It is ideal to treat yourself with some extra cuddles during winter days, and it is perfect to enjoy the sun coming from the large windows during summer time (maybe with the help of a good air conditioner!). The attic is, in fact, the warmest area of an apartment or a flat, but how fascinating it is! It reminds us to romantic poems of the Parisian Bohémien artists or to poor students back in a newly and busy London of the time. But what can we do in order to make it a source of inspiration for trendy and functional design solutions ? Where the roof only, and not the fantasy, is pitched?
Whether it has to be restructured or of new construction
, the interior design choices for a small loft conversion offer you many sources of inspiration and cutting-edge ideas.
An unconventional and romantic house
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Make a virtue of necessity. When a single edge becomes the starting point to design the whole house
Attics are often irregular and characterised by non-well-defined shapes : rectangular and narrowed on the short side, with skylights taking up the wall corresponding to the roof, and with inclines very hard to be reinterpreted. In addition, the area can be featured by steel pillars and wooden beams that immediately remind us to a trendy rustic-industrial style .
The decor of an attic conversion should start right from the analysis of all those typical qualities of the structure to turn them into the strengths of the whole house. Whether it is a small loft or an attic in the city centre, they have something in common that make them the perfect place for many projects: the light.
Light, light, light. How not to miss a single glimpse and exploit to the best the small loft conversion
As a matter of fact it is the light that defines the physiognomy and the decor of an attic conversion. And now custom-made furniture come into play because they are able to fill in all the niches letting brightness playing its role. Light comes inside in various ways. Light comes inside in various ways. Through the garret , typical opening of northern and mountain houses , with its passage on the roof pitch, that reminds us of snowy landscapes, woven blankets, cups of chocolate and cuddles in a warm and cozy environment.
The skylights , instead, with a strong design-feature, are windows that go along the pitched walls and look straight at the sky. They are very evocative if we decide to put the bed under them to get asleep under the stars.
A romantic candlelight choice… But not only
Even though the light coming from the outside is intense, the small loft conversion keeps the sweetness of a poetic, warm and comfortably place. This is the reason why many young couples choose the attic conversion as their love nest .
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Photography by Hutomo Abrianto -
Attic decorated with Turning Destiny wallpaper by Andrea Bertoletti
But the evocative atmosphere is not only about scented and romantic candles. Indeed the most adequate lights in a loft are surely floor lamps with shapes and sizes that can perfectly define the area. Even the directional ceiling spotlights become a modern solution.
Tailor-made bookcase and furniture to arrange the areas dynamically
In an open space the right interpretation of the areas acquires importance, we can be helped by innovative solutions, from the rearrangement of spaces through the use of colours, exclusive decorations and furniture . Paying attention to the choice of the right colour combinations , you can combine elegant and wraparound wallpapers, or elements of interior design that filter the light, like freestanding bookcases , that make functional every millimetre of the house.
Moreover, the horizontal shelves of dynamic length come into contrast with the oblique lines of the attic’s walls to obtain an unexpected optic effect. The attic’s verticality affects the decor choices and this peculiarity doesn’t have to be interpreted with standard furniture. Making the best out of every corner becomes a mantra . In other words, all you need to do is find the right inclines !
Colours yes, but not too many. Tips to decor the attic with an ethnic and vintage feel
Attics are featured many times by the presence of wooden beams , which play an important role in the choice of colours and design. Colours that best convey the idea of cozy and comfortable interior are the light ones. It doesn’t have to be necessarily white, but they could be nude warm colours, like a cream yellow or seashell. Starting from these colours it will be easier for you to choose impactful colours for pillows, printings, accessories and fabrics that recall, for example, the ethnic style .
The creamy white can be interchanged with artists’ wallpapers that will be able to convey strength to the environment. With decorated walls, the attic gains charm and a unique atmosphere, especially if it comes with a modern style, including also some particular strong design elements.
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Photography by Jonathan Borba -
Photography by Keszthelyi Timi
Due to its poetic allure, the attic conversion is suitable even for being furnished with vintage elements coming from the past. Nowadays if old furniture have worn surfaces, they can be regenerated thanks to p rofessional self-adhesive films made of certified materials with a design effect.
The living room is creative
In your attic conversion, in order to furnish to the best a rectangular and open space environment, the living room can be considered as the focus point of the house. Putting the sofa on the long side and little armchairs and pouf at both sides, you will create a practical tv area where to conversate, by using also a big carpet that well defines the surface.
And even a short table and drawers filled with objects concerning us and our passions. This interior could be even more personalised and funny if behind the sofa you will hang a tailor-made wallpaper with an exclusive design specially created for your own apartment.
The kitchen is modular
And linear. Yes, because, since we have only few centimeters available, we should go for functional solutions with furniture and domestic appliances easily insertable in the attic’s structure . Thanks to the open space floor plan you can gain extra space in terms of partition walls and eliminated walls, but at the same time it is necessary to think about the elements division.
With a reduced steppable surface , we have to plan a way in which the available height is exploited to the best so that we can place in the objects, the useful kitchen tools in this case. The functional areas need to be well defined, but at the same time connected to each other. Like for example a kitchen worktop that turns into a table and “move” towards the living area.
It is not the ordinary bedroom
Sometimes in small loft conversions, bedroom is often placed in the lowest area of the apartment. No problem! But be careful when you suddenly get up from bed!
The idea is to place a platform bed without legs with a magical and precious wallpaper instead of the bed headboard . The bedside tables will be hanged to the walls and above them you could put some small plants that convey peacefulness and purify the air from harmful substances. Plants in the bedrooms improve sleep quality and reduce stress. Instead of wardrobes, arrange your clothes and accessories in short furniture like settle, trunk and drawers.
And what if the attic is a studio flat? How to arrange the interiors
Another option. It is to merge together both the living room and the bedroom in a single studio flat. Now the decor of the attic conversion must be even more effective and congenial based on these small sizes. Not having large sizes, the unexploited walls and hallways have to be replaced with bookcases, dividing panels and furniture (to be filled with personal objects) that could separate the bed and help easily identify the sleeping area. Also covering walls with self- adhesive sensory films and different finishes might be useful to distinguish and define the interiors, even if they will be juxtaposed and intertwined anyway. If the attic has a mezzanine, it will be easier to decor it. Indeed, bed and other furniture could be placed upstairs. Moreover well-placed mirrors , like for example on the short side of it, are able to optically double the measure of the house .
