Down-to-earth interior design makes lofty spaces livable

Hip, edgy and super-cool, lofts are the dream homes of many urban dwellers. Yet the features that make these spaces desirable — walls of windows, towering ceilings, exposed ductwork and concrete floors — make them a challenge to decorate. “The lack of walls makes it more challenging,” said David Schaefer, a design consultant for Urban Essentials, a retailer on U Street that specializes in modern and contemporary furniture.

Romanticized in films like the movie “Ghost,” lofts gained popularity in the late 1980s when warehouses in New York’s famed Meatpacking District were converted into spacious apartments.