How to furnish an attic?

How to furnish an attic so as to create an extremely functional and refined environment? Furnishing this type of space is certainly not a simple task: for this reason in this article we will show you some of the most effective ideas for creating the furnishing of an attic.

Living in an attic is today, as it was yesterday, a choice that we could define as complex, since it requires commitment and care to configure spaces in such a way as to make your rooms perfectly visible and above all comfortable.

Suggestions for the furnishing of an attic room

The first important advice and suggestion that we want to provide you with to furnish an attic open space or divided into different rooms is to pay the utmost attention to the variable heights, determined by the height of the water table: in this regard it is of fundamental importance to arrange the furniture in such a way as to make the best use of all the corners, heights and niches that may be generated, paying extreme attention to the aspect concerning the light and lighting of the rooms.

In an attic it is preferable to proceed with the improvement of custom-made furniture, in order to guarantee the maximum optimization of the spaces available: this regardless of whether they are rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, or any other type of environment.

Advantages and disadvantages of an attic room

Nowadays the need to furnish an attic is a very frequent situation. Sometimes it is a small part of one's own home or alternatively it is a question of furnishing a non-inhabitable attic or an attic studio or studio apartment.

The difficulty in completing the furnishing of an attic apartment lies in the fact that the inclination of the roof sometimes discourages us and leads us to think that the furnishing of our environment will never and in no way be perfect and functional. There is no need to be discouraged, since in addition to the well-known disadvantages, an attic can also have some considerable advantages: the main positive aspect of an attic is that it will be possible to configure unique, original furniture with great visual impact and personality.

This aspect will make us overlook the question of volumes and the natural limitation of spaces that characterise an attic.

Difference between mansard and attic

Before continuing with our advice on how to improve the furnishing of an attic, it is good to specify the difference between the attic and an attic. The attic is by definition a space that allows people to live in and is therefore characterised by habitable heights and a good level of brightness.

An attic, on the other hand, is a part of the house that is usually used as a storage space and which is created in the space between two or more roof pitches: for this reason, the space of an attic tends to be poorly lit and characterised by inadequate heights. An attic can therefore only be considered habitable in certain situations (determined and defined by the relevant regional regulations).

As far as the habitability of an attic is concerned, it should be specified that it is determined by the following circumstances: if the minimum internal height measured from the floor level to the ridge (or at the highest point) is more than 1.50 m; if the average height is not less than 2.4 m, for rooms used as a living room or lounge. Where there is a lower height within the room, the space shall be used as a service room or storage room; if the ratio of floor area to window area is not less than one eighth.

In general terms we can say that in almost all regions of our country the average height of a habitable attic is 2.4 m respectively. The height of service rooms or storage rooms, or of corridors or bathrooms is slightly more limited. These measures also apply to rooms with vaulted ceilings, the latter being particularly common in southern houses.

When it comes to calculating the heights of a space, this is often not always an easy task, since the survey must necessarily be carried out by a specialist technician, especially in the case of an attic with a hanging roof, or even in the presence of particular niches or overhangs on the ceiling.

The secret to furnishing an attic

As stated in the previous paragraphs, furnishing an attic is not an easy task, not even for an architect. Your main objective in this project must be to create a unique and surprising environment, configured in such a way as to optimise the spaces available.

The first aspect to be considered for this purpose is to follow the rooftops: an attic is characterised by the presence of higher and inevitably lower areas. The aim should be to make the most of the high parts, to be used as premises where most of the hours of the day are spent. Sometimes this will inevitably lead to an uneven development from a planimetric point of view, a condition that does not necessarily represent a problem.

Another possibility to adjust the height differences of the ceiling is to use plasterboard to limit the perception of irregularities. In this regard, you can lower overly sloping spaces and set up spotlights inside the plasterboard ceiling to give your rooms optimal brightness.

In this way you can remedy the unpleasant condition of living in a room with a sloping roof.

When furnishing a mansard, the search for light is of fundamental importance: for this reason it is good to opt for large windows, verandas, and why not skylights, so as to ensure an important presence of natural light inside the spaces.

Our advice is not to consider complex renovations in conditions where there are no vertical windows, but only dormer windows and skylights, which in the long run will inevitably create a feeling of oppression and lack of light.

Another important piece of advice when furnishing an attic is not to overfill the spaces available to you: the concept must always be to optimise the furnishing of your rooms in the best possible way.

If the space in your attic is particularly limited, eliminate the thought of furnishing your attic like a traditional house but prefer tailor-made furnishing solutions as much as possible. In particular, wardrobes and storage furniture should be made in the lowest spaces: choose furniture and wardrobes with sliding doors and mirror doors if possible, in order to widen the perception of the spaces.

How to furnish the bathroom of an attic room

Often and willingly the attic bathrooms are characterized by the presence of only one toilet with integrated bidet, while the shower is located in a higher and more comfortable area. For the bathroom of an attic room you can consider the arrangement of a resin covering, perhaps with a colour or decoration that can create a sense of spaciousness and comfort. Opting for a resin covering also allows you not to consider the problem of the height of the tiles and other dimensions.

Sometimes it is not impossible to arrange a bathtub in the bathroom of an attic, so as to make this room of the house even more functional and comfortable.

Scenic effects and divisions with light walls

In the spaces of your attic you can think about giving life to some particularly interesting optical effects from a scenic point of view: these interventions will help you to give even more personality and uniqueness to your rooms. For this purpose, you can create a stone-covered wall or a wooden beam (link article wooden beams) or a pillar, enhanced by the presence of a fireplace or a modern stove.

Another alternative of great visual and scenographic impact is represented by the realization of a floor partially created with the help of glass, able to totally turn the visual perception inside your spaces.

The element of dividers represents a great opportunity for the space of an attic space to be furnished: in this regard you can divide your rooms with the help of glass walls, plasterboard dividers or even low and thin furnishings: in this way you can adopt a solution capable of guaranteeing the privacy of a tenant without losing precious centimetres inside your spaces, while dividing the rooms with style and personality. This device represents the ideal solution in the creation of a study corner in the attic or that will help you better understand where to put the sofa or other furniture inside your attic.