Attic: photo ideas of original, beautiful and practical living rooms under the roof of the house
Content
The attic was once seen as a non-functional room between the ceiling and the roof of the house, as well as a place to store unnecessary things. Today, the attic through transformation allows you to increase living space. Thanks to interesting ideas and practical tips of this article, you can beautifully ennoble the attic of your home, creating a room on it for relaxation, entertainment, eating, etc. The attic may be the most original and comfortable room where it will be especially pleasant to be.
Attic arrangement: study, bedroom, game room, living room, lounge, etc.
The large gallery displays many of the attic rooms and interesting ideas, including an office, gym, children's room, bedroom, bathroom, games room or living room. In many cases, attics are bonus places in the house that provide usable space for design and repair.
An important question that you must decide: what will you do with the attic? In some cases, there may even be disagreement within the family regarding how to equip the attic. You may need a games room while your spouse wants to have a home office there. Regardless of what you decide to do, if you intend to invest money and time in the repair of the attic, you should consider adding skylights, that is, windows for high-quality lighting.
Attic living room or family room
The attic space will look perfect in a small, cozy living room. Skylights will flood the room with the rays of the sun. Yes, often these are rooms with limited space, but if skillfully designed, they will be quite functional and welcoming. Small seating areas offer places where people can relax a bit.
Attic bathroom
Bathrooms are very popular for attic. Often in old houses there is not enough space for two rooms of personal hygiene. But you can fix it by adding another room in the attic to take a shower. This is a great idea because in the bathrooms people don’t spend too much time, so any problems with a low ceiling will not be burdensome.
Attic Home Office
For many people, working from home is the norm, so an office will be very handy. The attic is ideal for home offices, because it is located away from the general space of the home, eliminating noise and din. The attic home office can be nicely decorated with a built-in desk and wardrobes, including a small entertainment area in the form of a sofa and a TV.
Attic Games Room
Some attics are spacious and suitable for ideal game rooms, such as a billiard room, home cinemas, entertainment areas, etc. The attic is a bonus place in the house for leisure rooms.
Fitness room
If fitness is your theme, attic space may be the perfect place to set up a gym. Often the attics are quite open, which provides a good area for placing mats, cardio devices and even weightlifting equipment. The room is able to provide you with a strong floor if you are going to set up a full gym with heavy cardio machines. There may even be a sauna.
Reading room under the roof of the house
If your house is in constant turmoil, then why not create a quiet exit to a small part of the attic, where you can read, browse the tablet, take a nap, etc. Some attics have corners and niches that are ideal for a single reading chair or a deck chair that can be an ideal refuge.
Teenager's bedroom with work area.
In the attic you can make a practical teenager’s bedroom, where you can relax a bit from your parents. In addition, attics often provide more space than a standard bedroom, which means that your teenager may have a working area in his room.
Attic children's room
If you show a little creativity, then in the attic you can design a charming children's room. You can create indoor areas, such as a TV viewing area, a game area, a place for creativity, relaxation, etc.
Attic bedroom
If you dream of a huge bed in the bedroom, then the space in the attic may be sufficient. It is also a separate room from the rest of the house, where you can comfortably retire. Even a room with a simple design can be very comfortable.
Advice! When choosing an attic bed, take a low model such as a platform. Many attics have sloping walls and a ceiling, so the area is quite limited.
Finish
Houses with an attic - this is the solution that is most often chosen to expand the usable area. It turns out additional territory without the need to attach rooms. However, when repairing the attic, you should choose the right finish.
Attic finishing materials
Drywall Great for attic finishes. GKB boards are recommended for dry rooms, and GKBI boards with increased water resistance are recommended for damp rooms. The thickness of the attic boards should not be less than 12.5 mm. The most commonly used boards are 120 cm wide and 200 to 300 cm long. Transporting them to the attic and cutting can be difficult. That's why some manufacturers offer small panels: widths from 60 to 90 cm and lengths 130 cm.
Gypsum board created from gypsum mass in combination with cellulose fibers. Unlike dead wood, they are a uniform material across the entire thickness. As a result, they are more rigid and resistant to damage in the form of dents. In addition, they are impregnated with a hydrophobic agent, due to which they have increased resistance to moisture, so they can also be used in kitchens and bathrooms. Gypsum boards are available in sizes of 150 x 100 cm or 200-300 x 120 cm. The most commonly used thicknesses are 10 and 12.5 mm.
