Addison’s Attic Playroom and Dreamy Bedroom

Written by

published Feb 10, 2011

We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

Name: Addison
Location: Madison, WI

When Addison’s fantasy-filled attic playroom was featured as part of a Green Tour on Re-Nest, it won the hearts of readers. Parents Lynn and Steve transformed the attic space–along with Addison’s bedroom and bath–when they renovated their 1860’s carriage house in Madison, WI. Creative and budget-minded, the couple found the majority of building materials and supplies at Habitat for Humanity ReStore, along with favorite thrift stores. They were happy to let us take a closer look at the dreamy spaces they created for their daughter.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Attic playroom. Lynn and Steve salvaged the gingerbread trim from the renovation of Lynn’s brother’s house, which is just down the street. (Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
The barn is a thrift-store find, decorated with circus artwork found on the internet. (Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
Attic playroom (Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
Attic playroom, reading nook (Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
Attic playroom (Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
Attic playroom (Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
Bedroom. Steve and Lynn placed numbers on all of the doors as a tribute to the home’s days as a boardinghouse for Civil War soldiers. (Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
Lynn added a rendering of the family’s previous home to a thrift-store dresser. (Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
The couple mounted the bathroom fixtures at a height suitable for their young daughter. The wall-mounted sink can be raised as she grows. (Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

How would you describe the look and feel of each room?
The bedroom is both contemporary and old-fashioned. I wanted it to have a cozy feel and to be a place that is warm and imaginative. It’s a room a child can read in, dream in, and make a mess in!

The attic is pure childhood. There is a playhouse for pretending, a reading nook, and the trees and clouds are so that Addison can have a sense of being outside during the long Wisconsin winters.

What is your favorite piece or element in each room?
In the bedroom, it’s the rocking chair with the quilt my grandmother made me when I was 13 years old. We love that sense of being wrapped up with our child in our family’s history.

In the attic, our favorite element is the trees. They just take the whole space to a fun place.

What was the biggest challenge decorating each room?
The paneling in the bedroom, which we painted over with trees and birds. In the attic, the biggest challenge was camouflaging the heating ductwork. We turned it into a reading seat and the playroom’s sink and stove.

What do your friends say about the rooms?
Everyone loves the attic because it is big enough for the kids to play in and for the adults to have their own space to talk.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Do you have any advice for parents creating a room for their child?
Create the room you would have loved as a child, and you can’t go wrong.

If money were no object, what would be your dream source:
Any antique store. Having old pieces brings a charm and a character that nothing else can.

Resources:

Paint: The sky blue in the attic is from Hallman Lindsay. For the other colors, we purchased a neutral color for $5 a gallon from Habitat for Humanity ReStore, and then mixed it with universal tints to get exactly what we wanted.

Bedroom lamp: a thrift-store find. We spray painted the shade and added trim for a more modern touch.

“Addison” wall hanging: We purchased the letters and ribbon at a craft store and did the project with Addison.

Bed skirt and curtains: thrift store

Attic lanterns, dollhouse, and circus barn: all from thrift stores. For the barn, I printed the circus posters off the computer and then glued them on.

Gingerbread trim in attic: salvaged from renovation of my brother’s house

Thanks, Lynn, Steve, and Addison!

(Images: Therese Maring)

Interested in sharing your child’s room with Ohdeedoh? Contact the editors through our Nursery & Kids Room Submission Form. In addition to working with some readers to feature full tours, we will also share the best as “My Room” posts on Ohdeedoh — short, quick tours of great rooms.