An attic can be so much more than just dusty storage units and creepy crawl spaces. A beautiful, functional attic is a great thing to have, as long as you know what you want to do with it, of course. With the right planning, it has the potential to be one of the loveliest rooms in the house. Something about those sloped ceilings sets the tone for an intimate and private escape. Here are some inspiration and ideas to turn your upstairs into a place you’ll love:
1. Home office
More and more people are working from home now than ever. However, most homes aren’t designed with a separate home office. If you’re stuck working from the dining room table or kitchen and you want a more productive space so you can be focused, the attic could just be the place to do so. Keep it comfy by investing in ergonomic furniture and letting natural light in. Also, make sure you have enough lighting fixtures so it won’t be dark during the night. Don’t forget the storage – you can add built-in shelves in your attic to accommodate your files, or you can also bring up some file cabinets or bookshelves if the space allows.
2. Kid’s playground
Most parents of young children would probably agree that their kids could use more space to run around. Also, kids’ clutter can be everywhere, and if you’re tired of it, you can turn the attic into a fun hangout space for your kids. Provide storage for your kids’ toys, and install a mini playground if you like. You can also make the attic a pretend house by adding a play kitchen, table, small couch, and a little bed. You can also include a homework zone and an arts and crafts station.
3. Screening room
For movie buffs and sports fans, the best thing to do with an attic is to make it a designated area to watch their favorite things. You can install a projector or buy a large-screen TV for the space, complete with comfy chairs. Some chairs that go low, like beanbag chairs, are perfect for an attic screening room. Other fun add-ons you can put there are a popcorn maker or a snack station. A mini-fridge full of cold drinks and ice cream would be the perfect addition, too.
4. Guest bedroom
An extra bedroom can come in handy, especially if you frequently host visitors. Sometimes they won’t be able to drive after the fun party you’ve hosted, so prepare them a place to stay. Even if you are not able to put a bathroom up there, it’s still great to have a private space for guests to sleep, relax, and have privacy – especially one that doesn’t take away a bedroom from a member of your household.
5. Yoga space
An attic can be transformed into a relaxation haven where you can practice yoga or meditation. After all, we could all use more Zen in our lives. Redecorate your attic into a calm and relaxing space that provides a quiet refuge whenever things become hectic. Paint the walls with a neutral color, add some house plants and decorate with relaxing elements. Put up a carpet or yoga mat, and you’re all set. Even if you end up in an empty room where you can sit back with a record player and a scented candle, you’ll be glad to have it in your home.
6. Reading nook
A room with low ceilings like the attic makes it an ideal quiet room to lounge in. Bring in a lounger, a settee, an upholstered bench, and a small side table with a reading lamp. Or, you can build a reading nook as the perfect place to curl up with a good book. Style the room with cushions, throw pillows, and blankets to make it extra cozy. You can also add a small bookshelf to keep the books you want to read in.
7. Library
Book lovers are all too familiar with the problem of having too many books but too little space to put them all in. The attic offers an excellent solution for this, as it can be easily transformed into a library. It’s up to you if you want to surround the space with bookshelves and simply install a nice reading nook at one corner, go all-out with a coffee or tea station, or a study area with tables and chairs. If you go with the latter, the room can double as a home office and a homework room for your kids.
8. Extra closet
Your attic could be the walk-in closet of your dreams. If your bedroom doesn’t have space, you can put your closet there if you need it. If you collect shoes or bags, the attic is a great place to showcase them. Add some clothing racks, shelves, a chair, a dresser, and a large floor-length mirror. You can make it extra fancy by adding a chandelier hung at the highest point of the ceiling.
9. Game room / Entertainment area
Some attics are spacious enough to serve as game rooms, where you can put a billiards table, arcade games, or home bars. It can be made into something similar to a man cave where people can go hang out to have fun. Don’t forget the couch! Consider it a bonus space where you can invite your friends.
10. Video game room
You can turn an attic into a video gamer’s paradise. Set up a couch and an entertainment center – TV and game consoles. Also, the storage for your games and accessories must be enough, and these are best displayed to impress the friends you’ll be inviting. Here, you can also display your comic books or action figures. Make it a geek’s haven.
11. Hangout zone
If you and your kids love to entertain your friends, you probably experienced having two different groups of guests in the house. You have probably set a mini dinner party with a couple of friends while your teenage child had invited classmates to work on a project and hang out. To make sure each group of guests enjoys and does their own thing, you can set up the attic as a hangout zone. While the adults are chatting in the kitchen, the kids can be chilling in the attic. The hangout zone can simply have chairs to lounge on, a table to put snacks in, a small entertainment player for some music, and a mini-fridge for cold drinks. Decorate it the way you want.
