Cozy Attic Bedroom Remodel

We turned an unusable mess into a cozy attic bedroom. Lots of style into this small space! See the tour!

Do you have a super-scary-possibly-haunted corner of your home that’s full of dusty cobwebs and not much else?

You do?! Oh, good! I’m not alone!

I’m just kidding about the haunted part (maybe) but I’m definitely not kidding about the dusty mess.

For those of you who want to see the video tour or this space, click on the YouTube button below!

Before the Remodel

Allow me to introduce you to the attic at the Lavender Blue Cottage pre-remodel.

Kind of scary, isn’t it?! And useless. Not at all like the comfy, cozy bedroom space that it is now. It’s been totally transformed it into a cute bedroom loft for my oldest daughter.

The journey from there to here was a wild one, but I’m so glad that we took it! Settle in and I’ll tell you all about it.

Adding Space to Our Attic Bedroom

This attic was an interesting space. It’s hard to tell from the photos, but there was one small, finished area in the attic. The rest of it was walled off and accessible only by a small door. And just to make it weirder, the walled-off portion had been further divided with a wall running down the middle, cutting the room in half.

I still don’t get it, but that’s ok. It just meant that our first step in this cozy attic remodel would be to take down the walls and expand this space to its full potential, which you can see in the photo below.

It’s still a small room, but soooo much bigger than the little landing that had been here before. (And yes, we checked with pros before tearing down the wall.)

Attic Spray Foam Insulation

Since we planned to use this attic for a bedroom, we knew it needed better insulation to avoid drastic temperature swings. We also knew that we weren’t insulation experts, so we had several professionals assess the situation and they recommended spray foam insulation.

No pic of the insulation, but you can see it on my attic remodel video!

New Windows and Flooring

Since this attic had no real flooring, we ended up installing vinyl plank flooring from Home Depot.

We also replaced the windows on either end of the room. Nothing too exciting, but it made a huge difference in regulating the attic’s temperature.

After the Remodel

With that prep work out of the way, it was time for the fun stuff to begin.

Let’s take a look around as if you were visiting my house.

Attic Ladder

The first thing you’ll find as you approach this cozy attic bedroom is this fold-away attic ladder that collapses into the wall to open up the hallway. This ladder came with the home and rumor has it that it was taken from an older historic home in the area.

I don’t know enough about it to confirm details, but it’s a unique piece (at least in my experience). I imagine it’ll be one of the odd details that kids and grandkids remember about this house many years from now.

After you ascend the attic ladder, you’ll see the stair railing we installed for safety.

Those cute brown railing pieces were found in our garage attic, and we knew we had to use them. The larger corner pieces are something we chose to anchor the corners.

Ceiling/Wall Treatments

When it came time to work on the walls, we chose tongue and groove boards for the steeply sloped ceilings/walls. The detail is cute, and having a sturdy wall treatment means we’re less likely to put a hole in the drywall when bumping into it. (This room is tiny!)

Attic Bedroom Lighting

Lighting posed its own challenges.

We installed a cute blue wall sconce on each end of the room but still needed more light. Unfortunately, with space being so limited (I can stand up in the peak of this room without hitting my head, but that’s all the room there is) we knew traditional light fixtures wouldn’t work.

The solution? A rope light, run down the peak of the ceiling from one end of the room to the other. This light rope is hard wired in so that we can turn in on and off with a light switch.

Attic Bedroom Storage Solutions

This attic bedroom is pretty unique, and so are the storage solutions we came up with to accommodate the space.

Building in a framed closet would take too much space and make everything feel smaller. Free standing furniture was bulky and stuck too far out into the room.

Instead, we went for an “open shelving” style wardrobe, with clothing rods mounted right onto the sloped ceiling.

I really like it, and it saves a ton of space! It gives a very loft-type vibe.

On the other end of the room, we added some built-in cubbies with a stained wood top and space underneath for baskets. One side holds cute fabric baskets that we covered with strips of cherry wood. On the other are some beautiful wicker baskets.

These baskets are perfect for items we’d normally toss in a dresser drawer, like socks and pants.

Art and Decor

My daughter loved the idea of a gallery wall, so the wall behind her desk became just that. It is made up of mostly sentimental pieces that have special meaning to my girl.

Over near the stairs is another piece of art that has special meaning for both of us.

It depicts the Savior tenderly holding a girl’s hand. A reminder of my sweet little girl who used to love hand holding and a reassurance that He watches over her as she prepares to fly the nest. (Don’t make me cry!)

Desk and Jute Rug

Even though this room was small, we wanted a desk for my daughter to use for study. A small table that we already owned turned out to be a great solution for the dimensions of this space.

It is, of course, adorned with plants. My girl loves her greenery!

Beneath the desk is a round jute rug that looks like it was made for this room.

Cozy Bed and Rug

Pivoting back to the other side of the room we see the bed. The twin bed frame and headboard were an antique find from Facebook Marketplace. Luckily for us, the bed frame was on the short side, which ended up being just perfect for the sloped ceilings in this cozy room.

The linens were kept pretty simple – gingham sheets, a white blanket, duvet with a brown duvet cover and a rag quilt that my daughter made from my sewing scraps.

A patterned rug gives some softness under foot, and a vintage foot stool adds a decorative flair.

That’s my kind of comfy right there!

Attic Bedroom Paint Colors

Now, let’s talk paint colors! We used:

White Dove by Benjamin Moore for the ceiling and trim.

Night Rendezvous by PPG for the end walls.

My daughter chose the blue, and I have to admit, I do like the contrast!

Shop this Attic Bedroom

If you want to learn more about any of the items used in this cozy attic bedroom, checkout my TIDBITS & Company Attic Bedroom Decor Moonsift page for links and full product details.

More Room Inspiration

We’ve come to the end of the tour, my friend. Thanks for joining me! It has been so satisfying to check this remodel off my list of projects. Now it’s onto the next!

I’d love to know, do you have a space like this in your home? How do you use it – guest room, playroom, storage? Let me know in the comments!

Seeing other spaces like this is one of my favorite things to do. If you feel the same way, I think you’ll love some of these room reveals:

• Cottage Kitchen Design Reveal
• Homeschool and Study Room Decor Ideas
• Our Cozy Cottage Living Room
• Country Cottage Bedroom Ideas
• Boys Bedroom Ideas that Grow with Them
• English Cottage Pantry Makeover
• Our Butler’s Pantry Reveal with English Country Charm
• Country Cottage Yellow Bedroom Ideas