We have been so enjoying the renovated attic for almost four months now, and I’m excited to share this last part of it!
As I’ve talked about before, all three kids shared a bedroom until this attic renovation, which worked (you do what you have to, right?), but it has been SO wonderful to have a bit more space and be more organized now! The two girls have moved upstairs to the new bedroom.
I did tell them that I would be so happy to trade with them; they can have the master suite and Ben & I will take the new attic bedroom, but they were happy to stay in their new room. :)
[Before]
A brick chimney from the kitchen and dining room came up through the middle of this room. Thankfully, the fireplaces were already not functioning, so we were able to take down the bricks to the floor level without disturbing the looks of the kitchen and dining room fireplaces.
We also put in a beautiful big window where there was only a wooden vent before.
[ After ]
This room turned out almost as I had pictured in my mind; only, better. As with the office, I was inspired by whites, clean empty space, and Norwegian-style simplicity. I don’t know that I nailed the beauty of the Norwegian style , but I have loved this darling space!
There is something about the white that is so refreshing, and makes my whole brain feel clean. I love to come up in the office to do my emails and business. I love to snuggle with the girls in their bed at night or in the morning. I think I could live upstairs if someone would only bring me food. Personal chef, anyone?
For the bed and bedding, I chose just a bedrail underneath with no headboard or footboard. The window serves as the headboard, and the shams and bedspread are the perfect accent piece to bring a bit of elegance to the room.
The end tables were found at a local antique store, and I spray-painted them white. I wanted a touch of modern in the room, and after looking everywhere online and in stores, I finally found lamps like I was wanting at Lowe’s, of all places, and they were the most reasonably priced I’d seen too. The baskets are the perfect catch-all for the dozens of papers and pens and Little Tiny Objects that little girls just seem to collect like magnets.
Ben made this piece for me, inspired by a similar design from IKEA. IKEA sells them inexpensively but we live far from one, and shipping would have brought the price to a ridiculous amount. There are amazing perks to have a husband who can create anything with wood. :) This is one of them! It houses books in the little boxes, and toys, stuffed animals, and games in the baskets underneath.
[obviously these pictures were taken at Christmastime :) ]
This little corner was Ben’s idea. Rather than having a long closet with difficult access to the end of it, the closet was cut a bit shorter and this nook created. The girls love it. It’s become like a little dollhouse with beds and rooms and furniture set up.
(artwork from Aimee Weaver Designs ♥)
There is no door on the closet. This was intentional, giving more space to the actual room because of not having a swinging door. I love the touch of texture that the curtain panel gives to the room.
Aren’t these beams beautiful?! I swoon.
They are not original beams, although they are original wood used from the attic.
Another sliding barn door is in this room, used for the bedroom door. I swoon again.
The bedroom has a cathedral dormer window as well, which was my brother-in-law Chris’ idea. I love it! The cathedral style adds such character, rather than a flat-topped dormer. We kept the knee-walls fairly low outside of the dormer for the illusion of more space. It’s just a head-banger if we’re not careful. :)
Ben humored me again with having white floors, and white walls, and white ceiling…. white everything. He is so kind to me, going along with my ideas so much of the time, and then coming up with so many great ones of his own. He is the brain behind the structural design of the remodeling we’ve done. This attic was just one giant room, that he created three rooms from (office, bedroom, and foyer). I can hardly believe this is the same space; it is just SO beautiful!
The room is very simple and understated, but here are a few of my favorite little touches…
Funny story about the ‘simple and understated’: Zoe was so excited when she learned that she and Olivia would be sharing a room, and having a GIRLS’ room. She immediately began dreaming of all the COLORS (!!!) she wanted in there.
“Red on the ceiling! No, actually, red and white STRIPES! And I want aqua and lots of color!
I felt a little guilty, because well, a little girl does like color, and here I was going with not only limited color but NO color except white, so I told her that, “Sweetie, you know what? It’s actually going to be a white bedroom, because it’s in an attic, and red and white stripes just won’t really look good up there.”
“WHAT?! A white bedroom? I don’t want to be a little girl that looks back on my childhood and has a WHITE bedroom. I mean, white doesn’t even mean anything. I want something with color, and especially RED. It would be soooo boring to have a white bedroom!”
I don’t know what she was picturing, but clearly she and I were envisioning completely different things. I was beginning to feel like a terrible mother in forcing my child to have a terrible childhood and have a white bedroom, or all things!!
