Loft(y) Goals

If it's true that you're not a "real" grownup until you and your significant other opt to give each other home improvement projects for Christmas instead of actual gifts, then... we have arrived! For Christmas, we decided to finish the unfinished loft above the front entry to the house. 

Before we started, the loft was really just Tilly's hangout. We put a cat tree up there for her, and she was pretty happy about it. She'd jump onto the kitchen counter, then to the top of the fridge, and then to the upper cabinets and hop over to the loft. To us, however, it seemed like wasted space.

Before: Tilly hanging out in the unfinished loft

The first step was the floors, which we decided to tile. We couldn't find the exact tiles that were used in the living room and kitchen, but we got something very close. It was our very first foray into tiling and was quite the learning experience. But it turned out nice, and that's all that matters. ;-)

Next, we installed railing. We opted for a more modern style wire railing that has a low profile to avoid making the loft look heavy or feel small. The plan is to replace the railing in the rest of the house with this style in the future. 

Finally, we had to make a ladder. We came up with the idea to have a little climbing wall to get to the loft, but wanted it to look like it belonged in the house. Since plastic holds wouldn't do, we set about shaping wooden ones and building a strong foundation for the climbing wall. We love how this "ladder" turned out. 

To turn the loft into a dreamy reading nook, we added a rug, chair and ottoman, side table, lamp, and a floor pillow. And yep, Tilly's cat tower is still up there. She seems to love the new space (and the cozy throw knitted by our friend, Anise) even more than when it was all hers.