What Does Your Attic Want to Be When It Grows Up?
Thinking of an attic renovation but not sure exactly what to do? Let these 6 remodeled rooms inspire you
If you’re dreaming of expanding your living space but can’t expand your home’s footprint, look up — to your attic, that is. Attic spaces have odd-angled ceilings and nooks and crannies. Don’t let those features intimidate you; embrace them instead. Here’s how six different homeowners have made the most of that space underneath the eaves.
2. A Sewing and Crafting Oasis
During the planning phase of construction on their new home, Mandy and her contractor husband Matt Brown were looking over the floor plans and spied some dead, unfinished space over the garage. They decided to put it to use as a craft room for Mandy and their kids.
During the planning phase of construction on their new home, Mandy and her contractor husband Matt Brown were looking over the floor plans and spied some dead, unfinished space over the garage. They decided to put it to use as a craft room for Mandy and their kids.
Tip: Use Ikea hacks. Most of the furniture they use for staying organized came from Ikea, with a few tweaks. The cutting table is composed of two basic cube units placed back to back and topped with some Corian left over from one of Matt’s projects.
Learn more about this attic
Learn more about this attic
3. A Dreamy Master Suite
Designer Lisa Antenucci eked out every inch she could from this 787-square-foot attic in St. Paul, Minnesota. In the redesigned master suite, white walls and ceilings make the room feel more expansive.
Designer Lisa Antenucci eked out every inch she could from this 787-square-foot attic in St. Paul, Minnesota. In the redesigned master suite, white walls and ceilings make the room feel more expansive.
Tip: Use an attic’s sloped ceilings and nooks and crannies to your advantage. This reading nook tucks cozily underneath the eaves. Another clever move is to use the space behind the walls — here the bookcase is recessed into the wall. You can also use this kind of space for drawers.
Learn more about this attic
Learn more about this attic
4. A Colorful Playroom
Audrey Kuether, the interior stylist behind the Oh So Lovely blog, has created an oh-so-lovely playroom for her 4-year-old daughter, Vivi, in their home in Leawood, Kansas. She used her DIY skills to outfit a welcoming space filled with built-ins for books, favorite toys, colorful design touches and stuffed animals.
Audrey Kuether, the interior stylist behind the Oh So Lovely blog, has created an oh-so-lovely playroom for her 4-year-old daughter, Vivi, in their home in Leawood, Kansas. She used her DIY skills to outfit a welcoming space filled with built-ins for books, favorite toys, colorful design touches and stuffed animals.
Tip: An attic room can be a secret space. This is Vivi’s bedroom, reached from her attic playroom through a door hidden behind the swinging bookshelf to the right.
While we’re in here, let’s not neglect to mention the magic of an indoor tepee. Vivi’s mother made it for her, and it’s a favorite spot for napping, reading and visiting with stuffed animal friends.
Learn more about this attic | Check out more cute tepees
While we’re in here, let’s not neglect to mention the magic of an indoor tepee. Vivi’s mother made it for her, and it’s a favorite spot for napping, reading and visiting with stuffed animal friends.
Learn more about this attic | Check out more cute tepees
5. An Upper-Story Family Room
Designer Katie Martinez transformed this San Francisco attic from a two-bedroom space into a family room everyone loves to relax in. The biggest change was removing a dropped ceiling to reveal the dramatic angles of the roofline. Painted wood enhances the higher ceiling.
Tip: Angled walls can be tricky. Martinez tucked the sofa into the angled wall, which left the flat wall open for a TV and bookshelf space.
Learn more about this attic | Browse sectional sofas
Designer Katie Martinez transformed this San Francisco attic from a two-bedroom space into a family room everyone loves to relax in. The biggest change was removing a dropped ceiling to reveal the dramatic angles of the roofline. Painted wood enhances the higher ceiling.
Tip: Angled walls can be tricky. Martinez tucked the sofa into the angled wall, which left the flat wall open for a TV and bookshelf space.
Learn more about this attic | Browse sectional sofas
6. A Light-Filled Place to Read and Write
Novelist Emily Danforth and insurance professional Erica Edsell transformed the third-story lofted space in their Providence, Rhode Island, home into an office and reading room. The space has an inviting daybed in a cozy spot under the eaves, their collection of books and this workspace, which includes a factory cart they scored on Craigslist.
Tip: Spaces like attics in older homes tend to have wide plank floors you may not realize are wonderful at first because they are usually unfinished. In this case, Danforth and Edsell sanded and painted the original attic floors.
Learn more about this attic and see the rest of the house
Novelist Emily Danforth and insurance professional Erica Edsell transformed the third-story lofted space in their Providence, Rhode Island, home into an office and reading room. The space has an inviting daybed in a cozy spot under the eaves, their collection of books and this workspace, which includes a factory cart they scored on Craigslist.
Tip: Spaces like attics in older homes tend to have wide plank floors you may not realize are wonderful at first because they are usually unfinished. In this case, Danforth and Edsell sanded and painted the original attic floors.
Learn more about this attic and see the rest of the house
Tip: Stairs that lead to an attic are often quirky — just go with it. The women painted theirs with an ombre effect in hues of blue-green that get lighter in color as you climb. They used four paints from one color strip and added metallic silver to highlight the wonderful imperfections in the wood.
Share: How do you use your attic? Have you renovated an unfinished attic? If so, how did you transform it and what do you use it for? Please share your thoughts and pictures in the Comments.
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Sometimes at their home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, Manhattan designer Matthew Caughy and his husband need a break from their guests. So they carved out a calming sitting room from an unfinished attic space off their bedroom.
Tip: To make the space feel bigger, Caughy used V-groove paneling on the ceiling and walls. It is oriented horizontally on the walls to make them feel wider, and vertically on the ceiling to make them feel taller.