The attic is one of the most under-appreciated and underutilised spaces in the entire house. Often, it’s a glorified storage space – a veritable graveyard for knick-knacks and sundries, and anything you can’t store in the rest of your home.
Even when the attic is transformed into an extra bedroom, there’s an unspoken challenge to decorating it and it’s often nothing more than bare space with one bed and a chair.
It takes more than just a bed and an end table to transform an underused attic into a functioning bedroom though, or any themed room for that matter. In this post, The Canvas Art Factory shares five decorating themes that will transform your attic into a real living space.
Turn it into a Tidy Guest Room
The attic is the perfect space to turn into a guest room because an extra living space for visiting friends and relatives are always welcome. Don’t be deterred if your existing attic space seems small or cramped; the trick to transforming this space into a guest room is by ensuring it exudes a welcome atmosphere, and you can achieve this with proper placement of furniture and the right décor.
Take advantage of the unique curvature of the attic to ‘fit’ each piece of furniture. This allows you to utilise the strengths of the attic and make it cosier, too.
As for décor, the guest bedroom’s primary decorations should be a pastiche of the living room and the master bedroom. Take a good look at these respective rooms and pick the decorative elements that exude a welcoming atmosphere.
A Hidden Reading Retreat
The attic is a hidden hamlet in your home – the perfect place to retreat from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the house, so why not turn it into an impressive reading nook where you can dive right into your books? Whether you prefer fantasy vistas or a good ol’ science fiction book, the attic is the perfect place to store your hardbound books and read them in peace and privacy.
The great thing about transforming your empty attic into a reading retreat is that you can fill in the unique (and often troublesome) shape and curvature of the room with shelves for your books. These shelves are multifunctional, too, and it can house your other knick-knacks or even artwork inspired by the books you love. As for furniture, choose the most appropriate for the size of your attic. A desk and chair are great for larger attic spaces, but you can still feel comfortable with a chaise lounge if you have a smaller and cosier attic.
Transform it into an In-House Studio
Do you have a teen that’s ready for independence but can’t quite get out of the house yet? Or maybe grandparents that you want to keep close with the kids? If your attic is as large as a granny flat, why not transform it into an in-house studio?
This requires more than just decorating though as a well-functioning studio needs to have all the essentials on one floor including a kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. The advantage of turning your attic into a studio goes beyond providing independent lodgings for your relatives though. You can even rent it out if you’re so inclined!
You have more freedom to decorate your attic-turn-studio as you don’t necessarily have to emulate the décor in the other rooms. Less is more when it comes to attic studios as you want to maximize the usable space for the independent resident.
Attic Kid’s Playroom
Who doesn’t dread coming into the kid’s bedroom and find that a hurricane has swept through it? Cleaning up after the rambunctious tots can be a hassle, especially when their imaginations run wild and their bedroom because the canvas where they paint their imagination!
The solution? Separate the bedroom from the play area by transforming the attic space into a hidden playroom or retreat. This is arguably the simplest attic remodel and redecorating to do since it just involves moving the toys and games to the attic.
The Ultimate Hidden Home Office
Finally, there’s the home office. While you can allocate space within the bedroom or living area, the ideal office space should be separate from the living spaces in your home as it’s easy for the busy aura and atmosphere of the home office to intrude to locations that are supposed to be restful.
How your office space looks will ultimately depend on what you want it to have. There are staple furniture and decorative pieces though, such as a comfortable chair, a desk, and shelves for your books and paperwork. Décor should be minimal but comforting. Make use of comforting imagery and calming colour palettes to improve productivity and ensure a stress-free atmosphere in your new office space.
The Canvas Art Factory has a plethora of attractive artwork and Canvas Prints for all kinds of rooms. From contemporary pieces to fine art reproductions of the great masters, we are sure you’ll find something that will easily become the centre of attraction in your room. Call us today at +61 7 3383 2880 or visit our showroom to see what we have to offer!
