A well-designed and high-quality attic wardrobe provides the opportunity for rational use of attic space. The article talks about the complexity of installation, design features and structures of attic cabinets. The proposed material contains information about the advantages of cabinet and built-in furniture, types of door facades and their design, and offers recommendations for selection.
Built-in wardrobe in the bedroom interior Source remont-samomy.ru
About the difficulties of furnishing an attic
It is not for nothing that the attic is considered the most unusual room, the highlight of the house. Whatever you plan to arrange in it - a bedroom, an office, a nursery or a library, the original outlines will make the room cozy and romantic. However, there are pitfalls along the way of arranging an attic. A typically small space with a tapering ceiling and sloping walls can cause a lot of trouble in the furnishing process.
Great difficulties arise when choosing a suitable cabinet - it is useless to look for a ready-made model on sale with parameters that match the shape of your attic. The problem is solved in different ways. Sometimes (if the room is large enough), inclined structural elements are covered with plasterboard and you get an ordinary room with the correct geometry. If the room is small, such an operation will turn it into a storage room for unnecessary things. If you like the complex geometry of space, you can go another, more rational route; Using built-in wardrobes will help preserve the uniqueness of the attic and benefit from it.
Non-standard option Source pinterest.nz
Preliminary work
In order to begin cosmetic repairs in the attic, you will first have to carry out preliminary work, which involves several stages:
- cleaning - you need to get rid of trash, wash the floor and brush away cobwebs;
- assessment of the general condition - are there any cracks in the roof, are the boards in the floor sagging, are the walls collapsing, are the beams holding well in place;
- bringing the general condition in order - cracks need to be patched (and, possibly, the roof needs to be re-roofed), boards in the floor in problem areas should be replaced, walls should be cleaned and possibly re-coated, beams should be replaced.
Beautiful dining area
When the room is left empty, echoing and clean, all that remains is to refine it:
- carry out communications - otherwise there will be no light in the attic, and in winter it will be cold in it;
- ensure sound insulation - to do this, check how well you can hear from below what is happening in the attic, and, if necessary, lay a layer of soundproofing material;
- provide warmth - heating alone is not enough, you need to cover the walls with heat-insulating material (this can be either cheap mineral wool or more expensive synthetic materials).
Wood frame
When the work is completed - on your own or with the help of specialists - you can move on to the more enjoyable part: cosmetic repairs.
Features of designing cabinets for the attic
When designing a closet for an ordinary room, it is enough to know the dimensions of the room. Designing a cabinet for an attic with a sloping roof is complicated due to the characteristics of the attic space, the configuration of which may have the following features:
- Sloping ceilings (with varying heights) and walls with projections.
- Non-standard window placement.
- Protruding support and load-bearing beams.
- Non-standard attic geometry : turned corners and rounded areas.
The attic space needs and can be used functionally; Cabinets can be of great help in this regard. Properly designed furniture of high quality allows you to use the space with maximum benefit.
Stylish office in the attic Source pinterest.co.uk
When creating a project (regardless of what needs the attic is equipped for), do not forget about some important points:
- Attic accent . In most cases, the closet is the largest and therefore the central element of the decor; At the same time, both its appearance and functionality are important. The design of any design must take into account the needs of the owners, fit into the interior and save space.
- Lighting . Natural sunlight in the attic is part of its charm. Therefore, when choosing materials for a cabinet under an attic roof, you should give preference to light options that will not create the impression of a bulky object that absorbs precious meters.
- Disguise . If the wall has an unevenness (slope), the built-in structure will help hide it. The top line of the cabinet, repeating the slope of the ceiling, will emphasize the uniqueness of the attic space and create the impression of completeness of the decor.
Children's room in the attic Source pinterest.com
Types of cabinet designs
The choice of location for the attic closet is influenced by the relative position of the windows and doors, the arrangement of other furniture and the overall design idea. The easiest way to determine a suitable position is by measuring, taking into account the selected cabinet design, which can be one of three types:
- Cabinet (frame). The shape of the cabinet exactly follows the geometry of the walls and ceiling slope. This piece of furniture has a back and side walls.
- Built-in (with false frame). Shelves are installed in the chosen location, which are then covered with a façade or left open, as you like.
- Dressing rooms . A current type of attic arrangement that allows you to comfortably place clothes and shoes. The dressing room can be the size of a spacious closet, or it can occupy a significant part of the attic space, becoming a separate room.
Built-in wardrobe with a mirror facade Source yandex.com
See also: Catalog of companies that specialize in house design.
In order for the built-in wardrobe in the attic to serve its owners properly, special attention is paid to the proper arrangement of doors. Sloping ceilings, which give the room an elegant look, at the same time create problems not only when arranging, but also during the use of furniture, if this is not taken care of in advance. Cabinets intended for use in the attic are equipped with the following types of doors:
- standard swing ;
- folding (tram accordion doors);
- compartment door.
Furniture with hinged doors is considered unsuitable for an attic room. Such door facades can rarely open completely - in a certain place the moving door will rest against the slope of the ceiling. Another option is common when the ceiling does not interfere, but an open door will not allow you to use the area in front of the cabinet more efficiently. It is also not always possible to improve the situation by rearranging the furniture.
