Bryce Gahagan chose a 900-square-foot Loft to be his first home without roommates and probably his last as a bachelor. While his bedroom is walled off, the rest of the home is basically one open room.

Gahagan, facing a problem common to loft owners, needed to figure out how to separate the areas for cooking, eating, working and relaxing.

Three lights hang over the island in Gahagan's kitchen to define the counter eating area. A rug sets apart his living area, which is oriented toward the windows and a plasma screen on the wall. A palm tree Gahagan calls "Fred" serves as a screen between the living area and his computer workstation. Each space is defined yet open. View more