Lofts and Flats For Sale in the Washington Metropolitan Area

What is the difference between lofts and flats for sale in the Washington metropolitan area? At the simplest level, a loft refers to a living or workspace, often open on at least one side, directly under the roof of a building. In other words, a loft could be as simple as a small sleeping space that you climb a ladder to get to in an old log cabin (remember “Little House on the Prairie?”) or as spacious as an artist’s studio in a cavernous warehouse.

Loft, Flats and Modern Spaces

• Residential
• 3 Beds
• 3 Baths
• 1,724 SqFt

525 Water St Sw #420, WASHINGTON

$1,550,000

MLS® # DCDC480314

• Residential
• 2 Beds
• 2.5 Baths
• 1,600 SqFt

1700 Clarendon Blvd #141, ARLINGTON

$1,450,000

MLS® # VAAR166142

• Residential
• 2 Beds
• 2.5 Baths
• 1,831 SqFt

1125 11th St Nw #701, WASHINGTON

$1,350,000 ↓ $50,000

MLS® # DCDC470560

• Residential
• 4 Beds
• 4 Baths
• 2,600 SqFt

1901 3rd St Nw #2, WASHINGTON

$1,295,000

MLS® # DCDC463284

• Residential
• 3 Beds
• 3 Baths
• 2,434 SqFt

314 Third St, ALEXANDRIA

$1,250,000

MLS® # VAAX248556

• Residential
• 3 Beds
• 2.5 Baths
• 1,685 SqFt

2121 11th St Nw #4, WASHINGTON

$1,199,000

MLS® # DCDC472480

• Residential
• 2 Beds
• 2.5 Baths
• 1,386 SqFt

1515 15th St Nw #416, WASHINGTON

$1,180,000

MLS® # DCDC476738

• Residential
• 2 Beds
• 2.5 Baths
• 1,417 SqFt

1515 15th St Nw #216, WASHINGTON

$1,145,000

MLS® # DCDC476762

• Residential
• 2 Beds
• 2.5 Baths
• 1,800 SqFt

215 I St Ne #104, WASHINGTON

$1,100,000 ↑ $1,098,900

MLS® # DCDC479734

• Residential
• 3 Beds
• 2.5 Baths
• 2,024 SqFt

751 Columbia Rd Nw #2, WASHINGTON

$1,099,900

MLS® # DCDC469294

• Residential
• 3 Beds
• 2.5 Baths
• 2,365 SqFt

1341 Maryland Ave Ne #103, WASHINGTON

$1,095,000 ↓ $55,000

MLS® # DCDC477200

• Residential
• 3 Beds
• 2.5 Baths
• 2,004 SqFt

751 Columbia Rd Nw #1, WASHINGTON

$999,900

MLS® # DCDC469292

• Residential
• 3 Beds
• 3.5 Baths
• 1,602 SqFt

616 E St Nw #1155, WASHINGTON

$975,000

MLS® # DCDC476534

• Residential
• 2 Beds
• 2 Baths
• 1,305 SqFt

1515 15th St Nw #209, WASHINGTON

$949,495

MLS® # DCDC476708

• Residential
• 1 Beds
• 1.5 Baths
• 1,207 SqFt

1610 N Queen St #222, ARLINGTON

$925,000

MLS® # VAAR165820

• Residential
• 1 Beds
• 1.5 Baths
• 1,155 SqFt

1600 Clarendon Blvd #w109, ARLINGTON

$900,000

MLS® # VAAR166514

• Residential
• 2 Beds
• 2 Baths
• 1,313 SqFt

215 I St Ne #1a, WASHINGTON

$900,000

MLS® # DCDC477184

• Residential
• 2 Beds
• 2 Baths
• 1,463 SqFt

1111 M St Nw #2, WASHINGTON

$895,000

MLS® # DCDC474074

A flat, on the other hand, is a term for a one-floor living space. The word has traditionally been used in Great Britain and other parts of Europe to mean apartment, and comes from expressions like "a flat slice from a tower block.: Recently, there has been a hipster marketing trend in Washington Metro real estate circles to label apartment-style units as "flats."

In some cases, however, the “flat” label has really become more than just a catch-phrase. A good example is the Oronoco—adaptive reuse of an old office building in Old Town Alexandria featuring an unusual modernistic series of 60 stacked luxury flats, designed by architect Shalom Barones, These spacious units list from $1.6 to $3 million, and can be as large as 3,500 square feet.

Meanwhile, across the Potomac River in the District are a number of new flat developments, including  The Flats at Il Palazzo—a repurposing of a former Italian Embassy in the Adams Morgan area, or the M Street Flats—a boutique condo building in the Mt. Vernon Triangle.

As for lofts, they are seemingly anywhere and everywhere. The trend began with artist loft “live and work spaces”, often inside converted warehouses and other industrial spaces, decades ago. Once the trend caught on for condos for sale, however, many in the arts community found themselves getting priced out of Washington, DC.

In the late 1990s, four small Maryland communities banded together to do something about the arts exodus. Mount Rainer, Brentwood, North Brentwood and Hyattsville formed the Gateway Arts District along a two-mile stretch of the Route One Corridor. Residential/workspace developments include the Mount Rainer Artist Lofts—44 affordable units for creative types and their families.

In the broader sense, however, loft condos for sale can be found throughout Virginia, Maryland and Washington, from Arlington’s trendy Rosslyn/Clarendon/Courthouse corridor to the District itself where more than 100 buildings feature residences with lofts. And then there’s developments such as The Flats and Warehouses at Union Row where you actually get your choice—a luxury flat or a warehouse-style multilevel unit with a loft on the top floor!

Also worth noting is the schoolhouse trend, where onetime institutes of learning now house upscale loft living. Converted school buildings in the District include Bryan School Lofts, Berret School Lofts, Pierce School Lofts and Wormley Row. So whatever your choice—loft, flat or something in-between, condos for sale in Washington Metro have something for everybody, from small to palatial and affordable to ultra-expensive.