• Use chandeliers to fill up large, open areas in the loft.Chandelier image by MAXFX from Fotolia.com
  
  Loft spaces feature unconventional, open floor plans that make them historically popular with artists and gallery owners. More recently, loft apartments have become trendy for private residents. The absence of conventional walls and room divisions can make for an open, welcoming environment, particularly for couples and others who don't place a premium on privacy.
  
  

Room Dividers

• The big open feel of loft spaces can also be their downfall. Use movable room dividers for privacy or to divide up your space for aesthetic reasons. Turn a kitchen counter into a small office by blocking it off on three sides with a room divider. Put in a lamp, a chair and a laptop computer and you have a useful space marked off from the rest of the room.
  
  To create a movable meditation room, place a small altar. Keep cushions in the corner, out of the way. When you wish to meditate, pull the cushion and altar out a bit, then use a room divider to enclose two sides near the corner, making a small, square room.
  
  

Proportional Furniture

• Often, upstairs loft spaces are somewhat cramped and low-ceilinged while some or all of the downstairs has a much more open, airy feeling. Use lower furniture such as recliners, low platform beds and coffee tables in upstairs spaces to keep the loft from feeling cramped and low. Decorate the open foyer with taller items to fill up more space. Use high-backed chairs, stools, tall standing lamps and chandeliers to take advantage of the impressively high ceilings.
  
  Light the room with low-profile track lighting, table lamps or wall sconces instead of more substantial, vertical fixtures.
  
  

Open Up the Loft

• To create a more open feeling upstairs, remove the low walls surrounding the loft space and install open railings. This will allow you to take advantage of the openness of the loft, blurring the distinction between upstairs and downstairs. If open metal railings don't feel safe enough, install dense vertical members so that no one can accidentally fall between the rails. Alternately, install structural glass half-walls beneath the railings, creating a safe and attractive lookout.
  
  

Decorations

• Make the most of your open foyer with tall, vertical decorations. Hang tapestries, large colorful paintings and other decorations from near the ceiling down to near the floor. Paint a mural on your largest wall, using bold colors and simple images to fill up the space.