What are most attics like in Soviet-built private houses? Dark and dirty rooms in which the owners put various belongings, which it would be a pity to throw away, but no one wants to use. Give a second life to your attic or attic space - restore the auxiliary space and increase your living space. Yes, the attic room has a very complex shape; the strong slope of the ceiling formed by the gable roof does not allow you to stand there at full height throughout the entire area. But with a reasonable approach to planning and the use of effective design techniques, you can achieve unprecedented results - turn a room littered with rubbish into an incredibly comfortable and cozy space for relaxation, work, creative and sports activities, and games with children.
If your private house has an attic, then it would be strange not to use these square meters for the benefit of the family. A living room, a bedroom, a guest room, a dressing room, an office or even an additional bathroom - the possibilities for arranging an attic are limited only by your desires, needs and the size of the budget for reconstruction. We bring to your attention an impressive selection of design projects for the design of attic and attic spaces, determined by the needs of their owners. Let modern, practical and visually attractive interiors be the inspiration for your remodel.
Bedroom in the attic - practical, convenient, aesthetically pleasing
Arranging a bedroom in a room whose ceiling is formed by a gable roof is the best option. After all, in the sleeping space you will spend most of the time in a horizontal position, when the height of the ceilings and their slope are not so decisive. Many attics don't have enough space to accommodate a full living room or children's room. But the master bedroom or guest room can become a comfortable additional space in your home.
If you have a fairly spacious attic room, you can arrange a bedroom designed for two people. Beds placed in areas with the greatest slope of the ceiling will save useful space for the passage, along which you can walk at full height without any discomfort.
You have long been able to equip the main premises of your private home - all the necessary functional areas are located and decorated in accordance with your stylistic preferences. But a small corner of space in the attic remains uncovered. Use this room to organize sleeping areas for guests. Here is a clear example of the fact that even a modest-sized room with an original shape can become a cozy place to spend the night. And everything that you have previously stored in the attic in random order can be folded into storage systems built into the bases of the beds.
Here is an example of organizing several sleeping places in the form of built-in units with storage systems. Each sleeping place is a cell with individual lighting and adjacent shelves and cabinets.
In a spacious attic room, you can organize not just a bedroom, but a multifunctional station, containing, in addition to a sleeping area, a dressing area and a workplace. Embedding a wardrobe complex around the front door throughout the entire space from floor to ceiling allows you to significantly save useful space in the bedroom. And the work table in the boudoir area can also be used as a dressing table.
Features of finishing a bedroom in the attic
To radically transform an old attic into an elegant bedroom, it is difficult to come up with a more elegant design move than using a snow-white finish. One of the problems of attic spaces, in addition to irregular shapes and ceilings with large slopes, is poor lighting. It’s rare that a roof can have a window to provide the space with a source of natural light. As a rule, you have to be content with a window (or windows) located on the gable of the building. That is why the attic space so needs a light finish, snow-white and glossy surfaces that can reflect sunlight.
One of the basic rules for visually expanding space is “dark bottom, white top.” A bedroom with dark flooring and snow-white walls that often abruptly meet the ceiling will appear larger than it actually is. An original addition, accent and part of the design will be ceiling beams made of wood to match the floorboard or parquet.
Subtleties of repairing billiard rooms
When playing billiards, you want to fully concentrate on the activity, without being distracted by extraneous sounds. In addition, billiards itself is a noisy game. In order not to disturb others and to immerse yourself completely in the process, it is advisable to provide good sound insulation.
Another important point is the creation of a microclimate. If the room conditions are unsuitable, the table and cues may become deformed and crack.
- The optimal temperature is 18–32 ºС.
- The ideal humidity level is 60–65%.
Do not allow fluctuations in humidity and temperature. Repair of a billiard room includes installation of ventilation, heating, air conditioning, and waterproofing. Heating radiators are installed at least two meters from the table.
