Interior designer Lynn Barnhouse shared her tips for working with lofts and other loft-like spaces.
• Create furniture groupings organized by activity — for example, dining, reading, lounging and studying.
• Make the groupings visually distinct with a different color scheme or a contrast in the scale of furniture.
• Lay area rugs to help with acoustics, add warmth and color, define spaces and protect wood floors.
• Don't place furnishings in front of windows, blocking the view.
• Use a variety of ways to illuminate areas — floor lamps, table lamps, indirect bounced light. Use lights you can control such as spotlighting to highlight and accentuate, and lights that can be brightened or dimmed.
• Display objects from personal collections to add warmth and texture to modern streamlined spaces.
• Create a smooth flow with lighting, furniture arrangement, color and object placement to focus attention and activity.
Resources
• Indigo, Asian and Tribal Arts, 530 N. 3rd St., Mpls., www.indigompls.com, 612-333-2151.
• FLOR Carpet Store, 1426 W. Lake St., Mpls., www.flor.com, 612- 824-1935.
• Past Present Future, 336 E. Franklin Av., Mpls., www.pastpresentfuture.net, 612-870-0702.
Lynn Underwood
