Attic or loft spaces are fun rooms to decorate. The angled ceilings and unique layout lend themselves to what can be a truly creative space. These same room attributes, however, can also prove to be challenging when it comes to furniture placement and hanging art.
Our feature room is a light and airy attic bedroom with a small office area. This particular room would be a great space for a student because it provides a study area with tons of natural light and functional storage for books and supplies.
Window treatments
Loft spaces such as this very often have lots of large windows which provide tons of natural light during the day. Because these rooms are above the main level of a house they can get quite warm, especially during the summer. If you don't have central air it's a good idea to install a window air conditioner for the summer months. Even if you have air conditioning it helps to choose window treatments that can block out the sun but also allow light into the room when desired. Black-out shades or room darkening shades/blinds under simple window treatments are good solutions.
You may have varying window sizes in your attic room. Our loft bedroom, for instance, has four windows all of different sizes. As well, each window may have its own special requirements. For instance, the treatment over the built-in desk area in our feature room needs special attention because of where the bottom of the curtains or blinds will land. You don't want curtains in the way on the small work surface or blinds that are too long and again, are in the way. Other windows in the room may allow floor-to-ceiling window treatments. To keep some flow to the room, try to coordinate the window treatments by way of colour then have fun with each individual treatment style.
Built-ins
The built-in cabinets and desk area are a great way to create a work area. Custom built-ins will allow for optimum space usage and storage. Because loft rooms have angled ceilings, it's often hard to include a full-sized dresser with mirror in the mix because there isn't a lot of flat wall height. Built-in cabinetry can provide storage solutions to suit your specific space and needs. Our attic room, which used to be a student suite, has dresser drawers recessed right into the wall, utilizing the actual attic space behind the wall. Having these recessed drawers keeps the floor space open but provides tons of storage.
Furniture placement
Before you haul furniture up into your loft space, work out a layout on paper before hand. Be sure to include the height measurements and requirements for all pieces because these quirky rooms can be a challenge in this facet of the decorating process.
Depending upon the layout of your loft space, placing large furniture groupings might be a challenge. Again, the angled ceiling and unusual wall space is not conducive to over-scaled furniture. You may have to remove the headboard and footboard on your current bed to make it fit, for example. Another option is to purchase a platform bed which will work well in the space because of its low visual and physical profile. You may also have to either remove the attached mirror from a dresser or purchase a low profile cabinet instead. You may have the option to hang a suitable wall mirror over the new dresser if wall space allows. If you find that you have to alter every piece in your current grouping to make it fit, you might want to just go with an eclectic mix of items that will fit into the unique space and forgo the matching set.
The center of the room is where you're going to have the most ceiling height so you may be able to place the bed in the center of the room on an angle if you have a tall, four poster bed, for instance. A low profile dresser or trunk sitting at the foot of the bed can provide storage and/or seating. You have to get creative in attic rooms. Perhaps a teen or young adult would enjoy a hanging bed, suspended from the ceiling, for instance. Think outside the box.
Wall décor
Hanging artwork is a bit of a challenge in a loft space because of the limited and often low height wall space. Placing art work on a ledge, as in our feature photograph, is one option but this can take up valuable work space so choose your pieces carefully. One or two may be all you need. You can also group a collection of paintings or prints on the floor leaning against a low wall. Some attic spaces have ceilings that extend to a very low profile wall that is about two or three feet. This space is good for storage but can also be used to make a great wall gallery art display.
Choose a great wall colour in lieu of a lot of wall bric-a-brac. Colourful bedding will also add colour and pattern along with your chosen window treatments. Oversized, decorative floor cushions will add a sense of comfort and youthful style.
connieoliver@shaw.ca