12. Studio apartment
If the attic in your house is big enough, you can transform it into an apartment unit complete with its own kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. You can rent it out and turn it into a profit, but you’ll need to provide access to it from the outside. But usually, these types of suits are ideal for family members and relatives that you allow to live with you and don’t mind having access to the rest of your home.
13. Teenager’s bedroom
Teenagers usually want a little space from their parents and even their siblings, and the attic can serve as a great option for a bedroom. Besides the basement, the attic can provide a distant space from the other bedrooms, which means your teen can have the privacy they crave.
14. Extra bathroom
Having another bathroom is never a bad idea. If your household is always quarreling in the morning because someone takes too long in the shower, an extra bathroom in the attic will bring about peace in your home. Not only will it make weekday mornings less stressful, but it can also increase the value of your home. Now, you have somewhere to send guests when someone is hogging the main bathroom in the house.
15. Hot tub / Hangout area
If your attic space opens up on a roof deck, why not install a Jacuzzi if space allows? Then, you can put a little hangout area on the side for an outdoor space you can stargaze or just chill under the moon. If there’s no room for a hot tub, you can simply hang a small hammock.
16. Nap room
If your attic’s ceiling is too low for you to install shelving and tables, why not make it a nap room? Simply put out a mattress and make it inviting using comfy sheets, pillows, and throws. Put a small and slim bedside table for a little surface to store things on. Make it a place to look forward to, especially when you need to take a nap break during the afternoon of a tiring day at home.
17. Prayer room
If your family is religious, you can turn your attic into a prayer room to improve the quality of your faith and worship in your home. Whatever your religion is, you can decorate the room with religious artifacts and ornamentals. Have a comfy spot to kneel in or sit to pray, and set up an altar if you prefer. Provide shelves for your Bibles, Quran, or other religious resource books, and make sure you have comfortable seating for reading them. You can decorate the walls with religious text, like Bible verses, to meditate.
18. Writer’s room
An attic is a place in the house that’s far from the busy areas like the kitchen, making it a perfect hangout when you need to do some serious thinking. Producing excellent written work needs a lot of focus and making your attic a writer’s room can be beneficial. To make it calming, paint the walls and the ceiling white, and put your desk right by the window to let natural light in.
19. Homework area
Give your kids somewhere private and quiet to do their homework by putting some desk space in the attic. It’s a great idea if your kids are sharing their bedroom, and one kid needs a little peace and quiet to focus. Store school supplies there as well, so they will have everything they need in one room.
20. Home gym
The attic can be a perfect space for home workouts for those for whom fitness is a priority. If your attic floor is strong enough to hold the weight of heavy gym equipment, go for it! Make it a space where you can work out and set up some rubber mats or yoga mats. Place your heavy equipment like the thread mill, weights, and stationary bike near the walls. Add a small table where you can keep your phone, watch, speaker, or laptop if you’re going to work out with online exercise videos. Also, don’t forget the bench for you to relax in.
21. Extra living room
The attic can help ease the stress of having several people living under your roof. Suppose you’re a multi-generational family with grandparents and adult children living in it. In that case, you can use the attic as an extra living room or lounge when the main living room gets too crowded or if a family member is entertaining their guests there.
22. Arts and craft room
If you ever need extra space for you to freely do crafts like embroidery, sewing, scrapbooking, or painting, you may look to your attic. Arts and crafts as a hobby can be consuming and messy. If you don’t have enough space in your bedroom, and if you’re tired of doing it on the dining room table and having to clean up immediately afterward, you can dedicate all the arts and crafts activities to the attic. Set up a big table and some storage for your art supplies. Make sure you have a comfortable chair and plenty of natural and artificial light.
23. Music room / Studio
Would you like to have a private room where you can practice playing your musical instrument? Soundproof the floors, set up a rug and your equipment, and you can have your band practice at home in the attic. This is a great solution if your garage is unavailable to turn into a music room. You can store your guitars on the attic wall and have them double as decoration when not in use. Don’t forget a couch to lounge in. Alternatively, you can turn it into a recording studio, complete with desks to put your equipment and computers in.
24. Dance studio
A professional dancer would benefit from a dance studio at home. It’s not hard to replicate – all you need is an ample space to move and experiment with dance moves in, mirrors on one wall, and barre. You would also want a good sound system, and a portable speaker would do. Decorate the opposite wall if you like so that it would look gorgeous in your dance videos.
25. Darkroom
If you have a passion for photography and are still fond of using film cameras, you can set up your attic as a darkroom for developing films. After all, attics are usually dark, and it’s a great way to use the space if there are no windows. A darkroom is a completely dark room and uses red light to allow the processing of light-sensitive materials. It’s not as commonly used today because of the popularity of digital photography, but for non-digital geeks, it’s room to be excited about.