Living room in the attic - design features
For attic spaces with a skylight, the process of arranging a living room is simplified. The room is filled with sunlight and you have at least one wall at the front of the building freed up. This free surface can be used to create a video zone or install an artificial fireplace. And in the space with the lowest ceiling height, install sofas and armchairs. Light finishes, a couple of bright accents and even a small space under the roof itself will look attractive, cozy and modern.
The attic spaces of private houses are often decorated with the active use of natural material - wood. This finish is an excellent soundproofing agent (after all, we do not forget that we will be under the very roof, on which rain and even hail will knock), wooden panels are able to “breathe”, not to mention the fact that such a design gives natural warmth the whole image of the room.
A living room in snow-white tones with plenty of sunlight - none of your guests will recognize a former cluttered attic or attic in such a magnificent room. Light furniture will add elegance to the interior; glass and mirror surfaces, shiny fittings, furniture and lighting elements - all together will create a completely airy, light atmosphere.
Pastel shades are perfect for decorating a living room located in an asymmetrical room. Popular nude tones are a great option for a base, complemented by a couple of contrasting bright accents.
It happens that the attic space has very modest dimensions, and even the shape is presented in an unknown geometric variation. But even such a complex room can be equipped efficiently, brightly, and modernly. Here is an example of such a bold design project with bright finishes, an unusual choice of furniture and a non-trivial approach to decoration.
If light, pastel colors for interior decoration are not your element, but a contrasting, original design can lift your spirits, then you can start with an attic room or attic conversion to try your hand at original design. The next lounge room, for example, makes active use of a combination of dark structural elements and wood paneling. Modest in quantity, but original in design, furniture, a large window with a beautiful view and contrasting decoration - a non-trivial room in design is ready!
If you don’t have the courage to give free rein to your design ideas in such important rooms for the family as the living room, bedroom or children’s room, try practicing in the attic! This is where you can safely use unusual shapes and creative color schemes, furniture made with your own hands and paint the walls yourself.
For all lovers of wine drinks, collectors and not only, we can offer the option of decorating in the attic not just a living room, but a tasting room. Wine cabinets built into places with the lowest ceiling height, comfortable sofas and armchairs, a small buffet or display cabinet for dishes - what else is needed for comfortable relaxation and gatherings with friends?
How to make an attic habitable: insulation and layout
We looked at how beautiful and stylish a properly decorated attic room can be; the photos above clearly demonstrate this. But before you start finishing and selecting furniture, you need to do the most important thing - turn the cold attic into a living space. The space under the roof almost always suffers from a lack of natural light, in addition, it is cool and damp there. These two problems can be solved by installing attic windows, as well as waterproofing and insulating the attic.
Do not rush to finish the walls and furnish the attic room; first you need to carry out insulation work, otherwise your furniture and decoration will soon deteriorate from dampness.
Insulation and waterproofing of a living space under the roof in a section.
When the installation of thermal insulation is completed, you can begin finishing the attic and thinking through the layout of the future interior. To do this, it is better to use a special computer program, or draw a sketch plan by hand. It is very important to carefully measure the area of the room, the height of the walls and ceiling, and then try to arrange the furniture and other furnishings so that not a single centimeter is wasted. Attic rooms are rarely spacious; in addition, their walls often have complex geometry. The best way out is to use custom-made or DIY built-in furniture.
Develop a plan for a residential attic and draw it on paper, mark all the dimensions, and then contact the cabinet furniture manufacturer with a request to produce everything necessary. Any large furniture company provides similar services.
A set of built-in furniture, custom-made for a living room in the attic
Children's room on the site of an old attic - miracles of renovation
In some private households, the height of the attic space does not allow adult owners to feel comfortable there. But for small household members, you can arrange a cozy nest in the space under the roof itself. Children like small nooks, small closets in which they can not just retire, but be a full-fledged owner. With a large slope of the ceiling in such spaces, it would be logical to place storage systems in the lowest zone, and at the highest point of the ceiling - a segment for relaxation, creative activities and games.
