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5 Extraordinary Lofts Across the Country

These great loft spaces prove design doesn't believe in "flyover states"

Becky Harris October 4, 2011

Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected." I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.

Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More

Comment10

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How many of you Houzz users are NOT from New York City or San Francisco? Last week I put together a little round up of townhouse Houzz Tours we've featured, and as someone who has spent most of my life in Ohio, Virginia, and Georgia, it struck me that as fabulous as those homes were, I was missing examples from all of those states between the two coasts.

On that note, I'm hoping this ideabook will put an end to thinking of everywhere else as flyover territory. Not only are these cities full of great design and creativity, dream homes are much more attainable due to lower real estate costs. Here are five favorites.

Industrial Living Room Industrial Living Room

1. Minneapolis. Has anyone else noticed how hot this city is? It's the home of my (and the first lady's) favorite big-box store's headquarters, home of Blu Dot, chock full of starchitecture, and of course, home base for that purple wonder Prince. This gorgeous loft is more proof of Minneapolis's skyrocketing cool factor.

The designer, Andrew Flesher, added this gridded bookshelf to divide the wide-open loft space.

Crisp white walls, a mix of antiques, new furnishings and unique light fixtures show off Flesher's talent for curating and assembling a variety of styles.

See more of this loft

Vintage Renewal

2. Denver. The word "loft" has been tossed around a lot in real estate for the past decade or so, as brand new high-rises full of "loft apartments" pop up. But a true loft is in a repurposed building like this brick beauty.

Vintage Renewal

Etsy seller Jeanne Connolly lives in this loft, which is full of her own repurposed vintage creations. The result is a vibrantly collected bohemian vibe.

Vintage Renewal

This gallery wall shows off Connolly's eye for art and how to create a pleasing composition. Her home shows us how creativity thrives a mile above sea level.

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Nicole Lanteri Design

3. Virginia. Lawyer-turned-decorator Nicole Lanteri and her husband found the loft of their dreams in Arlington.

Nicole Lanteri Design

Lanteri mixes vintage finds and bargains from CB2 and Urban Outfitters to create eye-popping combinations of texture and colors.

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decordemon

4. Atlanta. We first met Houzz Contributor Brian Patrick Flynn, a.k.a. Decor Demon, when he showed us his loft in the city of Atlanta. Flynn has since moved to a house, but he made the most of the loft experience.

decordemon

Flynn used an "F" from a T.G.I. Friday's sign, and a blown-up image of his parents as art that matched the scale of the space.

decordemon

Flynn also rallied the residents to come together and make the most of their formerly neglected roofdeck.

Your Friends & Neighbors

5. Cincinnati. Mark Twain once said, "When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Cincinnati because it's always twenty years behind the times."

Not fair, not fair! The Queen City is buzzing with creative energy and is a well-kept secret. We took a tour of graphic artist Maya Drozdz's loft before her Seed Bombs business blew up.

Your Friends & Neighbors

Found objects can be a great addition to loft decor. Drozdz and her partner Michael Stout use bottles they find around their historic neighborhood, Over the Rhine, as decor.

Your Friends & Neighbors

20 years behind? Drozdz had embraced gray walls long before it became such a white-hot trend. As for the rest of the city, it has plenty of iconic buildings of its own, from fabulous examples of Art Deco to some serious recent starchitecture.

With just about every top architect represented from the University of Cincinnati campus, down the hill through downtown and across the river to Covington, Kentucky. Take that, Twain!

So Houzzers, where are you from? And what do you love about design in your city? Please share with us in the Comments!

More:
Houzz Tour: Shingle Style Meets Soho on the Jersey Shore
Merging Styles: Industrial Loft Meets Modern Luxe
Enjoy the Warm Side of Loft Living

Comment10

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Comments (10)

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sheilamac65

I LOVE the family photo Brian Flynn used to create art for his loft and want to do the same. Can anyone provide recommendations and resources? THX!

Like October 13, 2013 at 3:03AM

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Becky Harris

HI Sheila, I've asked Brian this before and he says "The 3X3 photograph was scanned in high-resolution, then outputted on UV-resistant vinyl in GIANT SCALE," he says.

I'm thinking what you need is a local shop that makes vinyl signs, so maybe search your city plus "vinyl sign printing?" Or just search for printing shops in general and do a little calling around about the maximize sizes they can print.

Like October 14, 2013 at 7:45AM

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