Our Master Suite in the Attic!

I'm so excited to share my master suite in the garret of my 1894 home.  My neighbor CoraLee, who lives in a home built by her grandfather next door, her grandfather was the brother of my home's original owner, CoraLee says a garett is an occupied attic. But my friend Anthea, also an antique dealer, who is Engish, says it has to be shabby and cold to be a garret, which the dictionary rather bears out.  She says that my master suite is more of a pent house. She's so sweet!  Anyway, vernacular aside, here we go. 

Within a month or so of buying this home back in 1997, we poked our heads up through a 2 by 2 foot access in the ceiling of a closet and found that our very tall attic was open framed!! The center of the attic was 15 feet tall!  I started right then spinning dreams of an attic bedroom with slanted ceilings like those I'd read about in The Little Princess and Anne of Green Gables. 

We had a staircase built in 2000, Scott put in a floor the next year, but a job change put things on hold until we had dormers built along with our reroofing last year. 

A shoulder injury compromised Scott's ability to frame and Sheetrock, so we hired a talented neighbor, Gordon, to do that for us. 

As you can see we are done with walls and doors for the most part and I am decorating the suite in red and white. This cabinet hides our flat screen TV. 

We had to be careful in using furniture, as most of what we had was too tall for the short walls. 

The bed area's slanted back wall nixed my dreams of a fancy headboard, but the wall shape and stained glass eyebrow window suggest a headboard. Don't you think? 

This light fixture has been stored in this attic for 14 years.  It was a shiny brass, so it got a coat of white paint. 

The highest point in the room is now 8 feet, but all the slopes require constant vigilance to keep from bumping one's head. 

So when I saw this sign atTreasures   antique mall I knew it would make the perfect joke. I just outlined it with red and white washi tape so it wouldn't get lost on the white wall. 

I'd planned to leave the bathroom door's original chippy finish, but next to the new red paint on the cupboard doors we used for the closet, I foresee a new coat of red paint for it too. 

This is the 1880's fainting couch, ala hide-a-bed,  I also found at Treasures Antique Mall where I work!  The extra bed space will be perfect for sleepovers with the grands. 

Just for fun I thought I'd share the before picture of the fainting couch. 

  It went directly to my friend Arlene's house for its makeover. Doesn't she do lovely work. Laura of Dear Lizzie fame once said Arlene is S'marvelous, I can't  think of a better word to describe her, and we've been friends for more than forty years. 

This is what it looks when opened. We'll need a thin IKEA mattress to roll up and stash. 

Today Scott is getting the tub installed, with the help of my son Ben, so maybe next week I can share the bathroom as well. 

We are loving our larger master suite, it is 450 sf as opposed to our former master bedroom which was 225 sf!  

Thanks for sharing my dream come true!!