Boards - You can use different types of wood for cladding panels. Bright varieties, such as spruce, fir, maple or ash, visually increase the interior, so you should use them on small surfaces when the rooms are poorly lit. Slightly darker and at the same time warmer: pine, larch, beech, oak, cherry, elm and light nut. The darkest view is dark walnut and exotic wood. They are often used to create contrast or optically reduce attic slopes with large areas and high ceilings. Sheathing elements have a width of 5-14 cm (the most common 6-8 cm) and 12-20 mm (the most popular 14-16 mm). When you want to use boards in the bathroom or in the kitchen, you must take care of proper ventilation in the attic, and the forest itself should be well protected from moisture.
Wooden panels made of MDF or LDFcovered with decorative foil, sometimes with veneer. Some manufacturers have from a dozen to several dozen designs of finishing films, which in appearance can imitate both wood, stone, and colorful mosaics.
Veneers from various types of wood. The veneer can be coated with transparent varnish, which emphasizes its natural appearance or painted while maintaining the texture of the tree.Wood panels are recommended for rooms where the humidity level does not exceed 70%. Therefore, they cannot be used in bathrooms, laundries or saunas. This is because the panels can get wet and rot. There are several different sizes. Most commonly used: 12.5; fifteen; 16; 18.9; 20; 25; 30 and 32.5 cm. The thickness is 7-10, sometimes 12 mm. The most common lengths are 260 cm, much less often 90 or 150 cm.
Pvc panels made of unplasticized PVC with improving additives that increase their mechanical strength. They are lightweight, which is the main advantage of the finishing material. PVC panels are resistant to water, do not deform under the influence of moisture and do not rot. It is also easy to keep them clean using cloth and water with the addition of a cleaning agent. They can be used both in dry and in wet rooms. Thanks to various sizes, colors and textures, this material allows you to finish the interior in many ways. The panels are painted in several colors (even in aluminum), and their surface can be glossy or matte. You can also choose a model with a print imitating wood or stone cladding.
Wood boards - OSB boards are actively used for finishing the attic. Their designs have sufficient resistance to moisture contained in the air, low absorbability and swelling. These are three-layer boards made of wood chips and resin, in which the strands of chips in the outer layers run parallel to the length of the board and in the inner perpendicular. They have a width of 122-250 cm and a length of 244-280 cm. Recommended thickness is 12, 15 and 18 mm.
Skylights
The space under the roof is considered as a residential part of the house where a person rests and recovers after a busy day. For well-being, it is important that the attic is well-lit.
In the attic, bedrooms, children's rooms and spacious bathrooms are usually arranged. The functionality of the attic depends not only on the shape of the roof and the way the interiors are arranged, but also on the appropriate lighting. High-quality artificial light can replace natural.
Attention! If you want to constantly use the interior under the roof, then you need to consider the following rule: the total glazing area of the windows on the roof should be about 10% of the floor area of the illuminated room. The optimal size of the glazing is determined by the assumption that one square meter of glazing will illuminate from 8 to 12 square meters. m attic. If it is smaller, the room will be too dark, if it will be much larger, then staying in the attic on sunny days without using curtains and blinds can become burdensome.
There are several possibilities for natural lighting of the interior under the roof. Roof windows are the most popular among them, guaranteeing a natural influx of light. You do not need to limit yourself to one type of roof window and install it in all rooms. It is better to choose several windows that differ from each other, specially adapted to the function of the interior.
What window sizes to choose?
Although there are many types of roof windows, the rules apply to their choice. Let's start with the size of the windows. Usually they are calculated by the architect and stored in the design of the house or mounted afterwards in a previously unused attic.
Advice! The window length must be adjusted to the angle of the roof. The smaller it is, the longer the window should be, and vice versa. In turn, the width of the window should be less than the distance between the rafters. Then there is no need to use additional elements to strengthen the roof structure.
Where to install the window?
For a suitable light intensity, the location of the windows is important. It is better to illuminate the space under the roof with several correctly located smaller windows in different places than one large.
Advice! The windows installed above the table, countertop and even shower, will be especially functional.
When planning the location of the roof windows, pay attention to access to them. Optimal placement should allow easy access under the windows and eye contact with the environment. For this reason, manufacturers recommend an installation height of 90 -140 cm from the floor.
Helpful information! From a maintenance point of view, tilt and swivel models are the most convenient. They are equipped with two separate opening functions: tilt (0-35 degrees) and rotation (up to 180 degrees). The first allows you to easily approach the edges of an open window, and the second - to simplify cleaning the external panel. If the window is placed high, it is worth choosing automatic control, which will greatly facilitate the use.
Windows for children
The windows in the bedroom should provide adequate ventilation. Therefore, it is worth choosing such models, whose design allows you to supply fresh air, even when the sash is closed, through fans and ventilation valves. In children's rooms, windows with an opening handle at the top of the wing are best suited. After closing, there is a guarantee that the child will not open the structure. In addition, they can be equipped with special protection in the form of a key lock.
