Chic warehouse and loft apartments for sale

• Loft apartments and warehouse conversions offer raw industrial character, soaring ceilings and open-plan living at its most dramatic
• From a former sweet factory in Hove to a Victorian umbrella factory in Manchester, loft living isn’t just a London story
• Use Rightmove’s keyword search to find loft apartments and warehouse conversions near you

There’s a reason loft apartments have their own distinct following among property buyers.

Whether you call them loft apartments, warehouse conversions or industrial-style homes, these properties share a look and feel that’s almost impossible to replicate in a conventional build: exposed brickwork, original timber beams, steel-framed factory windows and ceilings that seem to go on forever.

What is a loft apartment?

A loft apartment is typically a large, open-plan home created from a former commercial or industrial building.

This could be a factory, warehouse, printworks or mill. Rather than being divided into smaller rooms, the space is typically left largely intact, with the original structure becoming part of the design.

Think double-height ceilings, visible ductwork, concrete floors and floor-to-ceiling windows that were built to let in maximum light for the workers below. The result is a home with bags of character and a distinctly urban edge.

Lofts for sale can be found across the UK, with concentrations around former industrial cities such as London, Manchester and Birmingham – though as the properties below show, the style has spread well beyond city centres.

Loft apartments for sale around the UK

Conyer, Kent: A three-bedroom penthouse overlooking a historic marina

Built around 2022 but designed to honour the industrial heritage of this former brickmaking hamlet on the Thames Estuary, this three-bedroom penthouse on North Quay pays its dues with exposed brickwork, white clapboards and a double-height pitched roof filled with light. Step out onto the terrace and you’re looking straight out over the marina and the Swale beyond… the kind of view that makes a log-burning stove feel absolutely essential.

Newcastle: A duplex penthouse in one of the city’s most iconic Victorian buildings

The Turnbull has been a Newcastle landmark since 1888, when it was built as a grand Victorian printworks. It was expanded in 1897 and 1898 before finding a second life as 48 Manhattan-style loft apartments in 2001.

Now, this duplex penthouse stretches across more than 1,886 sq ft and comes with a cinema room, concierge and parking. During renovation, the building gave up artefacts dating back to the 12th century, which tells you something about the ground it stands on.

Hove: A four-storey townhouse in the former Maynards Sweet Factory

One of just seven homes created when John Kerr Associates converted the iconic 1902 red-brick Maynards Sweet Factory in 2002, this 1,462 sq ft townhouse across four floors is full of the original industrial details that make warehouse conversions so distinctive: exposed brickwork, arched factory windows and vaulted ceilings. At the top, a private roof terrace with full-height glazing looks out over the rooftops to the sea.

Manchester: A 3,500 sq ft penthouse in a Grade II listed umbrella factory

The former T Barlow Brothers Umbrella Factory on Cable Street is a Grade II listed Victorian building that now houses one of Manchester’s more extraordinary homes. The 3,500 sq ft penthouse retains the original industrial character in full, including exposed brickwork, soaring vaulted ceilings and large factory-style windows. It also has a cinema room with a hidden entry, a gym studio and three double bedrooms, two of which have en-suite shower rooms.

Birmingham: A Grade II listed jewellery warehouse with a dramatic floating staircase

Known as The Doll’s House, this remarkable warehouse apartment in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter started life in the early 1900s and spent part of the Second World War manufacturing bullets before falling into dereliction. A meticulous restoration in partnership with Historic England in 2018 brought it back to life.

It has a striking floating staircase, vast open-plan kitchen and dining space, exposed steel and brick, and a bold glass-roofed lounge addition. Outside, a private patio with a retractable roof finishes things off.

Loft apartments for sale in London

London has a long love affair with the warehouse apartment. The docklands and riverside warehouses of the East End, particularly around Wapping and Bethnal Green, were among the first in the UK to be converted into loft-style living spaces.

And they set the template for everything that followed. Today, loft apartments in London range from compact one-bedroom conversions with all the classic industrial hallmarks to sweeping duplex penthouses with Thames views and bespoke kitchens.

Here are four of the best on the market right now.

Bethnal Green: A one-bedroom warehouse apartment moments from Columbia Road

This 586 sq ft apartment on Minerva Street is a proper East London warehouse conversion, with large industrial-style windows, exposed brickwork, concrete detailing and an open-plan living space that makes smart use of every square foot. It’s a short walk from Columbia Road Flower Market and Broadway Market.

St John’s Wood: A two-bedroom apartment in a former aircraft parts factory

The Old Aeroworks on Hatton Street is exactly what the name suggests: an old aircraft parts factory that is now home to a series of loft-style apartments with ceilings over four metres high. This two-bedroom, two-bathroom flat on the fourth floor has an open-plan reception, large windows and lift access.

North Kensington: A three-bedroom home in a Victorian industrial building with a 7.5-metre atrium

This is loft living on a genuinely spectacular scale. A reimagined Victorian industrial space on Hewer Street near Golborne Road, the property opens into a central atrium that soars 7.5 metres to roof level, with a cantilevered metal staircase rising through it.

Double-height ceilings, wooden rafters, polished concrete floors and overhead skylights run throughout, while a roof terrace sits at the top. It’s the kind of space that photographs can’t quite do justice to.

Wapping: A Grade II listed duplex penthouse on the Thames at Olivers Wharf

Olivers Wharf on Wapping High Street is one of London’s most recognisable riverside warehouses, and this 4,388 sq ft duplex penthouse is among its finest homes. Recently renovated throughout, it retains the original exposed brick, timber beams and double-height ceilings that define warehouse living. These features are paired perfectly with a bespoke kitchen fitted with Gaggenau appliances, as well as a private roof terrace with panoramic views across the Thames and the City skyline.