renner01
January 11th, 2005, 03:47 PM
I thought it would be interesting to start a thread of the loft trend and all the projects incorporating loft style.
Rising to lofty heights
By Rafael Gerena-Morales
Business Writer
Posted January 11 2005
Shirlea LaForce purchased her Fort Lauderdale loft
apartment as an investment and had no intention of
living in the unit with tall windows and 12-foot
ceilings. But the hair salon owner said she moved into
the loft because she became intrigued about living in
a spacious apartment with gruff concrete floors, and
one without bedroom doors.
In a sign of nouveau cool, LaForce is storing her
12-foot-long kayak in her loft, leaning it against an air-conditioning duct, next to a flagpole.
"I'm enjoying the loft lifestyle. It's so open and
eclectic," said LaForce, 54, who moved into her 1,545-square-foot loft in late 2003.
This year, LaForce plans to move into a
2,000-square-foot loft on the same block. She
purchased it for $439,000.
"Lofts are easy to decorate," she said. "You can throw
anything up and it looks great."
A growing number of residents throughout South Florida
are also choosing to live in lofts as LaForce does. As
a result, developers are responding with a mini wave
of loft construction throughout the region.
In Broward County, construction will begin in this
year's first quarter on the Skylofts, a 12-unit
project in the Flagler Village area where LaForce
lives. Construction will begin this spring on the
Island City Lofts, a 42-unit project in Wilton Manors. http://www.oceancitylofts.com/
In Palm Beach County, construction next month will
begin on The Edge, a 572-unit project in West Palm
Beach.
Lofts are large apartments with unpartitioned space, floor-to-ceiling windows and exposed concrete and ductwork. They were originally carved into industrial buildings in cities such as New York and Chicago. Their panoramic sweep has long attracted artists who need large work spaces for painting or sculpting.
In South Florida, lofts first appeared in Miami-Dade
County more than two years ago and have spread
northward as regional buyers increasingly seek
alternatives to traditional homes and condos.
There are no regional statistics tracking the number
of lofts under construction, but the units are being
built with more frequency, said Brad Hunter, a housing
industry analyst at Metrostudy in West Palm Beach.
In South Florida, loft popularity "has definitely
grown in recent years," Hunter said. "It's a limited
niche. But there are a group of [buyers] who like the
look and image that goes with lofts."
It's too early to tell whether lofts are being
overbuilt in South Florida, he added.
Loft buyers tend to be single professionals in their
late 20s through 40s, childless couples or gay
consumers who prefer amorphous living spaces to the
preset layouts of condos or homes, experts say. Lofts
are not well suited for families with children or
people who want traditional bedrooms or back yards,
developers say.
Kevin Feil owned a traditional three-bedroom home, but
he grew tired of spending his weekends mowing the lawn
and doing other house chores. So in late 2003, Feil
sold his house and moved into the Avenue Lofts in Fort Lauderdale's Flagler Village neighborhood.
The 1,300-square-foot loft has an outdoor balcony that
Feil enjoys as well as concrete floors that his yellow
Labrador retriever can claw without damaging.
"Wood floors are nice to look at, but tough to take
care of," said Feil, 35, a sales manager at his
family's car dealership in Miami Beach. "With concrete
floors, you can do anything to it and nothing will
happen."
Developers are also being attracted to loft
versatility.
Locally, Fort Lauderdale-based Anthony Abbate
Architect is designing its Skylofts -- with prices
from the low $400,000s to upper $600,000s -- for
business and residential use. The project's goal is to
give entrepreneurs a place where they can live and
have an office, which local zoning laws will allow,
said Jaye Abbate, co-owner of the architectural firm
that is developing the project.
In Palm Beach County, Boca Raton-based Wood Partners
is putting its own twist on loft development.
It plans to build "soft lofts" that will combine the
traits of lofts and condos. For example, the West Palm
Beach soft lofts -- known as The Edge -- will have
12-foot high ceilings and some exposed concrete and
ductwork, as traditional lofts do. But the interiors
will also have wall paper, carpeting and wood floors,
as many traditional condos do. The lofts are being
priced from $180,000 to the $500,000s.
"We didn't want to alienate any potential customers,"
said Jay Jacobson, the company's director, explaining
why the units will combine loft and condo elements.
"We're trying to provide the best of both worlds for
the market."
Jessica Surovek and her husband are among the shoppers
in the market for a loft. Last month, they put a
$20,000 deposit on a unit at The Edge.
The loft "appealed to us because it's different and we
could make it our own," said Surovek, 27, of Lake
Worth. "It allows for the feeling of more space. We
like the freedom."
