Not every home has a basement or a large enough living room to accommodate many people. But if you have an unused attic, you can easily convert it into an ample, comfortable living space and turn it into a drab space into a cozy one. With a few affordable DIY projects, most of which can be completed on the weekend, you can create an additional room to host sleepovers, movie nights, and birthday parties. Remember that your attic needs at least 70 sq. ft. of floor space, with at least 7 feet in either direction. You’ll also need a ceiling that’s at least 7.5 feet. Besides, no one wants to have to duck every time they’re entering your living space!
Go Bright and Bold and Paint the Walls and Ceiling
First, you can’t have a comfortable, cozy living space without painting the walls and ceiling! Use neutral colors and as much natural light as the space allows to make the space feel airy and open. You can also install mirrors to make the space seem larger than it is. Using lighter tones will give your attic a brighter look and give you more leeway when picking furniture and carpeting to match.
Keep it Warm or Cool and Install Proper Insulation
One of your priorities in ensuring your attic space turns into a cozy one is to ensure it is well-insulated. This will keep your attic warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It is an easy DIY project: Layer fiberglass batts perpendicular to the wood framing.
Go Bright With Windows or Skylights
Everyone loves a bit of natural light! Windows and skylights also provide natural ventilation. On cool summer evenings, you can open the windows to let a nice breeze waft through your home. If you have slanted ceilings, this is an inexpensive way to have ventilation compared to dormers, though they add a rustic aesthetic.
Add Fans to Ensure Adequate Ventilation
If you can only add one or two windows, you must consider another alternative to adding ventilation to your attic space. You can easily add vents and fans to maintain natural airflow. This is important to prevent moisture buildup and keep your attic space drafty, especially during warm summer.
Get Supportive and Reinforce the Flooring
You need to strengthen and level the attic floor to support the influx of furniture and people. You can add smooth hardwood flooring or soft carpeting, depending on the atmosphere you’re going for. Ensure the initial layer has wood and supportive bridging between each piece of wood to prevent sagging from weight.
Install Recessed Lighting
There’s no better way to capture the mood than with recessed lighting fixtures. You can easily add dimmable recessed lights for a cozy touch that is perfect for movie nights or late-night romantic evenings. Unless you have experience installing lights, it’s a good idea to hire an electrician to install your lighting so there are no mistakes.
Choose Furniture to Maximize Space
Your attic is likely small and has limited space, so you must be clever with storage. You can opt for compact furniture like folding out sofa beds to maximize the space. Storage ottomans are also multifunctional. The sofa bed can double as a movie seat or guest bed, and you can store items inside the ottoman, which will also work as a table or place to set a cup of coffee.
Get Creative With Custom Shelving
If you have sloped walls, this is the perfect start to create built-in shelves or cabinets for storage. You’ll build the cabinet the same way as a regular one, but the top of the shelf is slanted. This will help optimize storage space and give your attic a homier atmosphere. You can also build a floating shelf on the walls and store plants and other small trinkets.
Incorporate a Mini Kitchenette
Adding a small countertop, cabinets, sink, and mini fridge will turn your attic from a small hangout area to an additional room. This is also a great option if you want to use your attic as a guest suite. During movie nights, you won’t have to go downstairs to make that much-needed bag of popcorn or glass of steaming hot tea. You can involve your family by painting the cabinets and adding small trinkets as decorations.
Create a Relaxing Reading Nook
Reading nooks will maximize that cozy atmosphere in your attic. You can add plush pillows, overstuffed bean bags, a comfortable chair, and a bookcase in the corner of your attic. If you’re a hardcore bookworm, add a bookshelf that reaches toward the ceiling. Fill it with dozens of books you’ve collected over the years! Ensure there’s ample light so you’re not squinting whenever you pick up a book.
Install a Daybed
If your attic has a window, you can install a daybed underneath. This is an inviting space with tons of natural light. It’ll double as a sofa and a bed, which is ideal if you use the space as a guest suite. The more multifunctional your space is, the more you can use it. Turn your attic into a lounge space, guest suite, reading room, and dining area!
Include a Small Office Space
You can also turn a section of your attic into a small, functional office space. You can add a compact desk, chair, and table lamp here. Also, add a shelf above the desk to add other items like chargers, an additional lamp, notebooks, and pens. Add some plants for greenery to your space. Hang pictures on the wall in front of your desk. This works well if there’s natural light in your office.
Use Plush Rugs and Carpets
Soft rugs and carpets can add warmth and comfort to your apartment, which is an excellent way to add personality. Use bright, patterned rugs and carpets if you want a bohemian theme. Add light-toned rugs and carpets if you’re going for a more minimalistic design.
