December 2, 2016

The Beautification of an Attic

Attics have a special place in my heart. Chris proposed to me in the dingy, bat infested attic of his old 1800’s brick home. He asked if I wanted to marry him and live with him “…Right here, in this attic…”
I was mildly horrified (about the attic part.)… Back then, I couldn’t see the potential in anything that was ugly. Ugly was ugly.

I didn’t think of the brick hiding behind yellowed walls, the hardwood floors under the moldy carpet or the beautiful, raw beams waiting to be exposed. That was then, PTL.
So of course I said yes (PTL again) and thus, our attic adventures began.

Four months later, we began renovations on the 600sq. attic and turned it into our newly married home.
We finished up the final details and got our occupancy permit the week of our wedding (PTL x3.)
You may all know our story by now- during our renovations, with superb, over-the-top help from family and friends, we discovered we loved our attic, we loved small spaces, we loved working together and we loved creating. It was a fit, it was us. It was what we were made to do.

Friends started asking us to help them with the projects. So a little here, a little there, and in the Fall for 2015 The Chris & Claude Co was born. We’ve been doing a little bit of everything since our initiation into the creative space & design world, but still, my favorite spaces will always be The Small Spaces. I love attics- compact rooms, unexpected angles, raw wood, bricks and flooring. It’s all so beautiful, and most of all, unexpected.

This post showcases a few of my favorite attic renovations throughout the past year. We have been privileged to work for some fantastic people, not just strangers, but our friends and heroes. Working with my dad, The Ervin Barkman (Gr8r Purpose LLC) team- which includes my two brothers-in-law and two of my sisters- we’ve chucked out some pretty legit attics (If I daresay so myself)…

Farmhouse Attic Renovation

Favorite Part

We (almost) volunteered to work this job for free, because of how fun it is to work for Dave and Sonia + Fam! No really though, thanks guys, what an honor. This attic was designed as the bedroom for wild boys. We added monkey bars, exposed the old farmhouse stone on both sides, added beautiful industrial pendants, a closet and a bathroom with a sliding barn door.

Lancaster City Attic

Favorite Part

Working alongside Dad, Ben, Kenny, Chris, Clarita, Ervina and a few brilliant subs, we gave this attic new life. I wanted to bring a modern feel to the room, and added a crazy 10 bulb light- which father said looked like a tarantula. I now refer to it as ‘the spider light’… I may be biased, but I think it’s what sold the house in four days (JK. Kinda. Heh.)

Also. The guys put a coat of poly on these old floors instead of staining them, and I will be a fan forever and always.

Bro Ben is a master of beams, and these attic beams scream of his handiwork.

Bro Kenny claims his favorite part of a house is when the floors are being stained or polied. Hence, he pours his heart into them and we have these amazing floors to show for it.

Matt Musser was our prized electrician and can we say- we don’t want to recommend him to people because we don’t want him getting too famous and too busy to help us. He’s just that good that we need him all to ourselves.

Another Lancaster City Attic

Favorite Part

This was one of our first attics to do with the family Gr8er Purpose Team. This attic turned out marvelously, and included a beautiful master bathroom, industrial railings, exposed beams, hardwood floors and brick.

We styled this room with a boho flair (my personal fav.) added birch logs, string lights and white flowy curtains for aesthetics- this house sold in under a week to our very own Lancaster County Deck King- Marv and Katelyn Esh. Bravo guys!