I came up with that very punny title of this post all by myself. That’s right, we’re talking about our loft today. And in case you don’t know where that is in our house, it’s the open space to the right when you get to the top of our stairs. It’s not a room that we needed, but it came with the floor plan so here we are.
I’ve been wanting to tackle the loft because it’s going to serve as our second guest space because sometimes we have multiple sets of people who want/need to stay at our house. Because while our new basement sectional is nice, I’d rather give our friends and family an actual bed to sleep on. The plan has always been to get a sleeper sofa so the room can function as an upstairs sitting area and bedroom when needed.
I’m not going to lie, I have approximately 20 projects going right now– loft, deck, Owen’s bedroom, Emmett’s nursery, playroom, our bedroom, guest bedroom. I feel like there are 55 tabs open in my brain right now. I know I do it to myself, but I’ve found that I need to dabble around and give myself time to think about stuff. So while I’m marinating on what bed/headboard to get for the guest bedroom, I’m searching for curtain rods for the loft. It also doesn’t help that we’ve been out of town every other weekend for the past 6 weeks so it’s hard for me to work on stuff on the weekdays when Brad isn’t home to help with the kids. Two kids is no joke, you guys. Preschool started last week though. Praise be.
And instead of giving you radio silence, I figure I’ll take you along for the ride as I work on this room instead of sharing one big room makeover post. Don’t worry, this won’t be a long, drawn out thing. And if you absolutely hate this format, I can go back to doing reveals for all the other rooms I’m working on. I’m flexible.
I played around in Photoshop and came up with this mock up for the main wall in the loft. The plan includes a sectional sleeper sofa with a chaise. I’ve always wanted a sofa with a chaise. I think it’ll be nice for lounging while watching TV or reading. Plus, if we have friends who stay with us, one of their smaller humans can sleep on the chaise while they sleep on the sofa bed. I decided a gray sleeper sofa was a safe, neutral choice– something we can keep around for years.
And since we’ve spent a small fortune on professional photos, I figure it’s best to start printing off those puppies and throwing them up on the walls. To keep everything cohesive, I’m going to do black and white photos in brass frames with white mattes. A satin gold side table will tie into the brass frames.
To break up the greige wall color and carpet and gray sofa, I’m going with a blue rug. I bought the two navy buffalo check ottomans when they were on sale months ago, not knowing where I’d put them– I just knew I had to have them. I don’t know if I’m 100% sure about them in this space but I’m going to try to make it work. Maybe add in some more navy?
The amazing people at Interior Define graciously partnered with me on the Charly sectional sleeper sofa with left chaise in Ecru monochromatic plush fabric. It’s beautiful in person. The monochromatic plush is very soft, and it’s one of their kid-friendly fabrics. Like with any sleeper sofa, the part of the sectional with the bed is firmer than the chaise, but that’s to be expected. Plus, with any couch, I’m sure it’ll get a little softer with use. The chaise is very comfy– I’ve already spent a couple evenings camped out there while working on my laptop. And get this– the bottom cushion of the chaise velcros to the sofa structure so it doesn’t slip off. It’s the little things, you guys.
Did I mention that the tops come off of the ottomans for added storage? Or, in our case, a place for Owen to hide his toys.
On the wall opposite of the sectional, I have a foyer table with a small TV flanked by pale pink lamps I found at HomeGoods back in early 2017. I need to style the table some more and hide the lamp and TV cords. And if I’m being honest, my original plan was to use my late grandparents’ buffet in place of this table. But that sucker is hea-vy, so it currently lives in my office because Brad refuses to attempt to move it up into the loft. I guess I’ll have to hire a couple a guys to do that for me when I start working on my office and the buffet will have to get the boot.
I probably won’t keep that chair in the loft. It doesn’t match the table wood or the wooden feet on the sofa or ottomans.
Here’s my list of things I need to finish the room:
SOURCES
sectional … Interior Define
ottomans … Target
side table … Target
foyer table … World Market
blue chair … Craigslist
faux fiddle leaf fig … Pottery Barn
basket … Target // similar
pink pillows … Target // similar // similar // similar
pink throw … Target // similar // similar
light pink lamps … HomeGoods // similar // similar
light blue lamp … HomeGoods
faux fern … Target // similar
brass pineapple … Paper Source
Eugénie says
August 30, 2018 at 9:30 AMI love it.
I would maybe consider a wallpaper too, to add a little bit of fun. It can be behind the couch so it’s not seen from downstairs.
