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Great Ideas for Loft Conversions from Designers on Houzz
Not sure how best to open up your loft? Be inspired by these expert ideas for making the most of your space
Deciding to convert your loft is one thing, but figuring out how best to make use of the new space, what finishes to choose or how to let in good light can be trickier. This is where a great designer or architect will make your project sing. Take a look at some of the clever solutions and ideas professionals on Houzz have come up with for lofts, as seen in previous Houzz Tour stories.
The folding glass screen is another neat and practical solution, allowing daylight to flow through from the window into the rest of the room while taking up as little space as possible.
The glass bricks, meanwhile, ensure plenty of light opens up the room while still creating privacy.
Read how this small, cold bathroom was cleverly redesigned.
The glass bricks, meanwhile, ensure plenty of light opens up the room while still creating privacy.
Read how this small, cold bathroom was cleverly redesigned.
Conjure character
When a new room or rooms are created in the roof space of a building, everything will typically be new – new staircase, new floor, new doors.
So to keep this conversion feeling connected to the rest of the 17th century, listed home it belongs to, contractor Jeremy Westcott of Westcott Construction repurposed some of the original doors from elsewhere in the house, as these had had to be replaced with fire doors.
“[The owners] wanted to include some of the old wooden doors in the new loft space, so we repurposed them as cupboard doors and used one on the entrance to the bathroom,” Jeremy says.
Take a tour of this fresh, bright loft conversion in Old Portsmouth.
When a new room or rooms are created in the roof space of a building, everything will typically be new – new staircase, new floor, new doors.
So to keep this conversion feeling connected to the rest of the 17th century, listed home it belongs to, contractor Jeremy Westcott of Westcott Construction repurposed some of the original doors from elsewhere in the house, as these had had to be replaced with fire doors.
“[The owners] wanted to include some of the old wooden doors in the new loft space, so we repurposed them as cupboard doors and used one on the entrance to the bathroom,” Jeremy says.
Take a tour of this fresh, bright loft conversion in Old Portsmouth.
Add interest (and eco credentials) to your floor
Plywood can be a good choice if you’re looking for a sustainable material (in which case, be sure to source FSC native wood, bonded with eco-friendly glue).
Interior designer Karen Knox opted to use it for flooring in the conversion of her own loft.
Find loft conversion specialists in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
Plywood can be a good choice if you’re looking for a sustainable material (in which case, be sure to source FSC native wood, bonded with eco-friendly glue).
Interior designer Karen Knox opted to use it for flooring in the conversion of her own loft.
Find loft conversion specialists in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
This is a different view of the same room. “I’ve always loved plywood,” Karen says. “I really didn’t want carpet in the loft and I felt proper floorboards would look too posh, so I thought I’d see if plywood would go down as boards.” Karen used 6mm poplar plywood, which was laid by Bare Joinery.”
See more of this unconventional loft space that oozes Scandi style.
See more of this unconventional loft space that oozes Scandi style.
Get clever with a partition
Tristan Ponsot of Atelier Sagitta overcame the familiar problem of a steeply sloping roof in this clever conversion. Originally, this shower room in the eaves was part of a bigger room with two small dormer windows on the sloping wall. They made the room look cramped and the space was hard to use.
Tristan’s ingenious idea was to divide the room in two. He created a bedroom and bathroom, giving each its own window, which reduced the impact of the slope.
In this bathroom, he further concealed the slope by building storage under the short end of the eaves and a shower at the tall end, making this dormer window the focal point, rather than the room around it.
Now, Tristan says, “You have the feeling of a rectangular space and easily forget the room is an attic.”
Tristan Ponsot of Atelier Sagitta overcame the familiar problem of a steeply sloping roof in this clever conversion. Originally, this shower room in the eaves was part of a bigger room with two small dormer windows on the sloping wall. They made the room look cramped and the space was hard to use.
Tristan’s ingenious idea was to divide the room in two. He created a bedroom and bathroom, giving each its own window, which reduced the impact of the slope.
In this bathroom, he further concealed the slope by building storage under the short end of the eaves and a shower at the tall end, making this dormer window the focal point, rather than the room around it.
Now, Tristan says, “You have the feeling of a rectangular space and easily forget the room is an attic.”
You can see how the idea works more clearly in this ‘in progress’ shot of the room’s construction, where the slope is still a dominant feature.
Read about how this attic was converted into a light, welcoming bathroom.
Read about how this attic was converted into a light, welcoming bathroom.
Embrace angles
Here’s another approach to working with tricky angles in a loft conversion.
