Warehouse conversions are the inspiring consummation of city planners and developers who get together to solve housing demands in densified urban districts. They tap into forsaken industrial buildings and reinvent them as highly desirable (and investable) lofts with open floor plans that ballet studios dream of.

Canada’s epicenter of warehouse conversions may very well be right here in Vancouver BC, as communities such as Yaletown, Gastown, Mount Pleasant and more are lined with these dwellings. Inmate features such as exposed brick walls and wooden beam rafters held together by hunky bolts and steel fixtures are traits architectural designers have been trying to mimic for decades. Nonetheless, few of these roosts come live-in ready as far as owner tastes are concerned. As a result, there is significant demand for warehouse conversion interior design. The investment is wise not only for your own enjoyment, but for the sake of future resale value.

While you know that you want to enhance the look, function, and feel of the open space, you’re not quite sure what to request from prospective interior designers. We’re here to help.

Two Key Things to Consider When Investing in Interior Design for Your Warehouse Conversion in Vancouver BC

Partitioning Space

You were attracted to a warehouse conversion because of the spacious open floor plan, but soon realized that it’s not necessary practical. While movable room dividers can help, they invariably create clutter. Keep it to one or two artfully designed ones, at most. From there, you will want your interior designer to delineate space between rooms (kitchen, dining, living, etc.) by installing permanent to semi-permanent space partitions that don’t put up walled barriers.

How can such a thing be accomplished? Permanent installations needn’t be from floor to ceiling. They can be installed to be between waist and chest high so that the eye continues to perceive an open floor. If you’re on the fence (pun intended) about this, avoid opaque installations that use concrete, wood, and metal, and instead use translucent partitions made from semi-transparent materials such as polycarbonate and frosted glass. These obscure the background enough to define lines between rooms, but allow light to come through. When it comes to semi-permanent installations, sliding hanging room dividers merge with a warehouse conversion’s aesthetic quite well, while offering the functional flexibility to open and close spaces as desired.

Creating Warmth

Industrial lofts are cool. However, when the adjective infers a sense of temperature, occupants feel as if they’ve been left out in the cold. This is a common problem with the inherent interior design of a warehouse conversion. The open floor along with exposed brick and metal and often large windows can make the space feel brisk and uninviting even if heating systems manage the literal temperature just fine.

To add a sense of much-needed coziness, consider swapping out existing lighting with warmer LED installations. While few warehouse conversions will carryover old industrial florescent lighting (which should be swapped out right away for energy efficiency alone) you may also need to replace LEDs that were installed by developers. Avoid cooler temperatures in the 5500k to 7500K range on the Kelvin (K) color temperature scale. Warm LED lights (that mimic incandescents) encourage the release of melatonin while cooler LED lights (above 5500K) encourage the release of serotonin. This is why interior designers prefer warmer fixtures for most warehouse conversions, namely in the bedroom and living room. In these settings, the warm light helps occupants relax and wind down. The only places where cooler lights are typically preferred in warehouse conversions are in the kitchen and bathroom.

Beyond lighting, greater warmth can be attained via thoughtful furnishings and installations. Introduce wood to balance out the cool feeling created by exposed brick and metal. A study conducted at the Kyoto University Masada reported that wood reflects long-wavelength light, which humans perceive as yellow to red hues. These hues convey an impression of warmth and comfort. Wood used in interior design also induces feelings of warmth from tactile contact. Studies find that occupants and guests have an urge to touch wooden furnishings and accents in a room. When they do, they consider it to be more welcoming when compared to other materials. Moreover, furnishings and installations that boast a yellow, orange, and red undertones further convey feelings of warmth.

Ready to turn your warehouse conversion into a place that truly feels like home? Call Calvert Design Studio for your FREE 20-minute phone consultation.