loft

thumb|right|A former warehouse for printing presses converted to a loft apartment on Chicago's Near West Side thumb|A US-style loft; the additional story covers only a few rooms, leaving one or more sides open to the lower floor thumb|Alto de Santana, São Paulo, Brazil.

A loft is a building's upper storey or elevated area in a room directly under the roof (American usage), or just an attic: a storage space under the roof usually accessed by a ladder (primarily British usage). A loft apartment refers to large adaptable open space, often converted for residential use (a converted loft) from some other use, often light industrial.