To maximise space at the top of this Victorian terrace, Mariyan Stoykov of GDL Property had the doors cut and designed to fit beneath the pitched roof.
Here’s another approach to working with tricky angles in a loft conversion.
To maximise space at the top of this Victorian terrace, Mariyan Stoykov of GDL Property had the doors cut and designed to fit beneath the pitched roof.
The doorway on the right leads into an en suite, while the one to the left opens onto the landing. Mariyan has tucked storage into the remaining space.
Tour more of this Victorian home modernised to retain its character.
Tour more of this Victorian home modernised to retain its character.
Light up
There’s a huge amount of daylight flooding into this loft bedroom. Ewan Walker of MADE Property, who lives here, explains that he put two skylights into the newly opened up roof space – a fixed one over the stairs and another above the bed.
“[The window over the bed is] cantilevered and remote-controlled, so you can open it in the summer and lie in bed staring up at the stars,” he says.
There’s a huge amount of daylight flooding into this loft bedroom. Ewan Walker of MADE Property, who lives here, explains that he put two skylights into the newly opened up roof space – a fixed one over the stairs and another above the bed.
“[The window over the bed is] cantilevered and remote-controlled, so you can open it in the summer and lie in bed staring up at the stars,” he says.
An internal window, seen here, allows additional light from the stairwell skylight to flow into the bedroom.
Discover how this loft conversion transformed a top floor Victorian flat.
Discover how this loft conversion transformed a top floor Victorian flat.
Pack in the storage – discreetly
In this teenager’s attic room, designed by Caroline Wood-Robertson of Storylines Interior Design, cabinetry was made for the whole length of the wall beneath the new Velux windows behind the bed, as well as for the wall on the left.
“A room that needs loads of storage can look heavy, but here it’s quite subtle,” Caroline says.
The cupboards are made from plywood, with simple cutout handles to keep the style streamlined and swerve a traditional fitted furniture look. The cabinets behind the bed have sliding doors on either side, so they can be accessed from both ends.
See all of this teen’s loft bedroom that doubles as a guest space.
In this teenager’s attic room, designed by Caroline Wood-Robertson of Storylines Interior Design, cabinetry was made for the whole length of the wall beneath the new Velux windows behind the bed, as well as for the wall on the left.
“A room that needs loads of storage can look heavy, but here it’s quite subtle,” Caroline says.
The cupboards are made from plywood, with simple cutout handles to keep the style streamlined and swerve a traditional fitted furniture look. The cabinets behind the bed have sliding doors on either side, so they can be accessed from both ends.
See all of this teen’s loft bedroom that doubles as a guest space.
Make a mezzanine
Not every expansion into the loft will make a complete new storey. Sometimes the space available can instead be turned into a mezzanine.
This bedroom had a ceiling height of just 2m when design consultant Golnaz Motamedi of Reliance Design Build and his team were called in. Opening up the roof added a sense of space, but also allowed for the creation of a small raised home office off the master bedroom.
The designers created access via a bespoke ladder, which tucks up against the wall out of the way.
When the homeowners want to access the mezzanine, they can simply pull the ladder out at an angle to make climbing it easier and safer.
How can I carve out a new room without extending?
Not every expansion into the loft will make a complete new storey. Sometimes the space available can instead be turned into a mezzanine.
This bedroom had a ceiling height of just 2m when design consultant Golnaz Motamedi of Reliance Design Build and his team were called in. Opening up the roof added a sense of space, but also allowed for the creation of a small raised home office off the master bedroom.
The designers created access via a bespoke ladder, which tucks up against the wall out of the way.
When the homeowners want to access the mezzanine, they can simply pull the ladder out at an angle to make climbing it easier and safer.
How can I carve out a new room without extending?
An existing dormer window had been going to waste up in this area, but now it illuminates the new office and also boosts light in the bedroom.
Read more about this clever bedroom redesign that made space for a new baby.
Tell us…
Which of these ideas would work for your project – and what other ideas do you have to share? Let us know in the Comments section.
Read more about this clever bedroom redesign that made space for a new baby.
Tell us…
Which of these ideas would work for your project – and what other ideas do you have to share? Let us know in the Comments section.
Loft bathrooms, often with sloping roofs creating awkward nooks, can risk feeling cramped and lacking in functionality. In such cases, the smallest of design choices can make a huge difference to the enjoyment of using the space.
Interior designer Georgie Wykeham of Georgie Wykeham Designs, put several such tweaks to work in her reconfiguration of this room. To make the shower comfortable to use, for instance, she located the controls at the opposite end of the bath. “It’s much easier having the taps there, and it means you needn’t reach around the shower screen,” Georgie says.