Buying an "A Frame" (chalet) and just realized how challenging it will be to decorate!
I am closing on my house soon and somehow *just* realized that it is going to be super challenging to decorate. Not to mention that my current bedroom set that I am totally in love with will not fit in any of the bedrooms in the new house. I am going to redo the kitchen cupboards and counters after building my savings back up. My real dilemma is how to decorate these rooms?? Bedroom one has 54" vertical before the slope, bedroom 2 has 52" vertical before the slope. Both have 39" to the window sill. The upstairs bedroom has 47" vertical before the slope and 36" to the window sill. The entire back wall of the house is glass. The kitchen, living and dining are open. Even painting is kind of hard to figure out. Dont know if I should just repaint their yellow walls and leave the rest alone. This is my first house and I love it because it is so unique. I just didnt realize how hard this is going to be to decorate!
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Don't ditch your wonderful bedroom suite yet. You may be able to break it up to different bedrooms, and may even find a use for the headboard (Does it have legs? Can it be "shortened"?).
A-frames are their own challenge. THere's bound to be some decorating publications out there. Visit a book store. Search Amazon for publications. Given the size of this investment, it's worth a long look.
Whatever color will help you ease into the new space, use it. Otherwise, plan all furniture pieces that have a small footprint so you have room for walking, and for storage units (inside the home) such as small bookcases and cabinets until you can afford to have something custom built.
I noticed some people with A-frames actually had sheetrock come straight off the angled slope to give them a more boxed shape in some rooms. While this may not appeal to you yet, at some point it might. If you do opt for this, I suggest looking into having a wall such as that work double-time and come with a pull out drawer or cabinet closet. after all, you are paying for all of the real estate...
Awesome Views. Find out how much sun you will have in summer before spending any money or effort decorating. If the sun is hot for any length of time -- it will take a toll on furnishings.
For super ideas: look at cabins on the lake in areas around you, and in other areas like yours. For example: same weather patterns, sun and heat patterns, wind patterns. People plan their homes for things such as this and you may as well learn from what others have discovered as well.
The sheetrock option was used in a home with wood slat ceiling and walls. The remodel incorporated attaching sheetrock to the angled wall and bringing it straight down to the floor to create more of a wall to work with for homeowner. My only issue in doing this is if it is done, it should incorporate storage cabinets with pull outs for easy access. If your floor space is super limited and you don't need this kind of thing - ignore my idea. :=)
So this is just one site that offers ideas for using those angles to advantage. The article states the owner had doors installed. Obviously, you would probably want yours an accent color, unless they were made out of something really pretty like tiger maple. But, wow pricey. Better cost is: built with something strong and then ask the carpenter to place skins on them. Veneer sheet are so fun to look at beesto. At some point in the future, go to a great lumber company in the area. Call fist and ask them if they have veneer skins, get prices, see which ones you like.
Skins (unfinished sheets of thin wood) can also be used as drum shades for pendant lamps or accent lamps. This a very mid century look but fresh. If you like the drum shade idea, let me know, I will give you the article date, etc since it was in a magazine I clipped years ago...
ideas from a lady who does her own thing because I think she likes a project.
her drum lamp is NOT the same thing I talk about above. Mine is all about using natural wood sheets that are flexible and bend into shapes....but, her drum lamp IS interesting because she shows how you can make your own. Be careful with electrical. If you aren't comfortable doing that part - have it done after you choose which lamp you want to install :=) enjoy your new home.
First of all, and MOST IMPORTANT, how would you describe your own style? I think part of the reason the interior pictures of the house look awkward is because the previous homeowner's furniture, draperies and decorating choices really do NOT suit it. For example, the little valances they put above the windows are just weird....I'm presuming you're going to immediately remove (if they didn't take it with them) the one that bisects that wall of windows at the back of the house? It really doesn't go and is a visual distraction. What type of style/furniture/colours do you like? For example, if it were my house I'd be going with big comfy white or neutral couches downstairs (say Ikea Ektorp couch style), but coupled with old red-based Persian area rugs, wood flooring, brightly coloured accent pillows and lamps, a chandelier, etc.
Second, what kind of budget are you working with? I think down the line it would be AMAZING if you replaced the flooring, especially downstairs. I think the break in flooring styles between the kitchen and the rest of the room is very choppy - personally I don't think you can ever go wrong with a hardwood (and failing that, a good quality "mock hardwood" wood laminate. Wood flooring will warm the place up as well as "ground" the space - the fact that you currently have white walls and a white-ish floor makes the downstairs area too cold and sterile. Wood floors with big cosy area rugs under the kitchen table and in the living area would be SUCH a huge improvement. Going along with the bigger budget ideas, do you want more storage downstairs? If so, I might suggest doing white built in bookshelves along the length of the short walls downstairs.
