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Catherine is a CPA-turned-creative entrepreneur. She is the founder of Beginning in the Middle. an interior designer, photographer, writer, and business schemer.  She loves being cozy at home, miniature everything, and has a not-so-secret dream of living on an island one day.
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Chesterfield Cottage Reveal: Part 2 {Attic Bedroom}

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Update: Our bedroom renovation was featured on Apartment Therapy!  Check it out here.

Happy weekend, friends!  We’re back with part 2 of our Chesterfield reno reveal, and we’re talking all about the attic.   If you missed part 1 with photos of the exterior, living room and bathroom, you can see it here.

The attic space is on the 2nd floor of the home.  It’s a nice escape from the main level where the other bedrooms, bathroom, and common areas are.  For that reason, we designed it as a master bedroom.  Aside from making it feel less dated, we wanted it to feel cozy, open, and full of character.  We had talked about adding built-ins and cubbies, taking out the walls and widening the room, adding reading nooks – you name it, we thought of it.  But at the end of the day, we had to be realistic about our budget and timeline, and ended up leaving the walls where they were.  Instead, we did a cosmetic makeover to the existing space by removing the dropped ceiling, exposing the original beams, upgrading the banister and carpet, and painting.  Take a look!

{Before} Here’s the view looking toward one end of the room.

finalattic-beforeimg_0910

{After} We removed the dropped ceiling and paneling on the slopes and replaced it with 1×8 tongue & groove planks that we brought all the way up to the peak.  We also replaced the old, wobbly railing with a custom railing made out of cedar 4×4 posts and steel rods.’

img_3250{After} We painted the walls and ceiling Benjamin Moore Simply White, exposed the original beams, and added more lighting, including a pretty brass quatrefoil pendant. 

attic-final-1{After} We added pops of color to the neutral space by incorporating greenery, bright pillows, and a bold vintage rug.

img_1097img_3247{Before} Here’s a view of the other side of the room.

img_0912{After} Removing the dropped ceiling added another foot of ceiling height.  Exposing the beams and bringing the tongue & groove planks up to the peak was a lot of work, but very much worth it.  They not only add character to the space, but they also make the room feel larger.

attic-final-1-2{Before} The closet on the right was finished, and the closet on the left wasn’t.  Both had doors that were falling apart.

img_0913{After}  We finished the closet on the left to create more storage space, and replaced the old broken doors with drop cloth curtains.

img_1103

{Before} Here’s another look at the old closet door.

img_0849{After} And, the new one!

attic-closet

Sources

Brass pendant – World Market
Railing materials – Home Depot
Basket holding tree – Pottery Barn Outlet
Raw Edge Quilt – Target
Teal Sweater Pillows – Target
Vintage Indigo Pillow – Handmade, Bianca & Red
Rug – Dolores Wares
Small marble / brass tables – Target (similar here, also Target)
Vases, greenery on fireplace – Jo-Ann

Paint – Benjamin Moore – Simply White

Part 3 is next, and it’s the kitchen!  We’ll be back soon.  In the meantime, follow us on Instagram and Facebook for updates and sneak peaks.

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  1. Amy says:

    What a dreamy master bedroom. It’s amazing!! I love the railing and am considering doing something similar. Just wondering….do you every have issues with passing “codes” with inspection with that type of railing?

  2. […] (Image credit: Catherine of Beginning in the Middle) […]

  3. […] (Image credit: Catherine of Beginning in the Middle) […]

  4. […] From Catherine & Bryan: We designed this space as a master bedroom. Aside from making it feel less dated, we wanted it to feel cozy, open, and full of character. We had talked about adding built-ins and cubbies, taking out the walls and widening the room, adding reading nooks – you name it, we thought of it. But at the end of the day, we had to be realistic about our budget and timeline, and ended up leaving the walls where they were. Instead, we transformed the existing space by removing the dropped ceiling, exposing the original beams, building a custom railing, replacing the grimy carpet, and painting. Take a look! […]

  5. […] (Image credit: Catherine of Beginning in the Middle) […]

  6. Andrea Hoversland says:

    Before you removed the drop ceiling do you remember what the ceiling height was in there? This is SO COOL!

  7. Maggie says:

    This room is amazing! I love that railing and we love this design and are considering something similar for our house but we also need it to go down a flight of steps too. I think it would work. Is it just metal round bar stock? I just love this little cottage… especially the colors you picked for the outside.

  8. Mandy says:

    Catherine, I love your railing! Are you going to do a DIY post on how to build something similar? I’ve priced wire railings over and over but can’t afford them. I’d love to do something like yours, but am not sure about how to mount to the floor…? Also, did you place the steel bars at an angle?

    • Catherine says:

      Hi Mandy – Thanks so much! We didn’t do a tutorial this time, but will try to do one next time. To get the rods to stay in place, we drilled holes into the wood and angled them accordingly, depending on which direction we wanted the rods to go.

      • Amanda Stark says:

        Thanks, Catherine! I want to try a mix of wood horizontal supports with metal posts and your idea for the metal rods in between. I’ll let you know how it goes — appreciate the reply!

  9. Cheryl says:

    What an amazing transformation. I especially love what you did with the railing as well – may have to try that!

  10. […] Больше фотографий о превращениях старого чердака смотрите ТУТ.  […]

  11. Hanna Hughes says:

    Hi Catherine!
    I am trying to get a feel for the budget of renovating our top floor. It is about the same size of this project. Can you give me a cost estimate for removing the drop ceiling in here?

    Thanks, Hanna

  12. paul says:

    How are the vertical posts attached to the floor for strength ?
    Thanks Paul

  13. James says:

    Great transformation. Glad to see it rid of that dingy old fashioned panelling and updated with white. looks very fresh.

  14. Clarissa Yoder says:

    Hi! This looks great!! Any additional info on the carpet supplier ? Color maybe ??

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About BEGINNING IN THE MIDDLE

Catherine & Bryan Williamson moved from NYC to Columbus, OH in 2013.  Beginning in the Middle is a journal of the couple's design and renovation projects, real estate investment and Airbnb hosting journey, travel, and other life happenings.

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I grew up in New Jersey and always had a dream of living in New York.  There was something about the energy of the city that drew me inOur journey started unexpectedly in 2012, when we decided to make a big move from New York to Columbus. The glamour of climbing the corporate ladder was wearing off, and we knew that renting an expensive small apartment and dealing with crowded subways everyday was not going to work forever. We wanted to start creating something for ourselves, and although we didn’t know exactly what that something was, we knew NYC wasn’t the place for it.

We decided on Columbus because Bryan grew up here, and we were intrigued by all of the development going on in the downtown area at the time. We drove through many of the neighborhoods and admired the boarded up old houses, most of which were built in the early 1900s, and started dreaming about the things we could do here.

I'm Catherine, and I'm the founder of Beginning in the Middle.

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