And if you want to go read in that comfy chaise, I would strongly suggest a reading lamp and a little bookcase. But, up to you !
That couch looks lassic but timeless. 🙂
Chelsea @ two twenty one says
September 10, 2018 at 11:34 PMGood ideas! Yes! I love the couch! I don’t see it going out of style for a long time.
Caitlin says
August 30, 2018 at 9:33 AMi like that couch a lot! What about a larger lamp on the side there, maybe a floor lamp instead, bring some light up? Just thinking out loud. Thanks for sharing, i like to see how things get put together as they go vs. one reveal post.
Chelsea @ two twenty one says
September 10, 2018 at 11:35 PMGood idea about the lamp! I’m glad you like the idea of sharing the space as I go!
Allison Passon says
August 30, 2018 at 9:44 AMThat beautiful! I love that you are taking us along while you make your updates.
I also love that you aren’t afraid to use pink! I know that I am!
Chelsea @ two twenty one says
September 10, 2018 at 11:36 PMThank you! Living in a house with three guys, I gotta get pink in somewhere. Hah!
Dorinda Selke says
August 30, 2018 at 9:52 AMThe loft is looking really great so far! I especially love the chaise. Was thinking even a few navy buffalo check or solid navy pillows would bring in a little more of the navy ? Just an idea?!? Can’t wait to see all your designing and final results ?
Chelsea @ two twenty one says
September 10, 2018 at 11:37 PMThanks, Dorinda! Yeah, pillows is another good idea!
Elise says
August 30, 2018 at 11:39 AMI love following along as you go instead of one big reveal post. I’m excited to see you decorate this space for Christmas too – additional Christmas tree up here? 🙂
Chelsea @ two twenty one says
September 10, 2018 at 11:37 PMHopefully this space is finished by Christmas…. Hahaha. I’m mostly kidding.
Rachel Steck says
August 30, 2018 at 12:43 PMI love it! and I wanna come visit…just sayin’
Chelsea @ two twenty one says
September 10, 2018 at 11:38 PMThanks, Rachel!
Erin says
August 30, 2018 at 12:47 PMI love this new format, so much more fun to see the process evolve over time! I second the idea of a floor lamp! If this is going to be used a guest space, I would strongly recommend a place for guests to put their “stuff” – not necessarily to unpack, but at least a a table top, shelf or drawer to put a book and their eyeglasses and any medications – especially if it can be out of sight. This is especially important if you want the space to function as a sitting area while they are visiting, or if you want to keep curious fingers off of grandmas’s reading glasses! Also, we have a similarly open space in our house, and wireless headphones have been wonderful for using the TV when we don’t want to disturb sleeping kids or people downstairs.
Chelsea @ two twenty one says
September 10, 2018 at 11:50 PMThanks, Erin! Good ideas on the place for guests’ stuff and wireless headphones. I’ll have to figure that out.
Lori says
August 30, 2018 at 4:39 PMLove the sofa (couch)! I have a question (yeah I’m old and also a terrible decorator)….why would a rug be needed? Just for contrast/color? We don’t have any rugs on top of our carpeting….just wondered!!
Lori says
August 31, 2018 at 9:49 AMWell DUH just ignore my comment! I see in your post how you are using the rug to break up the greige.
Chelsea @ two twenty one says
September 10, 2018 at 11:52 PMHah! No worries! Since that space connects to the stairway, which connects from downstairs, it’d be tricky to paint it a different color. Plus, the rug would be more cost effective than hiring someone to paint (scaffolding would be needed for the stairway).
Tayra says
August 30, 2018 at 11:45 PMI love it!! Also love this format. I like to see the progress of the space and your thought process. What did you use to create your idea picture again?!
Chelsea @ two twenty one says
September 10, 2018 at 11:52 PMThanks, Tayra! Glad you like it! I used Photoshop.
Chris says
September 4, 2018 at 9:39 AMWe are in the process of building a new house and I’m anticipating (while sort of dreading at the same time!) the day when I can start decorating. I’m thoroughly enjoying following along as you decorate your home. I absolutely love what you’ve done with the loft and can’t wait to see how the photos look when they’re framed and hung. Keep the posts coming! Also, I like the new format.
Chelsea @ two twenty one says
September 11, 2018 at 12:16 AMCongrats on the new build, Chris! It’s kind of overwhelming when thinking about decorating an entire house. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to rush it just to fill spaces. I’d rather take my time so I’m not regretting things and redoing them a year later.