Rafael Gerena-Morales can be reached at rgerena@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4614.
Rising to lofty heights
By Rafael Gerena-Morales
Business Writer
Posted January 11 2005
Shirlea LaForce purchased her Fort Lauderdale loft
apartment as an investment and had no intention of
living in the unit with tall windows and 12-foot
ceilings. But the hair salon owner said she moved into
the loft because she became intrigued about living in
a spacious apartment with gruff concrete floors, and
one without bedroom doors.
In a sign of nouveau cool, LaForce is storing her
12-foot-long kayak in her loft, leaning it against an air-conditioning duct, next to a flagpole.
"I'm enjoying the loft lifestyle. It's so open and
eclectic," said LaForce, 54, who moved into her 1,545-square-foot loft in late 2003.
This year, LaForce plans to move into a
2,000-square-foot loft on the same block. She
purchased it for $439,000.
"Lofts are easy to decorate," she said. "You can throw
anything up and it looks great."
A growing number of residents throughout South Florida
are also choosing to live in lofts as LaForce does. As
a result, developers are responding with a mini wave
of loft construction throughout the region.
In Broward County, construction will begin in this
year's first quarter on the Skylofts, a 12-unit
project in the Flagler Village area where LaForce
lives. Construction will begin this spring on the
Island City Lofts, a 42-unit project in Wilton Manors. http://www.oceancitylofts.com/
In Palm Beach County, construction next month will
begin on The Edge, a 572-unit project in West Palm
Beach.
Lofts are large apartments with unpartitioned space, floor-to-ceiling windows and exposed concrete and ductwork. They were originally carved into industrial buildings in cities such as New York and Chicago. Their panoramic sweep has long attracted artists who need large work spaces for painting or sculpting.
In South Florida, lofts first appeared in Miami-Dade
County more than two years ago and have spread
northward as regional buyers increasingly seek
alternatives to traditional homes and condos.
There are no regional statistics tracking the number
of lofts under construction, but the units are being
built with more frequency, said Brad Hunter, a housing
industry analyst at Metrostudy in West Palm Beach.
In South Florida, loft popularity "has definitely
grown in recent years," Hunter said. "It's a limited
niche. But there are a group of [buyers] who like the
look and image that goes with lofts."
It's too early to tell whether lofts are being
overbuilt in South Florida, he added.
Loft buyers tend to be single professionals in their
late 20s through 40s, childless couples or gay
consumers who prefer amorphous living spaces to the
preset layouts of condos or homes, experts say. Lofts
are not well suited for families with children or
people who want traditional bedrooms or back yards,
developers say.
Kevin Feil owned a traditional three-bedroom home, but
he grew tired of spending his weekends mowing the lawn
and doing other house chores. So in late 2003, Feil
sold his house and moved into the Avenue Lofts in Fort Lauderdale's Flagler Village neighborhood.
The 1,300-square-foot loft has an outdoor balcony that
Feil enjoys as well as concrete floors that his yellow
Labrador retriever can claw without damaging.
"Wood floors are nice to look at, but tough to take
care of," said Feil, 35, a sales manager at his
family's car dealership in Miami Beach. "With concrete
floors, you can do anything to it and nothing will
happen."
Developers are also being attracted to loft
versatility.
Locally, Fort Lauderdale-based Anthony Abbate
Architect is designing its Skylofts -- with prices
from the low $400,000s to upper $600,000s -- for
business and residential use. The project's goal is to
give entrepreneurs a place where they can live and
have an office, which local zoning laws will allow,
said Jaye Abbate, co-owner of the architectural firm
that is developing the project.
In Palm Beach County, Boca Raton-based Wood Partners
is putting its own twist on loft development.
It plans to build "soft lofts" that will combine the
traits of lofts and condos. For example, the West Palm
Beach soft lofts -- known as The Edge -- will have
12-foot high ceilings and some exposed concrete and
ductwork, as traditional lofts do. But the interiors
will also have wall paper, carpeting and wood floors,
as many traditional condos do. The lofts are being
priced from $180,000 to the $500,000s.
"We didn't want to alienate any potential customers,"
said Jay Jacobson, the company's director, explaining
why the units will combine loft and condo elements.
"We're trying to provide the best of both worlds for
the market."
Jessica Surovek and her husband are among the shoppers
in the market for a loft. Last month, they put a
$20,000 deposit on a unit at The Edge.
The loft "appealed to us because it's different and we
could make it our own," said Surovek, 27, of Lake
Worth. "It allows for the feeling of more space. We
like the freedom."
Rafael Gerena-Morales can be reached at rgerena@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4614.