In the attic you can place a full-fledged children's room with a sleeping place, an area for games, activities and creativity. The main thing is that the room is sufficiently illuminated; if it is possible to replace old small windows with new double-glazed windows with large dimensions, you should not miss this opportunity. It’s easy to get rid of the abundance of sunlight - having curtains or blinds on the windows is enough, but the lack of natural light will affect the psychological and physical state of the child, who spends a lot of time in his room.
The attic room needs a light finish more than others - the reason for this is the lack of large windows that can provide the space with an abundance of sunlight, and the asymmetrical shapes of the room itself, which one would not want to focus attention on. But in a room for children it is impossible to get by with only light colors; a child’s gaze, more than ours, needs bright accents on which to focus attention. To diversify the color palette of a children's room located in the attic, use all available means - bright furniture, colorful textiles for decorating beds, colored shades on pendant lamps and wall sconces, colorful rugs and even floor coverings.
Office, workshop or library - arrangement of the attic floor
In a tiny attic it is unlikely that it will be possible to create a full-fledged living room or bedroom; there is also not enough space to organize a games room or gym. But to decorate an office or personal workshop you only need a couple of square meters. A desk, easel or musical instrument installed in the area with the highest ceiling level, low storage systems at the lowest points or hanging shelves on the pediment - and the office or workshop is ready.
Do not cover roof structures with plasterboard. In addition to the fact that you will significantly reduce the space of the attic or attic, you will also deprive the interior of the office of its individuality. Wooden beams on the ceiling of the office become a kind of source of natural heat, which we so often lack in modern homes with an abundance of technology and electronics.
And here is the opposite design project for an office designed to accommodate at least two people. Snow-white matte and glossy surfaces seem to have completely absorbed the interior of the room. The only striking accent is the original floor beams on the ceiling.
Here is an original and rational way to embed a bookshelf in a library or office. Depending on the number and size of windows, different compositions of open shelves can be obtained. But in any case, you will be sure that you have used all the attic space provided to you to the maximum.
What could be better than solitude with your favorite book in a small but cozy space of a former attic, now a comfortable home library? Built-in bookshelves, comfortable armchairs or sofas, floor lamps for reading in the dark, plenty of pillows and a warm rug on the floor - a cozy atmosphere for reading is ready.
It’s rare that a private house has a free room on the ground floor to create a sports area. Why not use the extra space in your attic or loft? Of course, provided that your sports activities do not involve throwing a heavy barbell onto the floor, the impacts of which will make the chandeliers on the first floor tremble. In areas with the lowest height, you can place storage systems for sports equipment and clothing, install a small sofa for relaxation, and use the entire remaining space exclusively for training.
Designer's response
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On the picture:
Bedroom plan with furniture arrangement.
As a rule, private and public areas in country houses are located on different floors. If the living room and dining room are located on the first or second floor, it is better to arrange the bedroom away from the place where the whole family gathers, so that guests or family gatherings do not interfere with your rest. And the best location for the bedroom in this case is in the attic. At the request of a reader, designer Inga Taranova designed the interior of the bedroom as a luxurious modern boudoir.
Dressing area. The color scheme in the attic interior is warm tones from golden yellow to variegated brown. The designer upholstered the wall under the roof slope with fabric; the same material was used in the interior of the bedroom and when decorating the curtains. The floor is covered with skillfully aged parquet. The dressing area is separated from the sleeping area by an elegant partition that turns into columns on both sides. The dressing room is divided into two parts: in one there is a row of spacious wardrobes and a fitting table, in the other, near the partition, there is a place for applying makeup - a mirror in a figured frame, a dressing table and a banquette. The interior of the attic in the dressing room area is illuminated by two lamps on long pendants. The light is bright, but diffuse. Even if someone in the bedroom has not yet woken up from sleep, the light from the dressing room will not wake him up.
Sleep area. The designer installed the bed on a low podium (it can be replaced by an antique carpet). As befits a classic interior, next to the bed there is a banquette with soft pillows rolled into scrolls. Everything in the interior of the bedroom is thought out to the smallest detail and adapted to the needs of the hostess. Unlike standard bedrooms, this one has no space for sconces. If the hostess wants to read, there is a special place for this by the antique-style fireplace.
