Our Logan Square loft is finally finished—and what’s more we’ve got some lovely tenants making it their own. Before they moved into their brand new and ultra sustainable home, we snuck a few pictures of the dreamy loft to show it off to our readers. For more information on the making of the Loft, read our post Logan Square Loft Nears the Finish Line. And be sure to see where our development journey began.
A BATHROOM TO WRITE HOME ABOUT
We wanted to create a luxurious yet minimalistic bathroom for our tenants that would provide them with everything they needed, but also allow them to express their individuality by not competing with their art work or hypothetical vintage perfume bottle collection. The sink is crushed marble, a highly durable material that adds more warmth to a space than porcelain as it is less reflective. It’s matte look is opulent, yet refined and it’s scooped right into the marble sink top, making for easy clean-up and nary a place for dirt to hide!
The shower head is Hansgrohe, a German company that consistently strives to reduce environmental impact from water consumption to longevity-based products. To reduce light-usage the bathroom has a sizable landscape window to offer fresh air circulation and moonlit showers. The shower door is so minimal it barely registers, which is why we love it. Strong and sturdy glass panes with no annoying overlap (so hard to clean!) or overly messy hardware, ledges or molding make for a clean and spa-like experience for every shower. The hexagonal shower floor tiles echo the natural materials with a modern feel, and they were purchased from The Builder Depot. Laura loves hexagons since they mimic honeycombs. The recessed shower shelf, a moss bathroom staple, provides storage while again reinforcing those ultra-clean lines and easy to access surfaces.
PRIVATE DECK
Not every loft gets a private deck, but the one at Logan Certified does! Being up high has it’s benefits too as the view feels open and breezy unlike just popping a couple of windows. To reinforce the nature-in-the-city feel, we installed cedar siding on the outside. Cedar is the perfect choice for outdoor built spaces. It’s rot and insect resistant, doesn’t need to be stained or treated, and develops a lovely patina with time. From start to finish it’s a beautiful choice—and renewable too! Additional bonus: Cedar smells sauna-esque when used in a large area like we have done here.
LIVING ROOM
The kitchen and living room is open and airy, and bordered by a veritable window wall of operable and inoperable windows leading to the private deck, which allows for access to tons of natural light. It’s unlikely that this loft will even need to turn on the lights until dusk. The entire loft has reclaimed wood floors from Carlson’s Barnwood Company. They are a mix of Oak, Walnut, and other hardwoods and all are lovingly restored and repurposed from local Illinois Barns to provide sustainable and durable flooring.
KITCHEN GADGETS
We wanted this loft apartment kitchen to have all the amenities our tenants would use and appreciate, without sacrificing too much space to get there. This is why we chose energy-efficient Blomberg appliances, which offer a more compact footprint similar to those found in European homes where ‘bigger is better’ is not as much of a thing. For one or two people, a six-burner cooktop or full-load washing machine wasn’t necessary, and Blomberg’s range and an Electrolux compact dishwasher system were powerful yet small. The washer/dryer are also Blomberg and offer specialized dryer settings for delicate clothing. To offer storage while again preserving that open feel we installed some simple open shelving that could be customized as display or storage. The kitchen sink is a deep, single bowl, perfect for stashing a few plates when company comes to visit.
CUSTOM CABINETRY AND LADDER
To maximize space, yet offer fully equipped organization options, we teamed up with our long time collaborator, Fricano Construction. The father and son team makes beautiful custom cabinetry that we’ve used in a variety of projects. For this loft, they turned out solid wood cabinets with a high gloss lacquer finish that helped create storage in every usable inch of space. For instance, check out the slim and tall cabinetry to the right of the fridge that fits perfectly with it!. Another bonus was that we were able to line up all of the horizontal lines and surface heights on the appliances with the cabinetry for a super aesthetically synchronized look. The loft ladder was custom built by Matt and his friend Joe, who is an incredible carpenter. It’s a fun piece with a personal touch, made of durable cedar.
We hope you enjoyed the tour of our Loft as much as we enjoyed making it!
