What would you do with this space?

July 19, 2017 10:30 PM

I recently leveled up and purchased a house. I love it! It's an old funky craftsman, with an adorable loft above the master bedroom. Unfortunately, the loft is not big enough to stand in, so it's not suitable as an office. Right now I just have a rug in it, and sometimes I use it as a meditation space. I'd like to avoid using it only for storage because it's so cute. If you had a little bonus space like this, how would you use it? Here are some pictures of it. I want to hear all of your ideas, even if they are related to specific thoughts or hobbies.
posted by pazazygeek to Home & Garden (19 answers total)

That is a great spot! Is there an outlet up there? If so, I'd be tempted to make it a reading (or writing?) nook. You could separate off the back area for storage if you wanted to, and then put some low shelves with books in front along with a comfy bean bag. Add a lamp of some kind and a low table, and you've got a nice little spot.
posted by bluedaisy at 10:35 PM on July 19, 2017 [7 favorites]

Response by poster: I won't threadsit. But there are outlets!
posted by pazazygeek at 10:42 PM on July 19, 2017

I would turn the loft into my sleeping space (bed, nightstand), and them use the saved space on the main floor of the master for a reading/exercise/office space!
posted by Jaclyn at 11:06 PM on July 19, 2017 [19 favorites]

Best answer: - Skylight : natural light would open this space up completely. There are smaller options such as tube skylights.
- or install dormer windows: they project vertically from a sloping roof and provide extra loft space.
- fairy lights all around the room: doesn't take up any space
- Cupboard: repaint or remove doors to use as open shelves.
- Fan: would remove if not essential
- Stairs: turn into open bookshelf stairs
- edge of loft: install balustrade if you have small children, pets or clumsy adults
- walls: paint white to match ceiling, makes space feel bigger

functions:
- bedroom: the last photo here http://shoeboxdwelling.com/2014/08/01/small-apartment-in-paris/
- plant room: with some natural light this could be a great for plants! i grow tomatoes indoors
- kids cubby: i can totally see my kids using the heck out of this space for various adventures
- art room: art supplies in cupboard / if you can comfortably sit in this area, I would put artwork on the walls and paint/ watercolour/ sketch
- puzzle room: low table in middle for puzzles or do puzzle on floor uninterrupted
- cinema room: remove ac unit and fan. Install projector and watch movies on beanbags.
- game room: remove ac unit and fan. Install screen and play xbox.

Love this space - have fun!
posted by oink at 11:24 PM on July 19, 2017 [5 favorites]

Is it big enough to do yoga? I'd make it into a yoga/mediation space. Set up music and candles (flameless, if necessary) on a low bench. You're set.
posted by studioaudience at 11:26 PM on July 19, 2017 [1 favorite]

I would read and crochet there!
posted by cp311 at 11:38 PM on July 19, 2017 [1 favorite]

That is a firetrap, please don't sleep in it. Honestly I'd use it for storage. You can't stand up there so you won't get any return on investment on windows or whatever. It's basically just an open attic.
posted by fshgrl at 11:56 PM on July 19, 2017 [3 favorites]

The layout of the main room could matter for this, but you might be able to put an Amazon Echo / Google Home up near the edge, losing no surface space in the main room but allowing you to listen to music, podcasts, etc. hands-free from either area. Apparently people do put them up high with good results (more advice), and if you succeed in making both spaces into personal retreats, maybe that adds another layer to what they're both good for.
posted by Wobbuffet at 12:05 AM on July 20, 2017

I think you need to take up a new hobby that's suited to that room. May listening to music, but only on 8-track tapes, or vinyl. Maybe collecting tin toys. Trains. Building logic circuits from dominos. Arduino lights and motors and sensors... Collecting chess sets. Doing macramé.
posted by at at 12:19 AM on July 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

This is a meditation space -- SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!

After years of doing meditation with binaural beats, isochronic beats, guided meditation and so on, I finally upped my game by taking kundalini yoga classes. Holy toledo, what a difference! It's a combination of breaths and hand gestures + chanting manyras. The key is how much holding the yoga postures with the breathing that readies you for the meditation parts... just wow.