Third, do you have a TV and if so where do you plan on putting it? For many people there is no point in trying to hide the TV if you keep it in your main living space. If you do have one and intend to have it in the downstairs living area, I would do a flatscreen installed above the fireplace. Also, what is that weird nook to the far side of the fireplace, with the little door? Is that actually just a nook and doesn't lead anywhere? If it doesn't lead anywhere, but hides something necessary to the house behind that little door, I would actually use drywall to close in that ENTIRE area, all the way to the height of the ceiling. I'd then paint it the same colour as the rest of the walls.
Paint: downstairs, I would paint out all the previous owner's "yellow bits" the same white as the rest of the walls/ceiling. I'm not usually a fan of all-white rooms but in this case the house is so complicated that I really think you should live in it for a period of time before deciding if you want a specific colour down there, or any accent walls. Note though....I would FRESHLY repaint the downstairs white, if the previous owners left the walls scuffed or dirty. I think if you replace the flooring downstairs with something wood the white walls will not look cold. Then bring warmth and colour in with area rugs and accessories. I would be a little wary of the blue/green colour scheme, given the potential for a "cold" house. Like I said, if it were me I would go with wood floors, two BIG comfy area rugs under the kitchen table and the couch area (frankly I don't think you can go wrong with a big old red-based Persian....you can get lesser quality but still beautiful ones on Ebay for cheap).
I have to get going but I'll pop in with some more ideas. I've attached a few pictures to show ideas for upstairs/downstairs storage with low walls, as well as an example of how a Persian rug can warm up a white space =)
Other thoughts: Don't try to hang any artwork on the short walls - it only makes them look shorter. Also, don't use any tall standing lamps...if you look at the pic you included of the previous owner's lighting choices in the living room area, you can see how the height of the lamp visually underscores (in a bad way) the LACK of height in the walls).
I love the style of the house and the outside pics have fired my imagination. I am currently in Norway, where although not an A frame house, we have sloping walls upstairs on the outside walls (max height on those is 43"). Fortunately all the rooms have at least one side of the room with full height wall. Essential I think for bed placement. In terms of Feng shui, sleeping with your head under sloping ceilings is a bit of a no-no. Obviously not an easy one to get around.
To add to that, we recently stayed in a boutique hotel recently where the bed was in the centre of the room, no reason other than being an unusual feature, I shall check I think I took a picture. It worked well in what was a small room. With a "high" head board there is no losing the pillows. In terms of bed types, I have invested in an Ottoman bed like this http://www.bedroomworld.co.uk/c/Ottoman_Beds.htm?affiliate=adwords&gclid=CN7e096h27MCFUZ2cAodBzEA-w
which has hidden my extras, with easy access, less dusting, and good organising. I love it!
Awesome cabin!
I think the biggest thorn in your side up there is the baseboard heaters. With low ceilings like yours the ideal window treatment to increase the sense of spaciousness would be to hang a curtain "high and wide". Basically, you make the window look extra tall by installing the curtain rod right up at the ceiling, using a mock roman blind to cover the slice of wall between the ceiling and the top of the window, and extending the curtain rod about a foot on either side. Then you get simple curtains that hang on either side, sweeping the floor. It does WONDERS for height, and I'll attach a picture so you get the idea.
Unfortunately...you have baseboard heaters, and it's a really bad idea to have curtains that cover the baseboard heater - major fire hazard. That said, it would also be really terrible if you did what the current homeowners have done and have so-called "high water" curtains, i.e. those that are only the length of the window. High water curtains like the ones in the photo just make the room (and the window) look smaller and more squat. So please - no high water curtains!
My suggestions given the limitations of the baseboard heaters would be 1) install roman blinds that also start at ceiling height, giving the illusion of a higher window, 2) install simple WHITE wide slat wooden California/plantation shutters or 3) do both, if you really need privacy or light blocking. I'll attach pictures of all the suggestions.
Other thoughts for the bedrooms...I've attached a picture of a bedroom with ceilings like yours where they actually installed beadboard on the slanted walls and the ceiling. Personally, I think it looks GORGEOUS - it lends so much character to the room while simultaneously solving the eternal problem of slanted ceilings, i.e. hmmm, what is ceiling and what is wall? In your case it would also cover up what appear to be textured ceilings, which can be a bit of a pain to paint and also kind of dated looking. I think it would also increase the sort of Scandinavian cosy appeal of your cute little house.
In terms of wall colour, I think that depends on what you do with the ceilings. If you were to go with a beadboard effect, I think you can go bolder with colour as what is "wall" is much more clearly defined. If you didn't use a beadboard effect, I personally would stick to soft neutrals, otherwise it might feel a bit like the walls are closing in on you (the way it looks right now with the charming mustard paint of the previous owners). Are any of the rooms north facing or particularly dark? If so, then I'm a big fan of going dark in dark rooms. As long as you have crisp white trim & doors then dark paint in a dark room will actually make the space feel more alive and yet more comforting.
