Loft Conversion Design Ideas

Reclaim the attic as an office or bedroom.guest room image by Kelly Kane from Fotolia.com

"Loft conversion" is a British term that simply means turning the attic into usable living space. It's a concept that translates well into increased function and value for your property. A conversion goes far beyond painting the ceiling white and dragging a bed or a desk upstairs. You'll need electricity, phone, cable and Internet service and plumbing for a bath up there, so plan a space that will justify the work and the expense.

Stairs and Skylights

Even if your attic has a dormer window, consider adding skylights to make the space more livable. The more light you can get into an oddly shaped or small attic space, the larger it will seem. You could put multiple, side-by-side skylights on one or both sides of a gabled roof and bring the sky right into the room. Expand an existing dormer window by doubling it with a second, identical window positioned right above the first, almost as if it is double hung. Be sure to include windows that open--ideally on two sides of the space--for cross-ventilation. And, to give your loft conversion the gravitas and convenience of a "real" room in the house, build an actual staircase, not a ladder, from the top floor to the attic room.

If your attic is cramped and low ceilinged and will not allow conversion to a real room, take out the ceiling of an upper floor room or the entire upper floor ceiling. You instantly gain space for a mezzanine where you once had limited storage. Tearing out the ceiling gives you a number of options, as long as your building can adapt to its removal. You can create a cathedral ceiling in part of the room and a mezzanine loft as a sleeping space or an office. You can install slanted windows in a gabled roof and a skylight in the mezzanine. If the architecture supports it, add a roof deck along one side of the new room with light-enhancing sliding glass or wide French doors. An ordinary bedroom with a trap door to the attic becomes a spacious, two-story addition for work, family activities or guests. Use a customized ladder to access the mezzanine or build a staircase along one wall, with shelving and storage beneath it.

When restoring a barn to use as a vacation or primary home, keep the original architectural features of the barn's hayloft and use state-of-the-art elements for a harmonious interior. Barn cross beams and roof beams are beautiful, so let them remain visible. Plan for at least some of the old wall to show through in a stone barn. Use reclaimed barn wood for some furnishings in a wood barn. You can normally get some real height when converting a barn loft, so take advantage of the sense of space with added skylights, hanging pendant lamps, ceiling fans and additional tall side windows. Build closed storage or bookshelves ceiling-high and use library ladders to access them. Consider a floating wood staircase from the lower floor. Keep furnishing simple so the architectural geometry of the beams becomes a central feature of the design.