How to Decorate an Attic Turned Into a Bedroom

Use the space under dormers and sloped ceilings in your attic bedroom.

Converting attic space into a bedroom can be a cost-effective way to add more living space to your home--without tearing down walls or building onto your home. Decorating an attic-turned-bedroom can have obstacles not typically encountered in decorating bedrooms on the main levels of the home. Such obstacles are a lack of natural light, sloped ceilings, dormers or odd-shaped spaces.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Paint/wallpaper
• Furniture
• Lighting
• Wall decor
• Window treatments
• Accessories

1. Use paint or wallpaper to create an open, airy feel to the room. Wallpaper in vertical stripes, for example, can make the walls and ceiling look taller. Also try wallpaper in colorful patterns.

   For paint, use light, warm colors, such as yellow, pink or beige, to create a more inviting space. Paint the ceilings, especially sloped ones, and dormers in a lighter shade than the walls to expand the space. Using a semi-gloss paint can also add to the illusion of more space.

2. Arrange your furniture to take advantage of the entire space, even odd-shaped nooks and crannies. Position the bed against a full wall if there's space. Or put it under a slope if there aren't any full walls or if you need more space for other furniture. Tuck low chests, shelves and benches under a sloped ceiling's smallest point to store clothes, books or other items. Add a comfortable chair to create a cozy reading nook.

3. Include extra lamps on your nightstand, shelves or chests. Add floor lamps to bring in more light. Good lighting will help the room feel more open and inviting, especially if natural light in your attic bedroom is limited.

4. Hang wall decor, such as mirrors, candle sconces, artwork or photographs on taller walls or on the walls forming the natural peak of the ceiling. Keep wall decor simple or leave the walls blank if you have a busy paint or wallpaper pattern.

5. Install roman shades or other simple window treatments for light control and privacy, if necessary. Avoid heavy drapes or curtains because they can block the limited natural light attics typically receive.

6. Accessorize your bedroom as you would any other. Place throw pillows on your bed and chair. Use candles and storage baskets or other containers. Include houseplants and floral arrangements--live or silk--that complement your decor to liven up the room.

Tips & Warnings

• Your furniture, accessories and color scheme should coordinate through style or theme. For example, antique furniture and floral prints could create a "grandma's attic" type of room. Dark wood-toned furniture with solid neutral colors and a hint of a single bright color could create a contemporary-style room.

• Avoid blocking any doors or windows that can serve as escape routes during an emergency, no matter how limited your space is.

References

• Home and Garden Television: Tips on Designing Great Ceilings
• Home and Garden Television: Attic Bedroom Makeover
• Country Living: Deocrating by Color--Yellow
• Home and Garden Television: Colorful and Organized Small Spaces
• Apartment Therapy: Sarah & Steve's Attic Aerie