the spray foam insulation goes in, electrical work can’t
be moved or added easily. We installed track lighting,
since recessed pot lights wouldn’t have worked given
the insulation type.
We also added plumbing to accommodate the
en-suite bathroom. Since we positioned the ensuite
above the first floor bathroom, installing the
plumbing was relatively simple. All we had to do was
extend the plumbing to the second floor. It’s a lot
easier than extending pipes across the house.
Finishing off the space
With the angled ceilings and exposed beams, an
experienced drywaller was needed. We finished the
walls and ceilings off with a tissue paper treatment.
The textured look is created by crinkling tissue paper,
opening it up, adhering it to the walls with glue
and then painting. Medium to light paint colours
work best in these angled, smaller spaces, so my
client and I agreed on a pearlized champagne wall
colour. We painted the ceilings and walls the same
colour to give the space a cohesive look. You don’t
want a noticeable difference between the wall and
ceiling colours, especially when ceilings slope down
to a five-foot high wall.
One challenge in these spaces is that many regular
pieces of furniture won’t fit. My client did put in an
armoire, but many other pieces had to be built-in
or custom made. We custom-built a TV unit into
one area where the wall was only five-feet high and
installed custom doors in other places to accommodate
the angled ceilings.
We did find an area for the main walk-in closet
where the ceilings sloped from 8 feet, 6 inches to 5
feet, but we also used the nooks and crannies where
the roof wasn’t bumped out to provide extra storage
for out-of-season clothes, luggage and even an
ironing board.
Some like it hot
The icing on the cake to this master bedroom was
the whirlpool tub. There was one empty corner of
the space that my client and I debated how to use.
We thought about a home office or even a treadmill,
but in the end the whirlpool tub won out. This
meant reinforcing the floor and building a platform
for the tub in order to distribute the weight. Despite
the extra work, the tub addition was definitely
worth it.
Attic conversions can really change the layout and
feeling of a house. It can reclaim livable space and become
a retreat in the home. By converting her attic into
a master bedroom suite, my client got exactly what she
wanted – a private oasis for her and her husband to get
away, relax and soak in the tub.
Kim Schroeder is an interior designer with Charisma, an
interior design firm in Winnipeg.
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12 Parade of Homes Fall 2016