You live in an attic apartment, or maybe you want a new master bedroom, but the attic is the only space available. While it’s not ideal, there are ways to turn an attic into an incredible master bedroom that’s better than anything you might have on the main floor. Try some of these attic master bedroom ideas to get you started.
1) Ceiling Fan(s)
One issue with an attic, whether it’s finished or not, is that it can get very hot. While this may not be an issue for a storage room, you don’t want a master bedroom that feels like the inside of an oven. To keep the attic master bedroom cool and help circulate air to prevent mold problems, you can get a ceiling fan like this one from Amazon. This will also keep the air from feeling stagnant when you go up to your room to sleep at night.
2) DIY Short Walls
One of the primary issues that makes attics hard to live in is the shape of the ceiling. If your attic isn’t finished all the way, you might need to add some short walls. Short walls are also a great way to add character to an area, so you can change your attic’s shape to create an intriguing master bedroom design. You can use the information in this article by Glenda Taylor to build your short walls and make your bedroom more complete and usable.
3) Floating Bed
When you lie down in an attic bedroom, you’re in the highest reaches of your home. While you could treat it as an unfortunate circumstance, you can also take advantage of the height to make the room feel like something from a fantasy world. One way to do this is to create a cloud theme. If you want to feel like you’re sleeping in the clouds, try building a cloud bed using this video from HomeMadeModern.
4) Pendant Lights
If your bedroom ceiling is slanted because of the roofline, you may be struggling to figure out how to install light fixtures. Many fixtures are designed for flat ceilings and will look strange or angle light improperly if you put them on a tilted ceiling. To account for this, try getting or making pendant lights like the one in this image. Pendant lights hang down from the ceiling, so they’ll always be level, no matter where you put them.
5) Cloud Comforter
Since you’re in the attic, the highest point in your home, you might as well feel like you’re in the clouds. If you don’t want to build an entire cloud-themed bed, you can get a cloud comforter like this one from Amazon. This particular design looks like marble, as well, so if you like to switch up your decorating themes, you can use it for an industrial bedroom, too. Industrial is a great look for a larger, more open attic bedroom in particular.
6) Many Windows
In this photo of a modern attic bedroom, you can see how the owner or designer took advantage of the space to create a unique room. This bedroom has vertical walls where the roofline was modified, and the designer took advantage of them to build attic windows. While your attic will have a different design, you can take advantage of your attic design to build lots of natural light. You can even have a contractor expand the space by raising the roofline, as they did in this picture.
7) Add Walls
If you have a large attic, you might not want to use the entire space for your bedroom, or if you do, you might want some visual separation between different parts of the room. One way to create this is to add partition walls. You can use this video by seejanedrill to learn how to add your own walls, but it may be a good idea to hire a contractor since the sloped ceilings will make the project a little more difficult.
8) Permanent Stairs
While most attics have stairs that fold down from the ceiling, they’re rarely comfortable, and it can be inconvenient to have to fold your bedroom stairs out every time you want to use them. Instead of keeping your folding attic stairs, try adding permanent stairs, as described in this article by William Machin. This way, you’ll have a more comfortable way to get into your bedroom, even if the steps are narrower than most household stairways.
9) Open Ceiling
You don’t need to hide the fact that you’re in an attic; instead, embrace it by taking advantage of the attic design. Since the attic is already an open space, one way to accentuate that is to open the ceiling, like the designer of the house in this picture did. While the room in the photo isn’t an attic, it has a similar ceiling design that shows how a master bedroom can look more attractive with an open ceiling.
10) Southwestern
One style that’s often overlooked, particularly when it comes to indoor rooms, is the Southwestern style. While it might not be your first thought when you design an attic room, it makes the room look rustic but clean and finished at the same time, and it’s perfect for a cabin or cabin-themed home. You can design a Southwestern room, or just use Southwestern touches like this patterned pillow to make a more rustic design with hints of the Southwest.
11) Black Holes
Your attic is the closest room to the sky, and that gives plenty of food for the imagination. Instead of treating it like any other room, extend your decorating beyond the bedroom walls, and even the house itself. Try adding art like this black hole art demonstrated in this video by Tiktus Color Art to make your room feel like it extends out into the night sky. You can also get star decorations or lights, but you may want to keep them subtle or abstract since this isn’t a children’s space-themed bedroom.
12) Carefully Design Lighting
Lighting an attic bedroom is one of the more difficult challenges you’ll face in this design. If you have a sloped ceiling, you’ll need light fixtures that work on a slope. If the ceiling is tall, you’ll need lights that will light the room from further away or hang down further into the room. Whatever your needs, you’ll have to carefully plan your bedroom lighting. You can use this guide by francesca with Standing Renovation to figure out how to light your attic.
13) Stars
Your attic bedroom is as close as you can come to sleeping in the sky, and while you don’t want to turn it into a childish thematic room, a star- or sky-themed space is an amazing option for an attic master bedroom. To create a subtle sky-theme, and make your room feel like you’re outside amongst the stars, add string lights like the ones in the photo. You can wrap them around household objects to create decorations, string them up, or anything else you can think of to make a subtle starry effect.