Finally - big projects with bigger budgets! Storage in these types of rooms is always a challenge as it feels like you have no where to put furniture. I will attach a picture of some beautiful built in that you could do. As I understand it, you could get a contractor to move your baseboard heater away from the wall and integrate it into the base of your built ins.
If I run out of room to post pics I'll post some below =)
Oh, and flooring...once again - in my opinion you can NEVER go wrong with a hardwood! Failing that, I'd redo your upstairs floors in a soft cream Berber wool carpet. I've had it in houses before - it's very durable, very soothing on the feet and it also looks great if you throw an area rug or a small bedside rug over top of it.
it will make the top space open up bigger!
Jess, my style has always been pretty contemporary but I don’t really see that jiving with the new place. I am willing to switch it up and see what happens The window treatments are pretty crazy in the home now. They are leaving them too lol. I do like the sage-y greens and seafoam a lot. My couch and chair are seafoam. I have to remember to ask them if there are wood floors under the carpet. I have wood now and I really like it. I was toying with the idea of putting the tv in the basement family room and just having the upstairs living space be focused on the fireplace and some short bookshelves along the vertical. But if I did go with a tv upstairs mounting above the fireplace makes the most sense. The nook is just a little storage spot. They are tucked all over the house to take advantage of the otherwise dead space. The all white walls for awhile is pretty intriguing. I really think I want to try the cottage style but am a little leery as I have always preferred the chic over the shabby. I thought the art work on the short walls would be quite odd/off.
Thanks for the link ellie! I am going to check that bed out since I don’t have one anymore lol.
There is a closet on the same wall as the door in every room. I don’t have a budget for a remodel up front. I will have to paint and accessorize it pretty for awhile to build my savings back up before I can do any reno. Which brings up a question…a lady at work told me they make paint for formica. Have any of you heard of that or how it actually wears?
Thanks Nomad! I will try to post some palettes on here that I have been looking at. I have seen some pretty cool stuff in the cottage searches that I have been doing like a turquoise side table in a white bedroom.
Sylvester--you are getting off awesomely with the slant on your walls. Those builtins are sweet too.
It gets pretty cold here in MI. The house is on Sanford Lake, in the middle of the lower peninsula. I am going to live there year round, at least until I meet the man of my dreams and its family time lol. It’s a pretty small space for more than a couple. There will probably be quite a bit of snow when I close too, hoping it waits till after the move but I doubt it. Good luck to you and keep sharing those pics!
With the baseboards, does it matter that they are actually radiators? I thought that you could put stuff in front of them?? I need to do some research on that! Don’t worry, I wont have the kitchen curtains in the bedroom. I have been looking at beadboard and was actually thinking of putting it on the short wall in the dining room but Im not sure how that will work with the brick. The texture definitely needs to go one way or another. I am grateful that its not glitter popcorn that I saw in a couple of the place I looked at on the lake I have three north facing windows in the house, one in each bathroom and then the kitchen one but that’s open to the east wall of windows because of the open design. I am not a big fan of the vertical blinds on the wall of glass either and would like to look into some other options there. That may be a save for it project too though.
I really like those builtins and the beadboard ceiling with the blue looks super pretty! And a cottage-y look that I like!! Thanks for the posts and pics Jess!
Flowerbill, I moved here from Florida and must say that I prefer the north where you can put on more clothes and still enjoy the outdoors when its cold. In FL I didn’t want to go outside for 3 months and I LOVE the outside!!
Andy, the upstairs does have a balcony that overlooks the 1st floor living area I will see if I included that pic.
I think your idea of putting the television in the basement area is a good one.
Maintain the fireplace as a glorious focal point in the main room!
The rest of the house has a specific regional architectural style and interior design.
Things will fall into place for you when you are settled, "listen" to the ideas, but be yourself! And enjoy it!
Take a look at this! http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/mount-washington-aframe-woodsy-91851
Note how most of the furniture floats in the middle of the room or is low-slung to fit.
Perhaps you can keep the bed and get rid of the headboard. Beds are so expensive these days.
Reclaimed wood can be an interesting look, but you need to scrape and wax or poly to make sure it is safe. Or distress your own--paint and/or leave outside for awhile!
Here are drawers that get increasingly deep as they near the floor. The other is a photo of the bed. I got rid of the bed frame that made it too high for the window and the ceiling. The bedside tables wrap around and become a headboard, which is open at the back to provide access to outlets and heat.
I hope this is helpful!
I had the cabinets built by a local carpenter. How convenient to have a master carpenter in the family! That will certainly make renovations easier!
gzh351, I love your fresh green walls. Perfectly natural with the wood. Great nature vibe!!!