7 Décor Tips to Elevate Your Modern Loft

Looking for lofty ideas? You're in luck. Here are seven décor tips to help you design a modern loft-style home.

Modern loft spaces are the perfect fusion of history and contemporary living. These transformed spaces often tell a story about their former lives—perhaps as an old mattress factory or a former paper mill. Yet, with recent upgrades into loft apartments, they feature practical modern touches such as metal railings and high-tech kitchens.

Your modern loft home is the ideal canvas for embracing industrial-style interior design or crafting a bohemian artist’s retreat. Even if your home isn’t technically a loft, you can draw inspiration from loft living to spark ideas for modern home design. Here are seven décor tips to help you create the ultimate modern loft.

7 Tips for Designing a Modern Loft

Whether you live in a modern loft apartment or not, these décor ideas can help you craft a home that complements your space’s style while maximizing its unique layout.

1. Create Defined Sections

Modern lofts often feature open floor plans, making the space feel bright and spacious. However, incorporating multiple rooms—like a living area, dining space, and home office—into one open area can make the space feel chaotic.

Define sections to keep your living areas organized. Room dividers are a great tool for creating separation. For example, you can use one to divide your office from the rest of the space. But dividers aren’t your only option.

Use rugs and furniture to establish distinct zones. For instance, place a rug under your dining table and another beneath your living room furniture to distinguish the two areas.

Arrange furniture thoughtfully. Position a modular sofa to face away from the dining area, creating a clear division between the living and dining spaces.

Add a short bookshelf as a DIY half-wall to separate areas while maintaining an open, airy feel.

You can also utilize architectural features as natural dividers. If your loft has large columns running through the center, think of them as walls that separate different parts of the open floor plan.

2. Turn Acoustic Panels into Wall Art

Industrial lofts with polished concrete floors and open layouts are modern and spacious but can also be noisy. Reduce echoes with sound-absorbing materials like rugs and acoustic panels.

Acoustic panels come in various colors and textures, making it easy to create a statement wall while improving sound quality. You can even craft DIY acoustic walls with wooden slats, adding a Scandinavian minimalist touch to your loft’s design.

3. Incorporate Faux Brick

Converted spaces often come with built-in charm, but if your loft lacks the history you were hoping for, it’s time to add some faux features.

A faux brick wall—classic red or painted white—can give your home the “this building has a story” vibe. You could also add shiplap, reclaimed wood, or stone panels for added character. Stick to one or two accent walls to avoid overwhelming the space.

4. Dress Up Columns

Columns are a beloved architectural feature of modern lofts, but sometimes they lack personality.Wrap plain plaster columns in distressed wood to mimic classic wooden beams.For wider columns, use stone or brick panels for a decorative touch.

If your home doesn’t have columns but you love the look, consider adding non-load-bearing columns as a fun weekend DIY project.

5. Consider Bed Height

Loft bedrooms often have slanted ceilings, which can make fitting a bedhead challenging.For low ceilings or half-walled bedrooms, a platform bed without a headboard is ideal.If your loft features high ceilings but has limited square footage, opt for a loft bed to utilize the space beneath for an office or lounge area.

6. Choose Clean Lines

To complement the modern and minimalist aesthetic of loft spaces, opt for furniture with clean lines and geometric shapes.Look for straight-edged dressers or accent chairs with saddle seats and hairpin legs.Focus on simple and functional designs that enhance the modern vibe of your loft.

7. Add Furniture with Metal Accents

Metal details are a signature element of industrial design, especially when paired with distressed wood.

Modern industrial design uses a mix of natural materials like wood or linen and industrial touches such as metal legs, wheels, or rivets to create visual interest.