Need help laying out my loft

BMO · May 21, 2015

The loft is in Briar-Hill near Dufferin and Eglinton. The building is 550 Hopewell Ave.

My biggest dilemma is how I will fit a couch and TV in the family room given the bedroom door, balcony door and only the one wall.

Another issue is determining which bedroom to use since I want to just use one as a bedroom and another as an office/den. I would prefer to have the bedroom in the window room, but I'm trying to figure out which would allow for a better layout. Looking to a Double or Queen bed and a nightstand.

Also to note: the unit has quite a bit of vertical space, almost 12ft ceilings so I'm open to some creative ideas. I don't want to look at a loft bed above a desk though because I can just imagine climbing in and out of bed get real old real quick. Not to mention impractical if I get injured or anything.

Virtual Tour for a better grasp of the space: http://mls.rmedia.ca/public/vtour/display/341974?idx=1

urbandreamer · May 21, 2015

LG has a solution for you: just hang it on the balcony door.

Back in my reality, here's what I would do in your situation: mount the TV on an arm that swings down from the ceiling. I mean how often do you really watch TV--2-3 hours/day? When not in use, just push it up like a minivan hatchback--if you wanna bling it up, go for a telescopic arm like luxury vehicles use. Then buy a configurable L-shaped sofa that is light and easy enough to move around while perhaps containing built in storage. Keep against the party wall or flip it to face either the balcony or kitchen depending on your mood/occasion. With this setup you can then use your balcony as extra seating space for guests since the TV is mounted multi directional.

Sleep in the room you like--windows--and add a tall armoire in the nook beside the bathroom. Replace the standard bathroom door(s) with folding doors. Get a floating nightstand--either wall or ceiling mounted--to free up space to put whatever crap you want out of sight beneath it--crocs in my case.

Light up your space with those crazy cool new Sony LED lights that come with a built in Bluetooth speaker. Two problems solved--sound system & lighting--for only $200 each.

How to use all that vertical space? Put shelving up high to store all the crap you likely never touch 99% of the time. Get one of those book-store-style ladders to access said crap when you need it. You could probably store all your books, LPs, etc up there since 99% of the time you'll be on your phablet reading UT.

Hang your pots and pans--BLINGware I call it

--above the centre island/dining table. Here's one cool yet affordable idea. Again, the table/island itself could be floating/ceiling mounted, thus freeing up space to shove those seldom used dining stools--if you're like me you'll just eat on the couch 99% of the time. Store the breakable stuff-chinaware, plates, etc--on shelving above the countertop.

When you're done, mail me the cheque.

BMO · May 22, 2015

urbandreamer said:
LG has a solution for you: just hang it on the balcony door.

Back in my reality, here's what I would do in your situation: mount the TV on an arm that swings down from the ceiling. I mean how often do you really watch TV--2-3 hours/day? When not in use, just push it up like a minivan hatchback--if you wanna bling it up, go for a telescopic arm like luxury vehicles use. Then buy a configurable L-shaped sofa that is light and easy enough to move around while perhaps containing built in storage. Keep against the party wall or flip it to face either the balcony or kitchen depending on your mood/occasion. With this setup you can then use your balcony as extra seating space for guests since the TV is mounted multi directional.

Sleep in the room you like--windows--and add a tall armoire in the nook beside the bathroom. Replace the standard bathroom door(s) with folding doors. Get a floating nightstand--either wall or ceiling mounted--to free up space to put whatever crap you want out of sight beneath it--crocs in my case.

Light up your space with those crazy cool new Sony LED lights that come with a built in Bluetooth speaker. Two problems solved--sound system & lighting--for only $200 each.

How to use all that vertical space? Put shelving up high to store all the crap you likely never touch 99% of the time. Get one of those book-store-style ladders to access said crap when you need it. You could probably store all your books, LPs, etc up there since 99% of the time you'll be on your phablet reading UT.