After the room was completed, however, she came to me with a sheepish grin and said, “Mommy, it’s okay if my room is all white. I actually REALLY like it.” :)
And a few weeks later when we bought her a red winter coat, she said that makes up for the red stripes in the bedroom. Whew. At least we got that covered.
Seriously though, I love to be a steward of that which Jesus has entrusted to me. My home is my little spot on earth’s surface, and I love how Edith Schaeffer says it:
“A Christian, who realizes he has been made in the image of the Creator God and is therefore meant to be creative on a finite level, should certainly have more understanding of his responsibility to treat God’s creation with sensitivity, and should develop his talents to do something to beautify his little spot on the earth’s surface.”
― Edith Schaeffer, The Hidden Art of Homemaking
Sometimes, in a world of ISIS terrorism and starving children and four blood moons, I stop and wonder why I even care about pretty things or home renovations, or why a beautiful new arrangement makes me so excited, or why I’m so passionate about helping people to better health. I DO care about the first mentioned things, but I also care about seemingly small things.
And then I remember… just because I love the sight of a freshly made bed, or cry happy tears at an email with good health news, or get giddy at before & afters, it doesn’t make one less spiritual. It is learning to see the beauty of God in the middle of a broken world, and taking notice of these things is actually worshipping Him and thanking Him for the ways we see Him. Edith Schaeffer says it beautifully again:
“If you have been afraid that your love of beautiful flowers and the flickering flame of the candle is somehow less spiritual than living in starkness and ugliness, remember that He who created you to be creative gave you the things with which to make beauty and the sensitivity to appreciate and respond to His creation.”
Responding to and appreciating His creation… with the goal of bringing Him glory: that’s what I want to do.
Happy Hump-day, Lovelies!
Sources:
Desk Lamps: Lowe’s, Allen + Roth
White Waterfall Bedspread and shams: Ebay, similar here (they must have been running a special the day I purchased, because I paid less than half the price for the one I found)
Wall and ceiling color: Dove White, by Sherwin Williams, eggshell finish
Floor color: White Exterior-grade paint
Chandelier: IKEA, purchased from Ebay
I love your attic bedroom SO much! It’s just perfect!
Thank you so much!! We are so happy with how it turned out! :) xoxo
I.AM.IN.AWE.
and in love.
come redo my bedroom for me please?! =)
Thank you!! It was such a fun remodel project, and we are enjoying it so much! xoxo
So much pretty. My girls would echo Zoe, color, color, color! :)
What is it with little girls and color? I think I was the same way though! Now my mind and eyes like restful, quiet-looking things. :)
The room turned out so beautiful! Jo
Thank you so much! We love the new space dearly. :) xo
I love it too! Please come decorate my house! :)
It makes me laugh that Zoe even thinks about “looking back on my childhood.” What is she, 16? :D (I have a four-year-old going on fourteen, so I can identify!)
I know, right?! The “looking back on my children” line had me laughing for days! :) And Jenn, you are adopting?! I did not know this! Can you please blog about this? I’d LOVE to hear more. xoxo
No…not adopting. Sorry if I made it sound like we are. What I meant is that my preschooler has a ‘tude that’s way beyond her years. :P
Your entire attic remodel is so endlessly gorgeous! Whites and natural wood are my favorite interiors, and this space just screams clean + relaxing + cozy. And do-it-yourself husbands are so handy-dandy, right? :D
I love your pictures of neutrals and whites so much, Alicia! It just seems to be so soothing for the soul, doesn’t it? And yes, husband who can do anything as amazing, for more reasons than just home remodels. :) xoxo
Lovely room in a lovely home. I enjoy reading about the transformations and seeing the beauty of your creative spirit.
Thank you so much, Sheila! You are so kind. xo
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! My attic looks exactly like your before. I would never have envisioned such loveliness. We don’t need the space (I’m sure my husband just breathed a big sigh of relief) :) or I would put this on my long to-do list.
Oh wow!! Oh, you would love the finished attic space! Laughing about your comment about your husband. :) It IS a lot of work, to be sure! But we are so loving the finished product! Thanks for stopping by!
