When we first brought our kids to see our newly purchased 1945 colonial, our teen daughter immediately called dibs on the dark and dingy walk up attic. She’s always wanted an attic space and she knew right off the bat that this was going to be hers, no matter what it took!
As a part of the attic renovation, our original plan was to install a dormer to give her more headspace and more of a “room” feeling, considering the ceiling of this space at its highest peak is only 7 feet tall. However, when we had a professional come give us a quote he informed us that we would have to raise the whole roof in order for our dormer dreams to come true. At that point we didn’t even bother to inquire anymore, it sounded a little too expensive and too intense for our liking and for our budget. Womp! Womp!
So we put our attic dreams aside for a while, until I realized our two oldest, who are both musicians would hangout up there. They set up a stool and a microphone, my daughter’s piano, and they would have little jam sessions, and even record music up there, that’s when I told my husband “maybe we should just try to make the space a little more finished since they are hanging out up there anyway.” And he agreed.
And that’s where the fun began! Enter Royal Building Products PVC Shiplap. I’ve used their products several times before, and knew it would be the perfect way to quickly transform this space from dark and dingy to bright and beautiful. *Royal Building Products provided a product donation in exchange for this post. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.


While using just drywall would have definitely been cheaper, we didn’t want to have to worry about taping and sanding, and perfect cuts and the mess (we are no professionals), and we didn’t want to have to hire it out. Plus the PVC Shiplap provides so much interest, especially in a space like this!
I kept asking my daughter if she wanted a desk, but she’s more of a homework in bed type of girl, so I put up a shelf and pulled in a thrifted chair (that I still, maybe want to paint) and now when I head up there I find her sitting at it. So this may turn into a full sized desk at some point.
We didn’t makeover the floors like I had hoped because she liked the color and texture, and I figured– hey, it’s less work for me! We cleaned them up the best we could and put a large rug down. We will (hopefully) get to them at some point. #reallife
For those of you that know my history with creating spaces for my daughter know that she and I tend to bump heads when it comes to design. She likes a more . . . let me call it “eclectic look,” while I tend to be more of a minimalist. But, so far we have compromised, but we’ll have to check back in a few months to see how she puts her own spin on this space.
You guys have seen these floating poofs, everywhere in our house(s). But I think they’ve found the perfect home here net to the daybed.
We still have a little work to do up here, like setting up a hangout spot on the other side of the attic, and sprucing up the stairway, but for now, this 17 year old is very happy! Do you have a space like this that you’d love to transform? Head on over to Royalbuildingproducts.com for my tutorial.
Looks like a beautiful space for your beautiful daughter. I love the colors.
Author
Thanks Robin <3
Wow! I am so impressed. That’s a very cool space and you added square footage to your home. Win-win!
Author
Thank you Ella! It’s a really great addition to the home <3
I love her room and the quirkiness of the attic space! Can you tell me where her wall sconces are from? I am looking for my daughter’s room and these are perfect! Thank you
Author
Thank you so much! They’re from Ikea, they’re called Flugbo Wall lamps, I scored then for like $10 a piece in store.🙌
Thank you! It seems as though they are discontinued, but I found one on OfferUp! Appreciate your help!