10 Upstairs Loft Ideas

If you live in a smaller home or are considering one, adding a loft above the main floor can give your home greater value, better use of space, and an overall sense of openness. Because smaller homes come with a limited footprint, going vertical and adding a loft gives homeowners the chance to be more creative and flexible.

Whether you crave a quiet spot to read a book or a game room complete with an XBox, gaming headsets, and a foosball table, the options are practically endless. Look through these intriguing ideas below for the loft of your dreams.

Upstairs Loft Ideas: 10 Designs for Your Loft Space

1. Bedroom

One of the most common uses of loft spaces is as a main bedroom or extra bedroom. Because lofts typically include generous windows, these spaces are beautifully illuminated both during the day and at night. You can also consider whether it makes sense to place the bed in the center of the room or against one wall.

Make sure to include some wiggle room in your budget for special features such as a stone or wood plank feature wall and decorative light fixtures. You may also want to think about adding storage features for clothing items in the form of closets, shelving, or dressers.

2. Home Office

It is estimated that 25% of the American workforce, or roughly 36 million people, will be working remotely by 2025. As a result, many U.S. families are already trying to find ways to carve out an office somewhere in their homes.

A home loft is a perfect place to head to the office. All it requires is a comfortable desk and chair and the necessary technology to do your job, such as a computer, telephone, printer, and scanner. Adding a home office to a loft separates work responsibilities from the busyness of the main floor of the house.

3. Reading Nook/Library

By installing a few bookshelves and adding a couple of upholstered chairs, your loft can be transformed into a cozy spot where you can curl up with a cup of coffee and your favorite murder mystery novel.

Just imagine how many books you can cross off your next year’s reading list when you have your own library upstairs instead of having to make the trek over to the public library. Plus, when you have a dedicated reading spot, you’re less likely to become distracted by screen media, chores, and household duties.

4. Sitting Area

Extra seating is never a bad thing in an area where seating can be quite limited. Add a sofa, colorful rug, coffee table, and some plants to your loft space to create a quiet spot to do some knitting, work a puzzle, or read a magazine.

5. Home Gym

Did you make a New Year’s resolution to start exercising more often? Instead of having to pack up and head to the local gym every day, you can rely on your loft to provide a personalized version of the same workout.

Make it easy to work out in your new home gym with elements like a treadmill, stationary bike, rowing machine, weights, and an exercise ball. When your gym is so accessible, you’re bound to crush your New Year’s resolutions.

6. Yoga Room

If you prefer a more zen feel to a gym, consider creating a simple open space for yoga or aerobics routines that includes exercise bands, mini weights, and a mini-fridge stocked with fruit and bottled water.

Painting the room a calming color and perhaps add in an element like a beautiful skylight can help you relax and rejuvenate both your body and mind. Complete your yoga room with calming features like a white noise machine and an essential oil diffuser.

7. Children’s Playroom

Gather up all the toys you keep tripping on in your family room and put them to better use in a playroom loft for your kids. Use inexpensive storage organizers and bookshelves for toys, dolls, and books.

Are your children artistic? Add a child-sized table and chairs for art projects or a small stage area for your future ballerina. Your kids will certainly appreciate having their own zones — and you’ll appreciate keeping their messes separate from the rest of the main house.

8. Movie Room

With a small sectional, a popcorn machine, and a flat-screen TV or screen projector, you can transform your loft into the quintessential movie room. Add posters of your favorite movies and television shows to the walls, along with blackout curtains and special lighting for a dramatic effect.

9. Memorabilia Room

If you’re a music, movie, or sports fan, a loft is the perfect place for you to show off your prized memorabilia. Hang up your signed records, movie posters, and sports jerseys on the wall. Consider adding built-in shelves to accommodate any other knick-knacks you want to display.

10. Sewing Room

If you have a passion for sewing, turn your loft into the sewing room you’ve always wanted. Include an oblong table for your sewing machine and pattern cutting along with storage centers for thread, buttons, bobbins, and other essentials. When you work with a custom builder, you can even have these storage features built into your loft.

How To Bring These Visions to Life

To make all your loft dreams come true in a smaller space, work with a custom ADU home builder and designer like Cottage.

Cottage handles the entire process from start to finish to guide you through the design, permitting, and construction processes of your ADU or “accessory dwelling unit.” Cottage has a network of fully qualified, vetted, and licensed contractors to complete your project.

Thanks to Cottage’s network and experience, you’re able to get a customized home with all the features you’re looking for, including a loft, for less than you’d pay for a prefabricated home or with a design-bid-build method. With Cottage, design, engineering, site preparation, utility connections, foundation, and construction are all included.

Reach out to Cottage today for a complimentary consultation to see what’s possible with your property and budget.

Here are just a few examples of what Cottage can do:

• Cottage can design an ADU that matches the style, features, and finishes of the main home for a seamless and cohesive look.
• Cottage can help you navigate city and county regulations that determine the size, placement, and use of your ADU.
• Cottage provides you with 3D versions of your designs so that you can truly visualize your entire home before it’s built and ensure that it’s exactly what you’re looking for.
• Cottage offers an online portal where you can track the status of your project and check on different tasks that need to be completed.
• Cottage features a whole host of informational articles to provide you with everything you need to know about building an ADU.

Lofty Goals: Totally Realized

A loft is just one component of your future ADU. For even more inspiration for your home build, feel free to check out some of our recent projects or our favorite floor plans. You may want to incorporate additional living spaces, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, outside areas, and more — it’s all possible with Cottage.

Sources:

1 in 4 Americans Will Be Working Remotely in 2021, Upwork Survey Reveals | CNBC

17 Items You Need to Set up an Efficient Home Office | The Balance Small Business

The Best Home Workout Equipment 2022 | Forbes

Color Psychology: Does It Affect How You Feel? | Very Well Mind