10 Bright and Airy Modern Attic Renovations
Have a look at these 10 unique attic renovations for some inspired ideas on how to remodel your attic into a bright and usable space which can revitalize your entire home.
When this Danish family gutted and rebuilt the interiors of their Copenhagen home they preserved the exterior shell and completely renovated the attic space—turning it into a bright and airy kitchen and dining area which span the length of their home.
A cramped attic was transformed into a sunny dining room with Vitral windows and white-tinted pine floors by Dinesen. The Sara table is by Hay, the Shell chairs are by Charles and Ray Eames, and the artwork is a hand-printed textile which has been framed.
The architecture firm L. McComber ltée was able to create a bright and inviting master suite and artist’s studio in the renovation of this Montreal attic. During the demolition process, the architects found that a flat roof had been erected over a sloping roof, and that tearing out the lower ceiling gave them an additional five feet of headroom—opening up and brightening the space.
The architecture firm L. McComber Itée demolished a sloping ceiling in this Montreal attic to create a bright, roomy live-work space.
This 2,600 sq. ft. Historic home in Oak Park, IL, was originally built in 1883 and was missing a casual family hangout space. They decided on a modern-day family room, with multiple uses: space for a home office, a hangout zone for the family, and space for entertaining--transforming their attic from a dark, dusty collection of boxes into a functional space the whole family can enjoy.
The salvaged floors are a blend of reclaimed antique hardwoods.
By lowering the second story ceiling and making room for a livable attic, the size of this three-story remodel in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago increased from 800 to 1,400 square feet. The home's converted attic level now not only fits two bedrooms but also features a suspended catwalk that bridges the two.
A catwalk runs between the guest and master bedrooms in this attic renovation. The white oak floors help the new attic level blend with the rest of the house.
Custom Woodwork and Natural Light
Custom woodwork and natural light invigorated a formerly cramped space on the top floor-unit of this old Bucharest apartment building. By opening up the floor plan, the architect was able to bring a sense of spaciousness to the 645-square-foot dwelling.
The ladder from the kitchen leads to this "sleeping box," a tucked-away room perfect for guests. The addition of a skylight brightens the space.
The innovative renovation of this 1940s Vancouver bungalow literally raised the roof—by raising the entire structure the basement was transformed into the main level, the former main floor into a bedroom level and a triangular third floor was added to serve as an office and as a playroom for the couple’s two children.
"The city insisted on no flat roofs, so we couldn’t do a major correction to make a contemporary house, but they didn’t anticipate how we would interpret minimum roof slopes. It’s like a Toblerone box." said the architect, D’Arcy Jones, about the structure.
An Attic Suite
The Dylan Hotel in central Amsterdam, along the Keizersgracht canal opened as a hotel in 1999 and was recently renovated by the design firm FG stijl. In the redesign of ten rooms in an adjacent historic building, FG stijl left historic architectural remnants dating back to the 17th century throughout the property, like these giant wooden beams in this bright and lofty attic suite.
Giant wooden roof beams in the attic suite add to the peaceful and minimalist space.
This modern renovation of a Victorian house in Oakland yielded an additional 500-square-foot upstairs living space from a converted attic. Although the family had originally wanted to turn the attic into a master bedroom—they ultimately decided that it didn’t make sense for them to sleep on a different floor from their small children, and turned the attic into a family room instead.
An upstairs family room converted from an attic was the major perk of this home renovation.
When Sara and Jeremy Imhoff, both architects, decided to give their 1918 bungalow in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood a modern update they decided to dispense with the old attic altogether—vaulting the living room ceiling and carving out skylights to draw natural light into the space.
The Imhoffs vaulted the ceiling in their living room, dispensing with the old attic and carving out skylights to draw natural light into the space.
A Contemporary Light-filled Suite
Architect Gavin Smith transformed the top floor of his century-old Craftsman-style house in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood from a cramped space into a into a contemporary light-filled suite that includes a master bedroom and bathroom and a versatile space where his family could work and play.
Bamboo flooring and custom built-ins—fashioned from medium-density fiberboard with a white-lacquer finish—brightened the 650-square-foot attic. The custom-designed blackened-steel balustrade has cable inserts and a walnut handrail.
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