Relaxation corner. Modern partitions are omnivorous. Designer Inga Taranova managed to hide seemingly incompatible interior items like a fireplace and a TV in such a room. The seating area consists of a pair of armchairs and banquettes with upholstery to match the bedspread and a coffee table with a glass top. An ideal place for a leisurely evening conversation by the fireplace or relaxing TV viewing.
Bathroom in the attic space - nothing is impossible
In large cities, where population density is high and real estate prices are prohibitive, even apartments located under the roof of an apartment building are a good purchase. The key point in this case is the location of the home in the center of the metropolis. If the entire apartment is an attic space, it is not surprising that the utilitarian spaces are located under the roof itself. The design of a bathroom located in the attic has its own nuances. The correct layout, taking into account not only the size of the room and the height of the owners, but also the laws of ergonomics, will help create a truly comfortable and practical space for water procedures.
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The content of the article:
- 1. Features
- 2. What kind of room can be made in the attic
- 3. Attic layout
- 3.1 Insulation
- 3.2 Lighting
- 4. Choosing an interior style
- 5. Color scheme
- 6. How to make an attic room with your own hands
- 7. Examples with photographs
- 8. Conclusion
Home cinema in the attic - a dream come true
In modern private houses, you can increasingly find the design of the first floor in the form of a combination of three functional zones in one space through an open plan - living room, kitchen and dining room. This arrangement of living segments of the home is very convenient, it allows you to save usable space without infringing on each zone separately. But in such a living room it is difficult to arrange a full-fledged home theater. And in this case, we remember the free space in the attic. A large TV or projector screen, comfortable and roomy sofas, a couple of small tables and stands, and your once-abandoned attic is ready to welcome guests for an interesting movie show.
The atmosphere in the home theater will be truly magical if small lamps are built into the suspended ceiling design. You can switch lighting modes – usually for watching movies with the effect of a starry sky.
How to prevent sound from escaping?
Particular attention should be paid to the floor, since this is where the subwoofer is usually located - the noisiest element of a home theater. For reasons of economy, many, in order to dampen the room, simply lay a soft fleecy covering between the speakers and the listener’s sofa, and also decorate the walls with carpets. However, such an interior is not exactly in trend today, and the effect will not be very good. Therefore, recently, for sound insulation, additional concrete screeds are increasingly being made using the “floating floor” technology. If for some reason it is not possible to comply with the “floating floor” technology, then you can lay thin soundproofing pads directly under the laminate, parquet or other floor covering.
Doors must also have good sound insulation, otherwise sound will escape through them, carefully isolated on other surfaces. An ideal option would be a double door - a vestibule with an air gap between the two doors. However, you can limit yourself to just a massive one - the main thing is that it seals along all the porches, including the threshold, and closes with a locking lock.
Sometimes, in order to save space and get rid of excess objects, acoustic speakers are installed under a suspended ceiling or mounted in walls. However, this is one of the most unfortunate solutions, since audibility in other rooms and in neighboring apartments increases significantly. The fact is that when there is an impact on the ceiling, it itself becomes a noise emitter, that is, instead of a sound insulator, it becomes a sound emitter. The same thing happens with walls.
Dressing room under the roof - saving space
Where else if not to the attic to move all the storage functions? There is often simply not enough space in the bedroom, and only owners of very spacious houses can afford to allocate a separate room for a dressing room on the ground floor. In the attic space, you will be limited in the number of storage systems only by the size and shape of the room. But even the most modest attic area can accommodate the wardrobe of all family members.
Only at first glance it may seem that an asymmetrical attic room with niches and a large sloping ceiling is not suitable for built-in cabinet furniture. Of course, for a space with a complex shape, ready-made solutions, presented in a wide range in furniture stores, will not be suitable. But custom-made storage systems, in accordance with the characteristics of your complex premises, will be the best option for placing the maximum possible number of cabinets, shelves and racks in the minimum amount of occupied space.