I would put plants that need low light (like a Peace Lily Plant, Ikea and Home Depot has real and fake ferns and palms that are quite good, look for living types that need low light) and change the paint to something brighter with low VOC paint. I would fill that space with crystals and inspirational framed pictures. I might paint one myself. Lastly, I would add some wood in the form of decorative screens. I would use the shit out of that space as a Sanctuary!

Let me take a moment here to recommend the Anker Soundcore Bluetooth Speaker. I almost never charge mine, it just works and works and sounds amazing.

A small fountain water feature can't hurt, but there are crappy ones, so be discerning.

Lastly, since you own the house... There are things called Grounding Mats and/or Earthing Mats and/or Sheets.... Some plug into the outlet (you need a current tester to see if the outlet is grounded) and some have a wire to a rod thst you send out the window or to a hole that goes through to the exterior of your home (maybe there is an old cable tv wire hole you can re-purpose?) and that goes outside to a rod you set into the ground. The theory is that humans were made to contact the earth via bare feet because positrons and electrons blah blah - it's the same reason goung barefoot in the grass or going to the beach makes you feel great? Google it. So I would put a grounding mat in to practice on, because why not?

You won't be able to do any Sun Salutes if you can't stand, but many kundalini techniques don't require standing, so it's kinda perfect here if you stretch before going upstairs. Enjoy!
posted by jbenben at 12:23 AM on July 20, 2017

OMG - AND ADD BOOKS!!!

Books, reading light, cushions.
posted by jbenben at 12:25 AM on July 20, 2017

I would put a mattress/big pile of pillows/duvets there, some nice lamps etc. and use it as a reading/napping hideaway (but probably not as my main bed/bedroom).
posted by terretu at 1:51 AM on July 20, 2017

Dial up an architect and see what the structure can support. Dormers with window seats seem like a lovely idea. You might also be able to get more height by opening the ceiling to the beams. I would probably suspend the bed from that level just because it was possible. A slide, fireman's pole, chair hammock....sky is your limit!
posted by Kalatraz at 3:14 AM on July 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

Well, cats would love it.

Storage space doesn't have to be terrible. You could store things that happen to be nice to look at, that you'd want to see/check on/retrieve every week or so. What that would be, I couldn't say -- I'm stuck on "pillows", but I legitimately have a bunch of pillows that are useful sometimes, and other times completely in the way, so I've been fantasizing about pillow storage for years. Also scrap wood storage, laundry "purgatory" storage, and empty food container storage. So, maybe you have something like those.

It would make a good place to store unseasonal clothing, but you'd need to put the clothing in attractive containers. Luggage?
posted by amtho at 4:50 AM on July 20, 2017

That's the reading and stretching alcove! Needs shelves, lamps, a beautiful soft rug to stretch out on. For me, no visual clutter that will annoy/distract me from my reading, but plenty of bookshelves.
posted by fingersandtoes at 6:25 AM on July 20, 2017

I think making it a bedroom is a lovely idea... you can make it totally just for sleep (sleep hygiene ftw!) and then the master bedroom could be an office and private recreation (workout?) space.
posted by Night_owl at 7:48 AM on July 20, 2017

Neat! You should consider doing something like this with the stairs!
posted by kitcat at 2:14 PM on July 20, 2017

I would totally put some skylights in those eaves, a soft rug, and use the space as a sleeping loft, freeing up the master bedroom to be a sitting room, library, reading room, or whatever other room you'd like! If I were doing the project, I'd use those Velux solar-powered skylights that close automatically with any hint of moisture (rain), so you could sleep with the skylights open (with screens, of course), and you'd be up in your own treetop aerie.
posted by ClaireBear at 12:23 AM on July 21, 2017

I use an under-the-eaves space like this for my TV, with something like this to sit on. And the TV wouldn't prevent it from being used as a meditation space as well.
posted by metasarah at 9:52 AM on July 27, 2017