Symmetrical wardrobe Source pinterest.ca
See also: Catalog of projects of houses with an attic presented at the exhibition “Low-Rise Country”.
Considering such inconveniences, it seems right to choose models with folding or beveled swing doors, or a more common type - a sliding wardrobe. Popular solutions for attic cabinets under slopes are as follows:
- Wardrobe design . The standard design is equipped with rollers sliding along guides. The beveled design is equipped with an additional set of guides and rollers.
- Design of a hinged attic wardrobe . It differs from the usual one in the way the hinges are hung - they are secured so that the beveled sash opens freely.
- Combination _ Sometimes the design combines both options - a swing system and a straight wardrobe.
Furniture
The attic suggests minimalism of things. Don't block the room with too many objects. But a sloping ceiling will not provide such an opportunity.
Low-compact used furniture, shelves, walls. If you need to place tall items, place them on vertical walls.
Cabinet shape
For attics it is necessary to make structures of various shapes; the most popular include:
- Cabinet furniture . Common types: linear sliding wardrobes, radius (concave and convex), corner models (L-shaped), trapezoidal (symmetrical and asymmetrical). Such products are inferior to their built-in counterparts in terms of capacity and ease of use.
- Built in furniture . The popular ones include both a trapezoidal model (with two bevels in the upper part) and models with one bevel, or angular. The door leaves follow the shape of the structure - the side facades have bevels.
Built-in model Source pinterest.com
Recommendations for choosing a cabinet
Most specialized organizations involved in the manufacture of furniture recommend choosing built-in rather than cabinet models for the attic space. This advice is based on the significant advantages of such products:
- Cheaper . A built-in wardrobe is much more practical than bulky traditional furniture with a solid body. Making a full-fledged cabinet, the shape and dimensions of which must be adjusted to the profile of the ceiling, is a painstaking and time-consuming process, the results of which in the end will still be hidden from view.
- Ease of use . Thanks to well-thought-out shelving systems that serve as the basis for built-in furniture, the closet under the roof slope is stylish, comfortable to use and spacious. The cost of shelving shelves does not have a strong impact on the final price, being compensated by savings on the manufacture of the cabinet part.
Video description
About coplanar cabinet sliding systems in the following video:
- Variety . Often, owners give preference not to a wardrobe, but to open shelving sections. In this case, not metal systems, but laminated chipboards (laminated chipboards) can be used to make furniture.
There are also some disadvantages to using built-in wardrobes:
- Inability to move . Built-in furniture is designed to fit the dimensions of a specific opening in the attic; You won't be able to move it to another location.
- Increased assembly cost . The sliding wardrobe does not have a back wall and other planes, which makes it cheaper than its cabinet counterpart. However, installing a built-in structure takes five hours or more, while assembling a cabinet product takes an average of three to four hours.
- Attention to quality finishing . If you decide to install open shelving, you need to make sure that practical (non-staining and wear-resistant) materials are chosen for the finishing of the room.
Paneled facade Source eduinfoline.com
Facades and their design
The filling of attic cabinets and dressing rooms does not differ from the filling of traditional structures; The same accessories and fittings are used. Built-in wardrobes in the attic under the slopes are equipped with drawers, shelves, consoles, rods and baskets of any system. Door facades have a beveled shape and can be designed in several ways:
- Whole cloth . Made from solid wood or MDF; the facade can be paneled, veneered, painted, laminated.
- Frame canvas . It consists of a frame (usually wooden) and insert material. The latter can be glass, bamboo, rattan or plastic.
Color spectrum
Most often, calm natural tones are used when decorating the attic.
But if you want to give the room a unique feel, you can use contrasting colors on a medium or high wall. This will also help make the ceilings in the room higher.
Cabinet lighting: beautiful and practical
Very often, despite a sufficient number of windows and artificial light sources, attic closets and dressing rooms are equipped with an additional lighting system. Such a technical addition solves two problems at once: aesthetic and utilitarian - it’s convenient when there is an illuminated area in front of the mirror, and it’s easier to look for the right things in the light. Lamps are installed in a mortise or overhead manner; Depending on the type of lamps used, there are halogen, LED and fluorescent lamps, as well as LED strip.
Lighting in the dressing room Source pinterest.fr
LED lamps are increasingly used when designing cabinets; They are attractive due to their efficiency, long service life and operational safety. The spectrum that closely matches natural light makes them convenient for use in both external and internal lighting. Lamps with LED elements can be found in the canopy of the dressing room and in the internal sections, where their combination with a motion sensor would be practical. Such an automatic system will save you from having to turn on the light when opening the door and remembering about it when closing it.
Maximum use of space Source pinterest.com
Window
Most often, windows become the main design element and the main source of light. It is not customary to close them, and if necessary, you can use translucent curtains or blinds.
They try to install the bed or chairs near the window.
The attic can become your favorite place in the whole house, and a photo of the attic floor will help you choose the desired style and finish.
