Those looking to rent or buy loft style condos in Bangkok will quickly find out that this style is not very common in the Thai capital. Whether you’re an expat looking to rent or buy a condo or an esteemed member of Thai high society who wants something different than all your friends, loft conversion will allow you to take the standard carbon-copy Bangkok condo, and make it an impressive, stylish and unique space which suits your personality.
Easy Do-it-Yourself Loft Conversion Ideas
Minimalism
Addition by subtraction is the key here. Regardless of the size of your condo, house or apartment, the more furniture and built-ins you have, the smaller the living space will look and feel. Since loft style is derived from large spaces which will seem minimal even with a lot of furniture, the less unnecessary furniture you have will be best for your loft style property.
Furnishings
In addition to keeping your property minimal, if you want your property to take on the loft style the easiest thing you can do is choose your furniture wisely. A combination of stylish contemporary and the occasional piece of vintage furniture usually does the best job in creating a vibe of loft style, even if if you don’t have a super high volume space to work with.
Decor
The right decor will go a long way to creating a loft-style vibe in your place of residence. Loft style decor often compliments the contemporary furnishings. Adding everything from wall art to strategically placed sculptures to various rugs will do a lot to give your loft style place a unique style of its own. There is no set rules for what constitutes loft style so it’s up to your imagination! There are plenty of places online with design ideas and some sites like Fresh Home offer a lot of great ideas with pictures.
Lighting
Depending on the size of your loft or loft-style property you will definitely want something more than the standard lighting that came with your place. If you’re able and willing to perform some renovations you really have a lot of options with the lighting. Even if you are not able to renovate and install new fixed lighting, various lamps, which can be both cheap and expensive can help give each room a certain loft style flair.
Light Renovations
Painting
Loft style is all about giving your living space a unique personality and aura. One of the simplest and least expensive ways to completely change the look of your home is to paint. The beauty of painting is the variety which is essentially infinite. Before you begin painting walls of your condo be sure to do your research and make sure you use a high quality paint and/or hire well regarded designers and painters so you don’t have a disaster on your hands!
Wall Modification
In addition to or in place of painting you can modify the walls of your condo to give an even more dramatic loft style effect. The best way to modify the walls of your condo is to use a masonry veneer. There may be a little work involved and it’s not as cheap as painting but it is not very expensive. A masonry veneer allows you to place a layer of your choice of tiles over the walls so they appear to be made of a different material. The most popular forms of masonry veneering for home interiors is various styles of exposed brick. Adding an exposed brick, slate or any other form of veneer wall into your home will have such a dramatic effect, at first you will forget you’re in the same home! If adding a masonry veneer wall sounds like too much work or financial investment, various wallpapers which can give the look of an exposed wall may be an option as well.
New Flooring
Installing new flooring in your condo can be an extensive renovation if you decide to change the type of material for your floor. Another option is to use laminate flooring which covers the flooring already in place. Laminate flooring has several benefits; 1. There is a huge variety of styles, 2. It is far less expensive than actual flooring and 3. Installing new laminate flooring can be more of a do-it-yourself project which can be completed in a day rather than the expensive and time consuming endeavor of installing a completely new material. Laminate flooring is very durable and waterproof so it will actually protect the flooring you have it installed over as well as give your home a fresh new look.
Extensive Renovations
If you really want to make the most out ever single centimeter of space you have, extensive renovations will be needed.
Changing the Layout
The most common change for those who desire a loft style condo in Bangkok is improving the layout by increasing space. For the most part, this means tearing out built-in furniture such as shelves and counter tops and of course tearing down walls. Basically any wall which is not a supporting structure for the building such as a pillar can be taken down if you feel it is not needed. The most common thing people do when renovating a condo to loft style is take out the small bedrooms and non-essential rooms adjacent to the primary living space. With the excessive walls down, the space is opened up and give you many more options to create your unique loft condo masterpiece!
Exposing the Ceilings
Exposing the ceilings involves tearing out everything up to the cement slab which is the shell of the building. In addition to giving you an industrial loft style, tearing out the ceiling can sometimes give you a meter or more of space in the average Bangkok condo! When the ceilings are torn out, the air conditioning ducts and electrical conduits will be exposed. These can be painted various colors to add to the industrial loft style and track lighting may be added for a more complete industrial feel.
Where to Find the Right Loft Conversion Team
We have a good number of contacts who specialize in modern condo renovations in the Bangkok metropolitan area.
