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Room of the Week: An Industrial Loft with a Sweet History
A former chocolate factory is transformed into a stylish loft that's fit for a professional couple
This Boston loft started life as a chocolate factory, so perhaps it is fitting that designer Steven Santosuosso of Homepolish was asked to make something sweet out of a few key ingredients. ‘This was the first home they owned together,’ he says of his clients. ‘They brought a few elements from their individual places and asked me to help define their new style for the new home.’
Who lives here A professional couple and their dog, Milo
Location Boston
Size Roughly 800 square feet
Interior Designer Steven Santosuosso of Homepolish
Tip Have a pet? Choose high-performance fabrics and finishes
Who lives here A professional couple and their dog, Milo
Location Boston
Size Roughly 800 square feet
Interior Designer Steven Santosuosso of Homepolish
Tip Have a pet? Choose high-performance fabrics and finishes
The designer dressed the sofa with new pillows to give it a fresh look. ‘I thought it was important that the pillows include a geometric print to break up the organic shapes,’ he says.
The painting is hung on an inexpensive gallery rail. ‘To be honest, hanging pictures on a brick wall is a pain in the butt,’ Steven says. ‘This allows us to do it easily, and it gives the clients flexibility if they want to change it later.’
Art and pillows, Ikea.
The painting is hung on an inexpensive gallery rail. ‘To be honest, hanging pictures on a brick wall is a pain in the butt,’ Steven says. ‘This allows us to do it easily, and it gives the clients flexibility if they want to change it later.’
Art and pillows, Ikea.
A shelving unit and a side table that looks like petrified wood are next to the sofa. ‘The wood blends with the floor and ceiling,’ Steven says. ‘I chose the metal pieces because they fit in the industrial space, but they don’t cover up the brick.’
Side table, Sunshine Lucy’s. Shelving unit, Crate & Barrel.
Side table, Sunshine Lucy’s. Shelving unit, Crate & Barrel.
One of the clients loves houseplants, so Steven created a mini greenhouse for him under one of the windows. ‘I love the way the light hits them and casts shadows on the floor throughout the day,’ he says. ‘It’s like sunlight streaming through a tree’s branches.’
Besides putting them in the sunlight, placing the plants on a bench also keeps them out of the reach of Milo, the couple’s French bulldog. ‘He tends to eat the plants,’ notes the designer.
Explore the benefits of houseplants
Besides putting them in the sunlight, placing the plants on a bench also keeps them out of the reach of Milo, the couple’s French bulldog. ‘He tends to eat the plants,’ notes the designer.
Explore the benefits of houseplants
Milo also drove the choices of finishes. ‘When there’s a dog, I go for performance, performance, performance,’ Steven says. ‘Dogs can be unpredictable; they like to lick things; and if it’s on the floor, they are on it. It doesn’t pay to choose delicate items — better to go a little sturdier.’
To define the dining area, Steven chose a bar-height table and chairs and used the old steel portal as an asymmetrical frame. ‘The clients chose the art on a trip,’ he says. ‘I like how it works with the colour of the chairs.’
Table and chairs, Apt2B.
Table and chairs, Apt2B.
Part of the designer’s goal was to bring the industrial and patina-rich feeling of the brick walls to the drywall-covered areas.
Honeycomb shelves provide serious display space for small objects. ‘I love the form of these, because they can be configured in interesting geometric ways,’ says Steven. ‘It’s like an art piece.’
Steven chose the bar to bring the character and texture of wood to this side of the room.
Bar, West Elm.
Bar, West Elm.
It also makes the space, which is adjacent to the kitchen, command central for entertaining.
‘I think they love the open space,’ says Steven. ‘Honestly, it is not how much square footage a space has — what matters is how it feels. You can have a small apartment that feels like Versailles, and a grand room that seems cramped. In this home the lofty ceilings will never be occupied, but they make the room feel great.’
TELL US…
Do you like exposed brick walls? Share your thoughts with us in the Comments below.
‘I think they love the open space,’ says Steven. ‘Honestly, it is not how much square footage a space has — what matters is how it feels. You can have a small apartment that feels like Versailles, and a grand room that seems cramped. In this home the lofty ceilings will never be occupied, but they make the room feel great.’
TELL US…
Do you like exposed brick walls? Share your thoughts with us in the Comments below.
Most loft dwellers celebrate the rustic brick in their homes; this wall is like a brick quilt, comprising old masonry and newer brick that fills in an old steel portal. ‘I thought we should absolutely leave it,’ says Steven. ‘It’s part of what gives the space its character.’
One of the clients had a corner sofa, so the designer tucked it into the far corner, under the tall factory windows. He added a blue and white chair with a fabric that resembles damask. ‘The brick is red; the wood ceiling has red tones. I felt the blue cooled things off a bit,’ Steven says. The rug defining the seating area also has a hue that leans toward ice rather than fire.
Chair, Sunshine Lucy’s. Rug, West Elm.
Discover the beauty of bare bricks