Hang your pots and pans--BLINGware I call it --above the centre island/dining table. Here's one cool yet affordable idea. Again, the table/island itself could be floating/ceiling mounted, thus freeing up space to shove those seldom used dining stools--if you're like me you'll just eat on the couch 99% of the time. Store the breakable stuff-chinaware, plates, etc--on shelving above the countertop.

When you're done, mail me the cheque.

WOWwowow!

Thanks urbandreamer! All these ideas are golden. The only thing I'm a bit confused about is the TV mount I assume you mean something like This? or This. Just worried about cable management in that scenario. What side do you recommend putting it on? Infront of the balcony? Infront of the window bedroom wall? or hanging from the kitchen?

I'm also curious if you've ever had experience with raise-able beds? something similar to this but not so crazy with the light underneath. I'm opposed to a static loft bed that stays high but I'm not entirely opposed to one that can raised to make space for a desk and lowered to normal bed height for sleeping. Thinking if I can do this I may be able to use the second bedroom as a common area for entertaining instead of making it an offic. I got the unit for a good price so I don't mind having to spend a bit more to get it setup in a more comfortable fashion.

Love the idea of the hanging BLINGware over the island that'll actually make some really decent use of the vertical space!

Once again thank you so much for all the tips and tricks! *mailing cheque, is that 5 or 6 zeros?*

urbandreamer · May 23, 2015

Yes that telescopic arm is what I had in mind. But you could mount the arm to a rotating bracket--not exactly as illustrated: http://www.amazon.ca/Antra-ATM-C15B-Ceiling-Rotating-Displays/dp/B004G3Z660 Or a wall-mounted bracket on the window bedroom wall. As for cable management, some great options exist. eg: LED lighting on the cables--highlight them rather them hide 'em!

The bed looks cool. Of course you could also do a custom desk/murphy bed: instead of shelving the bed would have a desk built into it.

Btw, I didn't look at the 3D view until now and must say I would paint the entire unit white, gut the kitchen and go for a white tile/stainless steel countertop look with a plank wood island/table. Then I would paint the ducts a bold magenta or green and put up glass storage shelves/display cases above the ducts to display all my cds/toys/whatever like in a museum. Add some colour via art or wall tattoos. A large soothing green forest tat would suit the bedroom.

I would try to find matte grey appliances or just go with plain white ones. Keep the stainless steel to the BLINGware.

Of course, whenever I think of lofts I think of those giant 2000 sq ft old school raw spaces like I've lived in, not these "soft lofts."

BMO · May 26, 2015

urbandreamer said:
Yes that telescopic arm is what I had in mind. But you could mount the arm to a rotating bracket--not exactly as illustrated: http://www.amazon.ca/Antra-ATM-C15B-Ceiling-Rotating-Displays/dp/B004G3Z660 Or a wall-mounted bracket on the window bedroom wall. As for cable management, some great options exist. eg: LED lighting on the cables--highlight them rather them hide 'em!

The bed looks cool. Of course you could also do a custom desk/murphy bed: instead of shelving the bed would have a desk built into it.

Btw, I didn't look at the 3D view until now and must say I would paint the entire unit white, gut the kitchen and go for a white tile/stainless steel countertop look with a plank wood island/table. Then I would paint the ducts a bold magenta or green and put up glass storage shelves/display cases above the ducts to display all my cds/toys/whatever like in a museum. Add some colour via art or wall tattoos. A large soothing green forest tat would suit the bedroom.

I would try to find matte grey appliances or just go with plain white ones. Keep the stainless steel to the BLINGware.

Of course, whenever I think of lofts I think of those giant 2000 sq ft old school raw spaces like I've lived in, not these "soft lofts."

AWESOME! thanks so much for your help Urbandreamer! I really appreciate you taking the time to give me some ideas and tips.

Need help laying out my loft

BMO

Senior Member

urbandreamer

recession proof

BMO

Senior Member

urbandreamer

recession proof

BMO

Senior Member