Loft Updates - Finished Drywall and Kitchenette Plans
/Loft Renovation
When I last posted about the loft, I talked about how we had ripped out the carpeting, torn off the paneling and most of the drywall, and demoed the kitchenette. Well, the loft has made some big progress since then, so let’s dive right in and see what’s been going on!
What’s New
After we made all the aforementioned changes, we took the opportunity while the walls were still opened up to have our HVAC guys move the split unit on the far wall up so it’s less of a focal point and gives us more wall space to hang artwork.
We were also able to install the electrical for allll the lights (18 of them!) going into this room.
Before we got in too deep with putting things back together, we ended up having a couple of warmish days that made us realize it was in our best interest to insulate the ceiling and reinstall drywall, rather than leaving the rafters exposed. It’s a bit of a bummer because I liked the look of the exposed rafters but it’s obviously the smart choice concerning our utility bills.
But don’t worry, ripping down the original ceiling wasn’t all for nothing - we gained over a foot of height! (You can see the difference in the last picture.) I should also mention that in order to drywall the ceiling, we decided to remove the remaining trusses to make drywalling easier - with plans of reinstalling them after the drywall was complete.
After 3+ weeks of drywall dust creeping throughout my house, I’m happy to say that it’s now complete!
The Inevitable Change in Plans
Unfortunately, as with all renovations, we ran into an unexpected issue - the trusses aren’t fitting back on the ceiling as nicely as before we drywalled. We talked about modifying them enough to get them to fit, but since they’re over 12 inches tall each and we JUST gained that much headspace, Lucius used this as a “sign” that we should do something else. Instead, he proposed installing doubled-up 1x10 beams and presented me with this inspiration picture.
Our initial plan was to paint the trusses matte black like the ceiling. Since the new beams won’t be as imposing as the original trusses, we think we can get away with staining them to match the floors. We’d also like to incorporate some black brackets, like in the image above, to pull in some of that industrial flair.
Next Steps and Kitchenette Planning
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The next step: PAINTING! As much as I love painting, this is especially exciting because I got a fancy new paint sprayer! I’ll let you know how it goes. I’m picturing quite the adventure consisting of a full body suit (coveralls?), a respirator, and goggles. Sounds like my idea of a good time!
Until I can find the time to paint, I’ve been daydreaming about the kitchenette and putting my ideas together in digital form.
Here’s a shot of that side of the room in real life as it stands now for comparison.
Let me break down the design for you (because I love this part!).
We’d like to install black cabinets, possibly from the IKEA Sektion line - likely with a flat front as opposed to the ones in the mood board. We’ll also install a new sink and matte black faucet. We’re still discussing the type of countertop we’d like to use and the color of the sink, but I’m really liking the combination in the picture above.
I played around with some different shelf ideas as well and finally landed on the staggered design above. We’re picturing wood shelves with pipe brackets. We’ve already bought these sconces to go across the top and we’ll finish everything off with a brick tile backsplash all the way up to the ceiling.
While I’ve been thinking about the kitchenette, Lucius, on the other hand, has been prepping for the finished room by… buying a pool table. He actually found a really nice one on Facebook Marketplace about an hour from here and snagged it!
Final Thoughts
We’re still a little ways off from actually putting the room back together, but it’s too much fun not to think about! Hopefully, soon I’ll be sharing a painted (and maybe floored???) room. Follow along on Instagram stories for the latest updates!