Beautiful renovation, I love it! I appreciate your words on finding beauty in the seemingly small things. Sometimes I struggle with reconciling those feelings with my faith- thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Thanks so much, Sharon! And I understand your words… I have had similar questions! Edith Schaeffer’s words touched me deeply and brought such freedom and life to this area! xo
love it all!!
white is my fav :))
and about keeping our homes and liking beautiful things around us- YES!! I think we bring Him glory by how we decorate and use the creativity He’s given-
xox
I love all the white in your house too! It is so refreshing and clean to me. Maybe one day I’ll gravitate toward color again, but now I’m loving this! :) xoxo
I sooooo love your kitchen ! I have oak cabinets and would love to paint them but am afraid it would not hold up. Ella
I just love this room! Just curious what paint you used on the floor? I painted my office floor with white porch paint, but I do have trouble with some chipping.
Thank you! We love it too! :) My husband says it was just exterior-grade paint, so it seems like it should be similar to porch paint? We haven’t had trouble with chipping. But I would like to learn your tips on how to best clean white floors. :) I LOVE our floors, but truthfully, they are a bit impractical (says the one who spent an hour scrubbing them today!! :) .
Well, I probably wash the floor only once a month :) Most of it is covered by a rug, and the rest of the time, I just dust over it with a swiffer duster. It is a room that doesn’t see too much traffic, so that helps :)
I love it!!! I love it, I l-o-v-e it, I LOVE it!!! It is sooooo very breathtakingly beautiful!! And with so many things are going on in the world, thank you for the *much needed* reminder to find and create beauty right where I’m at. May our sweet Jesus bless you for being such a blessing to others!
Until I found your blog, I had never met anyone else who had ever read my favorite book, let alone loved it like I do! Thank you for the timely reminder of Edith Schaeffer’s words of wisdom! Off to celebrate God’s beauty in my own little spot on earth…
I must reiterate what Abby just said ~ it is a delight to find not only a quote from Edith Schaeffer, but also someone that is sharing those God given talents!
Thanks so much! And I love to meet a fellow Edith-Schaeffer-book-lover!! Thank you for stopping by!
Oh, I’m delighted to meet another person who loves Edith Schaeffer’s books! Isn’t she just so inspiring, no matter what situation we find ourselves in? So happy you stopped by! xo
I love your bedroom!!! Your house is so pretty!!!!! You should do another giveaway soon. :) I hope you check out my blog and follow it by email! creatingpreciousmoments.blogspot.com
Love in Christ,
Ashley
Thanks so much! We do love this little cottage! :)
This is a beautiful room! My oldest two girls and I are going through some of the same conversations about decorating their room. I want to please their desire for color (they want rainbow walls!) and yet have a space that is also pleasing to my eyes :) And, I love your quotes from Edith’s book–I’m looking into that one to purchase. I’m glad I came across your blog again; your writing is inspiring and encouraging, and points me to Jesus. I’ve enjoyed reading through some of your entries from this year. Thanks for being a blessing!
Thanks so much for your kind words! And through your comment, I am thrilled to discover your blog, and so look forward to following there! Your heart and words and incredibly beautiful. Blessings right back to you!! xo
I just found your blog this afternoon and have found myself wandering back to my laptop at free moments to look more and more. I love the simple beauty, but more, I love the heart I see in your words. Thank you so much for sharing and I look forward to more! Blessings!!
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m always honored when people stop by my little corner of blog land. xoxo
Gorgeous makeover. ..but your sentiments about beauty and creating loveliness (as an act of spirituality and seeing God in a broken world) are what I most appreciated! As the wife of a pastor, I’ve suffered much guilt because my gifts and passion are not leadership or teaching. .but rather creating and bringing beauty to ordinary objects and spaces. This was such a refreshing reminder!
I absolutely love this. I found your blog after looking for kitchen remodeling pictures on Pinterest. Your style is so beautiful, but even more beautiful is your heart for Christ I see coming through every post. My husband and I are in ministry and its always a special surprise to find a blog that shares some of top passions-Christ, my family and decorating. I even had my husband come over and read look at some of your pictures, as it seems like our homes are very similar. We live in a 1300 sqf house with two bedrooms and two double fireplaces that was built in the 30’s. We are hoping and praying to be able to finish our upstairs attic (which looks almost identical to your before) soon, so it was an added bonus to find this and the other posts about it.
God bless and Merry Christmas
I am planning to remodel my attic and I wanted to know how much do you think it will cost me? I love love the remodel btw.
I love your attic bedroom. As I have mentioned before I just lived around the block from you. I passed so many times and wondered what you would do next. The house came to life after ya bought it! Amazing!