14) DIY Spiral Stairs
Most attics have steps that fold down from the ceiling, rather than a full set of stairs. If that’s the case with your attic, you’ll want to replace them with something that doesn’t need to be folded down all the time; this will make your bedroom more easily accessible. Since this isn’t an ordinary bedroom, you want the entrance to be extraordinary, too. Consider adding a spiral staircase like this one from Amazon. It comes in a kit, so you can install it or have a contractor do it.
15) Adventures
An attic is a unique space that opens up many possibilities. With such an unusual space, you have a chance to build a room with an unorthodox design and unusual decor choices. If you love to travel or imagine traveling, the attic master bedroom is the perfect place for maps, posters, postcards, or other travel-related decorations. You can get a nightstand like the one in this picture, and imagine all the places you could be as you look around at the world from above.
16) Plastic Under-Bed Storage
One problem with putting the master bedroom in your attic is that you likely lost a lot of storage space. Now, you’ll need to find a good place to store winter clothes and blankets that won’t be in the way. One way to do this is by using plastic under-bed storage containers like this one from Amazon. You can put it under the bed so that it’s out of the way, and the plastic material will keep bugs or moisture from getting in, if you have moisture problems.
17) Can You Finish It?
Before you start renovating your attic, you’ll need to make some considerations. Not all attics are meant to be finished, so you’ll have to see if your attic meets code requirements, and find out what you’ll have to do to be able to convert it to livable space. You can use this guide by Twenty & Oak to figure out whether you can finish your attic, and how you should do so. Then, use some of our ideas to finish it off and decorate it.
18) Modern Bed
If you don’t like rustic and industrial themes, you’ll be glad to know that they aren’t the only choices for attic bedrooms. While those themes are frequently used, a modern theme is also a great attic bedroom theme. Try creating a modern or minimalist theme with black furniture like the bed in this picture, and use furniture that sits low to the ground if you have a short ceiling. Smoother designs like the one used for this bed also give the area a more open look, which is perfect for an attic master bedroom.
19) DIY Skylight
Lighting is an important part of any bedroom. One of the issues that often arises in basement bedrooms is the lack of light, and an attic bedroom should never have the same issue. If you find that you don’t have enough light in your attic bedroom, try adding skylights to make the room feel more open and add light. You can use these instructions by Perry Carpenter to install the lights, though hiring a carpenter is a safer bet when adding a skylight to an existing roof.
20) Faux Foam Bricks
Industrial themes are often used in attics because they bring to mind loft apartments with brick walls and large windows. This theme works best in a taller attic with a lot of windows, but it’ll still look amazing in a smaller master bedroom. To create this effect without using real bricks, which can be expensive, you can buy faux foam brick panels like these ones from Amazon. Since it’s peel and stick, you should be able to install it yourself, if you don’t want to hire a contractor.
21) Rustic But Elegant
If you’re still trying to decide on your master bedroom theme, consider a rustic theme. Since an attic is already a less polished space, with slanted walls and perhaps some unusual bump-outs where you’ve built around a chimney, a rustic look will hide those imperfections or make them look like part of the decor. Since this is still a master bedroom, you can start with a rustic theme, but add polished furniture pieces to give it a more elegant look, like the traditional room in this image.
22) Hardwood or Laminate
While many people prefer carpet in a bedroom, you’ll have to make considerations for the location. A carpet is certainly doable, but hardwood and laminate are probably your best options. While the price is the most obvious thing that will help you decide between expensive but high-quality hardwood and cheaper laminate, your master bedroom is one place that you might want to invest in hardwood. Check out this article by Floortec Hardwood Inc. to learn about some of the considerations you’ll have to make.
23) Hide Electronics
Many bedrooms have electronics, and if any bedroom should have a TV and computer, it’s the master bedroom. Unfortunately, all those wires take away from the appearance of your room, particularly if you have a rustic or even a minimalist theme. You don’t want wires showing in your bedroom, for the most part, so think about making a custom TV stand or desk that hides wires. While it seems like a difficult task, you can use the instructions in this video by Fix This Build That to build it more easily. Think about using this same method for a nightstand.
24) Adjustable Lights
If you don’t want a pendant light, either because the attic ceiling is too short, or because you simply don’t like the look of them, try an adjustable light like this instead. The great thing about this light is that the fixture has three bulbs that can point in any direction you want. If the attic’s shape keeps you from being able to center the light, you can make sure you have enough light in each area of the room, and you can add extra light to places you need it.
25) Open Floor Plan
Your master bedroom is a grand room, and if you’re not using the attic for anything else, you might as well expand it to fill most of the attic. When you do so, you gain a lot of room to add furniture, such as a small seating area, TV, and larger decorations. Set your bedroom up with an open and modern floor plan like the one in this picture. The large spaces between furniture pieces, and the overall lack of furniture, give it an open and airy feel that’s perfect for an attic master bedroom.
What theme do you want for your attic master bedroom? Was there one idea you liked better than the others? Let us know in the comments below!