Windows for the kitchen and bathroom
For the kitchen and the bathroom there are also special windows with an efficient fan through which fresh air will flow from outside. Due to limited access, the most functional models in these rooms will be rotating windows with an opening handle at the top of the wing.
Windows for the living room
To illuminate the spacious interior of the living room under the roof, one window is not always enough. That is why it is worth considering the glazing of most of the roof. For better lighting of the room, it is worth using windows with sizes larger than traditional ones. Such models are available in a standard width and height of up to 180 cm. These are pivoting windows with an axis located above half its height, thanks to which even a tall person can freely stand with the window open.
If the room is large, you can afford a little extravagance and combine the windows into one set, expanding the glazing horizontally or vertically. You just need to remember that at the window level they should have the same height, and in the upright position the same width.
A better way to light a room! Choose windows that should be embedded in the low walls of the attic. They are an additional element, "expanding" the roof window of any design. Such a set can be used on a slope of 15-55 °.
Attic balcony
If you want to create a balcony or terrace in the attic, then there are two options:
- The first one is a balcony window. The lower part of the window is integrated with the railing of the balcony, the upper part of the kit is the tilt and rotation window. By lowering the lower element to the vertical, within a few seconds you will create a small balcony, and the upper one can be tilted 45 degrees relative to the position of the roof. After closing the balcony creates a flat surface with a roof.
- The second option is a special set of roof windows connected to vertical elements. This will be access to the terrace, built into the structure of the roof or added to the walls of the house. This solution can also be easily used in homes without knee walls. The upper part of such a balcony is tilt and turn windows, the wing of which rises at an angle of 45 degrees. The lower part consists of vertical windows with the possibility of opening on the left or right side, serving as a door to the terrace.
Flat roof windows
Windows can not only illuminate the interior under a steep roof, but also under a flat one with an inclination of 0-15 degrees. The most versatile way is windows that are specifically designed for flat roofs. They do not threaten the safety of residents. The outer panel in the set of shafts is made of tempered glass, resistant to adverse weather conditions, such as high temperatures, and mechanical damage, such as hail.The design of the flat roof windows also prevents stagnation of snow and rainwater on the glass surface.
Attic staircase
Since the attic in most cases is the attic area, which was not provided for as a residential building, the entrance of the mounted staircase is necessary to get under the roof. There are special staircases designed for the attic, which, when deployed, do not require a large space, and after folding they are completely hidden in a box located in the hole in the ceiling. Therefore, they are invisible with daily use. The attic staircase can be installed in a room with a maximum height of 330 cm and hole sizes in the ceiling from 50 x 80 cm to 70 x 140 cm. On special request, some manufacturers adapt the stairs to unusual sizes. In the smallest places for a U-turn, a retractable ladder is needed. Its steps usually have non-slip grooves and rounded corners.
There are two main types of stairs on the market: segmented wooden or metal, which consist of two or three wooden or metal segments, which are folded or extended to form a single whole. The steps of wooden stairs are made of pine and spruce, steel and metal. Their number depends on the height of the room - usually 11, 12, 13 or 14. The permissible load of wooden steps is 150-160 kg, metal - 200 kg. There are also remote-controlled models on the market equipped with a 24 V electric drive, a controller with a switch, an automatic limit switch, a safety switch, and the possibility of manual control in the event of a power failure. In addition, these staircases can be equipped with a smoke detector and siren for optical and acoustic warning signals in case of fire.
If space permits, one of the walls can be used to build an elegant stationary staircase made of wood, which will lead to the attic and decorate the interior of the room, providing stable support. This design is very important in the case of a nursery in the attic, providing maximum safety during descent and ascent.
Lighting
An attic is a space that creates unusual layouts. Limited spaces and sloping ceilings are a big problem both in terms of choosing the right furniture, as well as color and lighting. As in other rooms of the house, attic lighting is based on two sources - this is natural and artificial light.
Correctly lit rooms seem large, they are also much more pleasant and positive. A house with a practical attic should have enough windows on the top floor. You cannot overestimate the importance of artificial lighting, which should be properly designed, preferably with the help of a specialist.
Natural Attic Lighting - Skylights
Windows are the main element of attic lighting. There are several types of windows that differ in design and functionality:
- The front window is in the upper wall of the building. Its disadvantage is that it does not provide illumination of the space located in the depths of the attic.
- Vertical skylight. This is a very decorative element of the building, but it does not illuminate the interior.
