An attic renovation

I stopped by a client’s house today to drop off some accessories and took this quick iphone photo. This guest bedroom and sitting room are in the attic space above a garage. I designed the space this summer and for the renovation we added hardwood floors, wainscoting, new paint, and new rugs/furniture.

I love how it turned out and wanted to point out a few things in case anyone might be doing some painting, room arranging, or design day-dreaming over the holiday weekend.

Rooms with angled ceilings can have a lot of character, IF you paint them the right way. I love all the angles in this space. It’s not your typical “rectangular box” room. In a space like this, most people paint the little strip of flat ceiling white. Don’t do this! It just creates a long white stripe down the center of the room. By having the wall color wrap all the way around, the ceiling seems higher, the angles look softer, and instead of a tiny white ceiling jumping out at you, the furnishings are the stars of the space.

In some rooms the best place for the bed is in front of the window. This concept can scare people, as if doing this breaks some kind of interior design law. I promise you there is no law against having the bed in front of a window. The gables and window in this bedroom draw your eye to the bed and make it the focal point of the room. I chose an upholstered headboard that is a few shades lighter than the wall color, and it is low enough to only cover a few inches of the window.

I hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend!