Open floor plans and vast loft spaces continue to grow in popularity, but only after moving in do some people find the lack of walls a problem. Megan Boynton pulls a curtain she had made for her loft in downtown Los Angeles. She had the photograph of an elephant copied onto one side, a digitally altered image of Earth printed on the other. The curtain divides her bedroom from her living room, provides privacy for the bathroom and blocks the glare of a streetlight at night. (Annie Wells / Los Angeles Times)
Douglas Westmoreland of West Hollywood rotates the AV wall designed by Space International. The wall, which divides the bedroom from a living area, pivots on ball bearings and allows the TV to be seen from either room. Strong magnets hidden in the ceiling help to hold the wall in place. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
Many of downtown Los Angeles new loft residents are turning to sliding doors, movable wall panels and glass partitions to help define living spaces and provide privacy. Designer Amy Arroyo used flex walls, wood-framed panels of colored glass, to divide her unit in the Elleven loft building while still allowing natural light to flow through the space. (Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times)