Get Lush and Add Greenery
To liven up the space and add a natural, organic ambiance, use a variety of small indoor plants and flowers. You can even save the flowers once they die and dry them out. Dried flowers look fantastic as decorations in glass mason jars or on walls. You’ll want to select plants and flowers depending on how much natural light your attic gets. Some plants do better with less light, like pothos and spider plants.
Hang Curtains for Privacy
If you want to divide your attic into different sections without building a wall or doors, you can use curtains to section off those areas for privacy. Hang them from the ceiling, or use dividers to hang curtains. This works well if you’re using your attic as a guest room and want to section off the kitchenette, office area, and movie area.
Decorate with String Lights
For a whimsical, fairytale touch, hang string or fairy lights across your space. This also creates a cozy ambiance without having to add tons of lights. You’ll want to consider the varying tones, bulb shapes, and sizes for the ambiance you’re trying to create. For the most warmth, go for string lights that are small and dim. You can keep these on during movies.
Use Mirrors to Enhance Space
To reflect light and make the room feel much larger than it is, hang mirrors around your attic. You don’t need a ton of mirrors to get the job done; a few mirrors will do the trick. If you hang mirrors across from windows that let in natural light, the mirror will reflect that and make the room feel brighter and more open.
Incorporate an Entertainment Area
After all, you’re decking out your attic space to add an entertainment area! Turn it into a complete entertainment space by adding a flat-screen television, Xbox, and stellar sound system around comfortable chairs and beanbags. This involves a little overhead planning, as you’ll need to ensure a proper electrical hookup. This is where your decorations will create a beautiful entertainment space.
Add Artistic Touches
Hide quirky art and photos on the walls to personalize the space and give it a personality. Tiny trinkets and small handcrafted items will also go well here. The bolder and brighter, the more beautiful! There are no limits here regarding creativity, so go as bold as you want!
Make Use of Dormer Spaces
There’s a chance there’s a dormer space in your attic. If you’ve seen this and believe all hope is lost, think again! You can transform your dormer area into a storage space or mini workstation. You can add small bookshelves, a table that extends out of the dormer, or turn it into a tiny pet bedroom for your cat or dog.
Add a Fireplace or Heater
Use an electric fireplace or portable heater to give your attic a warm, inviting ambiance. As long as you’re safe and following the proper protocols, this can be a great addition during winter, when your attic might naturally feel slightly cooler. Make sure you consult a certified electrician if you want to add heat or build a space for a fireplace.
Layer with Textiles
Your attic space has no creative limits, so if you want to layer your attic with textiles, try adding cushions, blankets, and throw pillows. You can mix and match colors, shapes, and sizes. You can also add a Morrocan-styled patterned backsplash to one area of your attic for an additional splash of color. Textiles create texture and dimension to your otherwise small space.
Create a Kids’ Playroom
If you’re using your attic as a playroom for your kids, utilize bean bags, soft flooring, cushions, and ample toys to turn it into a kid-friendly space. You can also create an additional arts and crafts area with canvas, paints, crayons, markers, and paper. If you plan to paint your attic walls later, let your kids draw on the walls!
Set Up a Home Gym
Because there are endless ways to use your attic space, you can take it further and turn it into a home gym! Use your attic for lightweight fitness equipment like free weights, yoga mats, and a stationary bicycle. This is an excellent way to use your space upstairs without sacrificing any space in your home.
Incorporate Smart Home Features
Install smart thermostats, bright lighting, and a modern entertainment system in your attic for convenience. If you’re going to revamp the space, you might as well utilize all the modern-day technology you can! You can also build an intelligent network that checks temperature and humidity. It will work to keep your attic at a stable temperature. That’s one less thing you have to worry about!
Use Vintage Memorabilia and Furniture to Your Advantage
There’s no better way to use that old typewriter, cabinets, treasure chest, 1950s memorabilia, or cassette player than to decorate your attic! This is where vintage is your best friend. You can display old records on the walls instead of modern photos or a typewriter instead of a modern computer. If you have a record player, the attic space is a great place to break it out and finally put on those classic hits!
Build a Staircase
Access to your attic might come from a pull-down attic ladder. You can keep it like this and keep your cozy living space a secret, or you can convert that ladder into a permanent staircase. This is where you’ll need to hire construction workers. If there’s enough space in your home, you can build a staircase leading to the attic in any area. This will provide much easier access than climbing up and down a ladder, especially if you have kids or live with older people.
Go Bold With a Chandelier
A large chandelier will add ample light and personality to your space and be dramatic and luxurious. Depending on the type of chandelier you choose, it can create a quirky, lush, or sophisticated space. Ensure the structural capability of your attic’s ceiling can handle a large chandelier and that there is enough overhead space to hang it.