

FIRST step is to identify an overall look before deciding on any furniture, as well as preferred layout (do a floor plan) and your needs. If worried about choosing a sofa color, go neutral and use your favorite(s) colors when accessorizing. If you like traditional, suggest mixing it up.

You mention budget; invest in well made seating and add items slowly, if you have to and having a plan will make selecting easier. Marketplace could also be helpful.