Lofts have grown in popularity over the decades in major cities across the United States. They are known for their unique designs and associated with open and spacious layouts, large windows, and high soaring ceilings. Renters who desire something other than a traditional living situation would love a loft-style apartment. In today’s blog post, we’ll cover the hot topic of “What are lofts?” along with their history, the pros and cons of living in one, and where you can find them in today’s housing market.
What are loft apartments?
Traditionally, loft apartments are a type of residential unit that were converted and renovated from commercial purposes into residential apartment units. There’s usually just one spacious room with high ceilings that encompasses all of your living needs such as a kitchen, living room, and bedroom. Don’t worry, bathrooms are usually still in a private room. The lofts that renters can find on the market these days typically feature the following.
An open floor plan: Lofts have minimal internal walls. As such, tenants can easily access their bedroom, living room, and kitchen all in one large space. Open floor plan layouts have become more and more popular in recent years due to its ability to open up the space and flow of the home. For those who desire more privacy, there are ways to divide up the home without installing an actual wall.
High ceilings: Given that lofts are converted from large warehouses or commercial spaces, many the loft ceilings are 10 feet or more. The lofty (pun intended) ceilings are a breath of fresh air in comparison to smaller traditional units with regular ceilings heights.
Large windows: Higher ceilings means the ability to add larger, expansive windows. This allows further natural light and ventilation for residents.
Industrial finishes: Most loft apartments feature flooring such as concrete or hardwood floors. Additionally, you’ll likely find exposed brick, ductwork, and beams leftover from the building’s origins as a warehouse or factory.
The history of loft apartments
Major cities in America such as New York City were once home to large manufacturing industries. With time, these industries began to decline or move to other areas in the early to mid-20th century. As a result, many factories, warehouses, and commercial buildings became abandoned or underutilized in neighborhoods such as Soho and Tribeca.
Starting in the 1950s, artists, such as those in the Abstract Expressionist movement, started to move into these vacant buildings. These spaces were desirable to artists due to their massive open layouts with lots of natural lighting. More importantly, cheap rent. Many of these buildings were converted into live/work spaces that sometimes housed entire communities. Many declining neighborhoods were revitalized as a result of the growing art scene.
Unfortunately, many of these buildings were built and zoned for commercial usage and not for residential use. As a result, many of the artists who were illegally or semi-illegally living in these spaces faced the threat of eviction at all times by the city. To protect themselves, artists began to organize politically, and after several decades of campaigning and lobbying, the Loft Law in 1982 (also known as Article 7-C of the Multiple Dwelling Law) was passed. This law allowed artists to continue to live and work in lofts and ensured their protection from unreasonable eviction and rent increases while making sure that buildings were bought up to code. These days, lofts have become a popular alternative to the traditional apartment unit.
What are the differences between hard and soft lofts?
There are two types of loft style apartments. Hard lofts and soft lofts. Hard lofts are converted from actual existing industrial spaces such as old warehouses or factories. These types of apartments are found in older cities that had a strong industrial history. In comparison, soft lofts are units that were constructed and built to imitate the now trendy loft style. They were built with the residential use in mind and are not converted from old warehouses, factories, or commercial buildings. As a result, these types of units are generally more modernized and polished.
Pros and cons
There are many reasons to love loft apartments. They are spacious and the open floor plan allows for creative layouts that aren’t possible in a traditional apartment unit. The expansive windows offer tons of natural light and ventilation. These types of units are also great for hosting and entertaining guests and offer a lot of unique industrial charm that is ever so popular these days.
On the flip side, these apartments are certainly less private. Even with dividers, it’s hard to truly find privacy when you’re living in an open floorplan layout. The large spacious unit can also prove hard to heat in winter or cool in summer (meaning higher electricity bills). Hard lofts are often converted with a lack of storage options and may feel less cozy or comfortable (especially for those that come with concrete floors).
Are lofts cheaper than apartments?
Loft may have started off as cheaper than your standard apartment unit. However, these days, with short supply and high demand, they are becoming more and more expensive. The development of soft lofts has eased the effect somewhat, but even then, there are still increased costs involved with the maintenance of a loft unit such as heating and cooling.
How to find loft apartments?
Best time to find them
Loft apartments follow the same seasonality trends as other types of apartments. Looking during winter offers you better deals and less competition from other renters. Try searching in summer, if you’d like to have more options to choose from and don’t mind the competition or paying slightly higher prices.
Where to find loft apartments?
Lofts are not exclusive to New York! The concept of repurposing old commercial or industrial buildings into residential units happens all over the United States. Large cities with a rich industrial legacy such as Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Portland, etc all have their own fair share of such apartments.
Specifically in New York City, loft apartments can be found in neighborhoods such as Soho, Chelsea, Tribeca, Williamsburg, DUMBO, Greenpoint, and Long Island City. Other neighborhoods such as Hell’s Kitchen or Flatiron District also have loft apartments, though less prevalent. However, inventory is always shifting. There are always developers building more soft lofts in neighborhoods that traditionally did not have a lot of such apartment inventory. Check out our updated inventory for available loft apartments for rent directly on our site and skip having to Google “lofts for rent near me”.
