There can be something awfully romantic about attic rooms, or at least they can be until you find yourself forced to stay in one.
Visitors to Paris might be happy with the amazing price they’re paying for a hotel room, only to make their way up to the top floor carrying bags, because the building pre-dates the invention of the elevator, finding themselves in a small space with ceilings so low that even the Ewoks from Star Wars would have trouble standing up straight in them. Attic rooms conjure up images of literature, of Madame Bovary reading in the attic, or something from Charles Dickens, and for those of us who have an attic room, perhaps this is something that the designers of the home tried to emulate.
While attic rooms are usable space, much of the time we don’t actually use them, since they can be cold and gloomy, in a manner that is very much unlike the rest of our homes. But an attic doesn’t have to be a place to store junk, and if you’re lucky enough to have one, it can be a unique part of your home. So what are some ways to cosy up your attic room and make it more livable?
Let There Be Light!
One of the downsides to an attic room is the fact that natural light isn’t always at a premium. Some attic rooms have beautiful bay windows that flood the space with sunlight, but the majority have tiny windows that seem largely ornamental. If you have the budget, you can consider adding larger windows to your attic room, or even adding entirely new windows, and a dormer window can be a great touch. If you do not want to spend so much money or change the look of your home, then a skylight can be an unobtrusive and inexpensive choice.
Look Down
Sometimes attic rooms already have perfectly usable floors, but in older homes, you’ll find this is where the insulation has been placed. While it can keep the rest of your home warm and toasty, it means that the attic room itself could almost be used as a drinks cooler. The attic ceiling will need to be insulated to make the room comfortable, but this needs to be done in conjunction with the removal of any insulation in the attic floor, since without this step, you would basically be creating an attic sauna. Depending on the size of the space you have to work with, you can opt for single or multi room options, but be mindful of what you plan to place in your attic space, just in case you need to have the floor reinforced.
Don’t Have Much Space to Work With?
Unless your attic has a ceiling of at least seven feet in height, it’s really not worth using it as a fully functional room in your home. It doesn’t have to be empty space or junk storage, since even an attic room with lower ceilings can be repurposed as something special. They can make an excellent play room for children, or as an adult quiet space- somewhere with rugs and bookshelves that parents can go to and the children know they’re not be disturbed unless it’s an emergency, and no, “I want another sandwich” isn’t an emergency. Small electrical heaters can be purchased in this instance, since it’s not worth the expense of adding new installation or extending your heating system in these cases.
Those who already have an attic that’s partially or fully used as a part of your living space are ahead of the game, since there’s far less work involved in modifying these rooms into something special. But for the rest of us, the challenge is worth the result- and wouldn’t you want to hear your child answer the phone and say, “Mommy can’t come to the phone, she’s reading in her attic library.”