- Roof hatch - especially recommended for small rooms where you do not need to open windows.
- The roof window is a simple window embedded in the plane of the derdak. Most often, it opens by rotation around a horizontal axis passing through the center of the structure. The roof window provides the most even lighting in the room.
- Roof windows are more than just natural attic lighting. They also give the impression of a larger space, usually limited by bevels and large ceilings.
Artificial attic lighting
Not every attic allows you to hang traditional pendant lights.If the ceiling is high under a sloping roof, you can afford a lamp with a long cable or with an elongated decorative motif.
However, in the attic, compact lamps work best, which do not require large space, for example, shades and halogen spotlights. They can be placed both on uneven ceilings and on walls. The advantage of spotlights is that you can easily change the direction of the light. It is also very simple to attach them to various structural elements of the roof.
Attic lighting: things to remember
Arranging attic lighting is often a real problem. Planned electrical installations should be evaluated in detail, also for safety reasons. Unlike a conventional ceiling, the roof of the attic has insulation elements. Care must be taken to protect wires that are in contact with the insulation so that there is no short circuit. It is best to pack them in plastic shells and install at least a meter from the floor. Due to overheating of lamps and frames, it is also not recommended to install halogens in drywall panels.
Advice! Halogen lighting or sconces mounted on special decorative rails are ideal for attic lighting. There is no direct contact between the bulb and the wall.
Game of Lights - LED lamps in the attic
There should not be dark corners in the attic. To illuminate selected parts of the rooms, an appropriate installation of LED lamps is provided, which emphasize the advantages of tilting and irregular space. Undeveloped, gloomy recesses can also be lit by a well-chosen floor lamp. As a modern attic lighting, a two-point lamp is ideal. One of its rays illuminates the reading area, and the other emits more diffused light on the sloping ceiling.
Color selection
Attic is a unique place of the house, characteristic, with inclined walls and intimate space. The color of this interior is a very important element, because it determines the atmosphere in the room and the feeling of space, which is extremely limited in the attic. What colors to choose and what to avoid, equipping the attic space? Which walls can be richly painted and which should be light or white?
Low attics and those with a small space require special care for space and good lighting. This is the light that makes you feel free in the interior, optically enlarging the room. That is why it is better to choose very light shades in an attic with a large number of inclined walls, preferably those that create a slightly shiny, satin finish that enhances the effect of space.
Advice! If you want to have rich, expressive colors in a small attic, it is better to paint one wall or part of it. This, however, should be a vertical surface. The inclined walls in the dark version will make the room seem depressing. So it is better to leave them in bright colors.
Lighting is an important factor in rooms in the attic. Due to the nature of the interior, it is best to use many points of a different nature. In such an attic, the diffused light, even in the evening, will highlight the colors of the walls, emphasizing their positive properties and desirable features. Too weak a light will make delicate colors appear gray, and one central chandelier will not illuminate everything, making the room smaller. An additional functional advantage of many lighting points in the attic is the possibility of various interior design depending on changing needs.
A good idea! Decorate the walls and ceiling in the attic in monochrome. The color should be light enough, representing a background for very light furniture and accessories. This solution is especially useful in situations where internal architecture is extremely complex. The uniform color of the surfaces organizes the interior and makes it more transparent and consistent.
If you want to apply two or more colors, it is better to combine them so that the darkest colors are on vertical walls, even if their height is small, and light and white on others. This solution is almost always the most profitable.
Advice! Choosing the colors of the walls in the attic, it is worth remembering that, in addition to the decorative function, they play a special role, allowing you to save as much light as possible inside and optically increase the space.
Beautiful interiors
Take inspiration for change by decorating the attic of your home. Choose the interior design in the attic in the photo gallery, which will be a clue to how beautifully and functionally you can arrange a room under the roof.
You will find many ideas for attic design for the living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, study, gym, etc. When decorating the attic, remember that daylight and proper arrangement of interior items will allow you to arrange a comfortable living area under slopes.
A well-equipped attic often resembles rooms from the lower floors. Such an effect in the interior design of the attic can be achieved by finishing the roof ceiling, for example, from plasterboard panels. This finish is a good solution in high attics, as it visually reduces the interior of the attic.
Using the elaborate composition of the boards, you can also simulate the structure of the roof in the attic, which was hidden in the thermal insulation. The open roof construction with beams is suitable not only for attic interiors with an idyllic or rustic decor, but also for modern stylizations of attic industrial attics. In the attic of a rustic style, the visible wooden structure should have a natural or darkened color, in the Scandinavian - it is best to paint the surfaces in pastel color.
Attic rooms in various styles for each room can be viewed in the photo gallery.
