One of the projects that’s been happening at the Tall House this month is in the attic. Gijsbert has been building an upper wall to add privacy to the guest bedroom, and he added a floor to the loft area (above the staircase) that finishes it off, and hides the wires and construction mess.
If you’d like to see the progress, here’s a 3-part report I shared on Instagram Stories over the last couple of weeks (they are saved in the Attic Highlights):
The idea is to create an upper wall so that the room has privacy, but include a window so that light from the skylight still reaches the guest room.
The plan is that the vertical wood panels that create the upper wall, will be painted the same color (Schoolhouse White by Farrow & Ball) as the lower wall. We are not currently planning to paint the wood paneled ceiling.
I really like how Gijsbert handled this corner area. I’m so pleased we can can still see the old beams.
This part of the project felt the most transformative to me. Adding a floor to this area made a space that was messy and discouraging, into a loft that feels cozy and inviting — even in it’s still-rough state.
Before this spot can actually function as a loft, we’ll need to make it safe — adding plexiglass or netting to cover the hole and protect from falls; putting a safety rail at the front edge; putting in real flooring (or painting this flooring so it doesn’t give slivers); adding a ladder for access. But we don’t consider finishing the loft an urgent project. If we tackle it in a year that would be fine with me.
I’m sure part of the lack of urgency relates to our house in Oakland, which had three separate lofts. It means the idea of a loft maybe doesn’t feel quite as extraordinary to us as it would otherwise. : )
Do you have any kid-sized lofts of hideaways at your house? Maybe under a staircase, or in an attic? Or did you grow up with one? How would you use a little loft like this one? And if you could only access it by ladder, would you ever go up, or just leave it for the kids?
P.S. — More Tall House updates.
I love following along with your progress, especially the tile and garden news. When I was single I lived in an in-law cottage (near Lake Merritt in Oakland) that had a loft. It was accessed with a rickety metal ladder stored in the basement of the main house. Initially, I used that space for storage. My landlords eventually offered to install a cool library ladder, which motivated me to turn the loft into my sleeping area. Because the cottage was a studio and I worked from home, it felt so good to have a separate “bedroom”.