attic renovation

we re-did our attic. every time a guest came in town, we had to farm them out to relatives or they could sleep on our couch. that’s not awesome.
we needed a rad space for our friends.

enter, the gross, dark, barn-ish attic. picture it in your head right now…scary movie attic…dusty…dirty…smelly…. do you have that thought in your head? good, because i lost the pictures of what it really looked like before.  all we have is this picture from my husband’s phone. enjoy.

the stairs going up to the attic were like a ladder. very steep. so they had to be ripped out and re-done. we lost some closet space in the kid’s rooms, but who cares. they don’t need clothes.

we went with dark stain. against white walls and trim, it pops quite a bit. at first it scared me. but then i was like, wait, i love this.

right when you get to the top of the stairs, there’s a tiny little nook. we didn’t want it to go to waste…so we made a little bungalow with 2 twin beds. slumber party central.

the floor is plywood and at first we were going to cover it with carpet, but i couldn’t find anything that i liked. and painting is cheaper. and i heart stripes. so we just used leftover paint from downstairs and striped the floors.

it was a construction zone for a while. especially since we added the giant dormers. we really wanted more light and each dormer is quite large, so it created more space.

the first dormer is an office space. simple and sweet. uncluttered.
work. gets. done. here. Nato and I escaped to this nook often when we really needed focused time. i could also people watch and they have no idea.

the second dormer is a little reading area. or, if we put a mattress gate up, it can sleep a tiny baby when guests come. it is, after all, just a crib mattress that is upholstered. throw on a bunch of pillows and BOOM. comfy.

and side note, in between each dormer is storage space/closet. a mini fridge and microwave are stored away nicely. this is an all inclusive space. when you’re on vay-cay, i don’t want you hindering that late-night popcorn craving. no way. and grab a coke while you’re at it. those go together nicely.

the third dormer is in the bathroom. the glorious bathroom. we went old school in here, since the house is colonial style. and subway and hexagon tiles never go out of style. i just adore bead board too…so that had to be added.

the shower is gigantic and awkwardly shaped, but that’s what you get in an attic. lots of character! my brother painstakingly tiled this. bless his heart. your treasure is in heaven.

i love that guests will have their own bathroom on their own floor. there’s nothing more awkward than walking in on a friend taking a number 2. neither of you will ever forget it even though you will pretend like you have.

anyway, on that awkward note, let’s go back out into the main space shall we?

this couch is a pullout from pottery barn . a comfy one. no bar in your back here. i also got a mattress topper as well, just for extra comfort. it’s hard to sleep away from your own home, so i don’t want to hinder anyone’s happiness. (also i put some sleeping pills in the bathroom just in case. i kid you not. and extra toothbrushes and razors. it’s like a Walgreen’s in there.)

and then the back nook. a place for eating snacks, working, or pretending to do something awesome.

i did paint the very bottoms of the feet gold for a little flair. give the girl some fancy shoes, i always say. 
i simply bought metallic gold paint at the craft store and painted 5 coats with a paintbrush. ’twas easy. and i saw this idea somewhere on the mighty inter webs.  

there’s also a guest map over here. i think this is cute…keep track of those gypsy friends and let people see who’s stopped by and worn out their welcome.

i wrapped a map, that i bought at a bookstore for $10, around a canvas so that the pin could actually stick through easily. the canvas was a little smaller than the map so some of Maine and California are cut off. people will have to deal with this in their hearts. no one likes Maine or California anyway.

just grab a tag, write on it, and pin it. you have to do this or i won’t make you waffles. i’m for serious. oh and what is that? a little Missouri map that tells you where all the fun things are! boom. i just hooked you up.

a little storage nook, with extra blankets, movies, magazines, and snacks. but sometimes i eat the snacks when i go up there. i’ll make sure to buy more, promise.

now if you’re like, i can’t spend a million dollars re-doing my attic. well me either, player. here’s what i spent.

you must be a bargain huntress. don’t buy boring accessories. have a color scheme in your head and then when you’re out, you’ll always know if something will fit into your decor.

p.s.  the ottoman is from a place called Old Time Pottery. the quilts were Target clearance. The striped pillow cases are from TJMaxx but can be found at West Elm and everywhere actually.

i have often escaped up here myself. i kept it visually plain and clean on the walls for a reason. i really wanted it to be a retreat from the craziness. and the floors were dark and the rugs were doing some talking anyway. Nato was like, are we going American Indian decor up here? no silly…it’s eclectic. but i love the lines and texture. and it was practically free…when we bought our couch, we got a credit at Pottery Barn. so whatever. i heart Kilim anything these days.

i hope you enjoy the attic as much as i do.