When we first walked through the Broad Street house, the attic space was barely accessible. We let the guys crawl up there and pronounce what a nasty situation it was. Then, Becca and I crawled up and started dreaming anyway. I had visions of Urban Outfitter lounges racing through my head the whole time. The past few houses we had purchased in Lancaster City didn’t have attics, so when we discovered this tiny little attic, we couldn’t let the opportunity pass us by.
Our first idea was to make it a functional space, at the very least to have some extra storage space. But of course, we wanted to make it livable. And if we were to make it livable, we had to make it beautiful. Because of Lancaster City codes and a few other limitations, we had quite the struggle figuring out if a stairway could even legally be added. But Glory Be, it worked out!
“and if we were going to make it livable- we had to make it beautiful.”
For this particular space, the guys had to start at ground zero. The head room up there was super low, but being the champs they are (they’ve dealt with worse attic spaces, like attics that were bat infested, which are definitely worse, haha) They insulated, drywalled, installed flooring and painted the walls, ceiling and floor boards. Moral of the story: it was worth it.
For your information, painting a room entirely in White isn’t for the faint of heart. Is it practical? No, not really. Is it beautiful and soothing and creative and scandinavian and absolutely worth it? Yes, yes it is.
Attic spaces have the tendency to be dark and dreary; we wanted to make sure that didn’t happen. By pulling in white by itself, that was possible.
We know that some of ya’ll are quite skeptical of white floors. If you’re scared to try painting a floor white, an attic space is the best place to try it. By the time you get to the top floor of your house, the dirt on your shoes will hopefully be gone, which means your white floor will be preserved & beautiful. 🙂
But truth be told, white floors aren’t for someone who can’t stand the sight of a smudge or the look of dirt. It shows dirt, it’s white. You have to decide if you want the beauty or the hidden dirt…
If you are feeling adventurous. Here are a few tips for painting your floor white: Use a strong white Porch Paint. Apply a very thin water-based poly on top to help it wipe up better. DO NOT use oil based, as it will turn yellow right away. Even with water-based polyurethane, it will tend to yellow if you put it on too thick. I use a brush and just lightly brush it on as a last layer.
Don’t paint every floor in your house white. Choose one room & bathe it in white.
I love how the space has a restful, dreamy & relaxing feel. Bri, Becca & I spent quite a bit of time up there on staging day, rearranging the furniture, adjusting the rug, figuring out exactly the right feel. After it was all staged, I just wanted to open a window, burn some candles & lounge with a book (which was the feeling we had hoped to capture.) In the end, it had this magical feel to it – made you feel like the world could stop for a bit. It was also Canon & Creed’s favorite space in the house, which was totally understandable 🙂
Sources:
Black and White Cushion (similar to this one which was discontinued)
Books: Vintage thrift store finds
Pillows: Target and thrifted 🙂
Containers: thrifted
Spiral Staircase: Custom ordered
Paint Color: Benjamin Moore, White Dove
Photography: Kinna Shaffer and Char Co.
With love, Claude
