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Remodeling Design Dilemma home office

Attic access in office

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

Any thoughts on how to be deal with a visible attic access in my 1940 bungalow? It will go in my office/library, which is across from the kitchen nook. That wall is 14’ with a pair of pocket doors creating a 6’ opening. The suggestion is to center the access just behind the door, 30-36 wide and 22” deep.

i will have four recessed lights and want to put this deco light centered. I love this fixture but wonder if having the attic access there will deter from the light.

https://www.rejuvenation.com/catalog/products/jordan-valley-2-1-4in

(I would get ORB with plain etched shade, the picture on the left)

Do I try to make the attic access look better (i saw a simple deco panel on Pinterest) or make is simple so it disappears? The room is just 10’ wide, so if the access panel is close to the door, there will be about 18-20“ before the 20” deco pan.

The only other possible option is to put it in the corner on that same wall. But I want to have tall bookshelves and with the rafters, it would be 3” from one wall (so goodbye tall bookshelf). There is no other place to put it (front bedrooms are not ideal and are original to the house; the rafters would need significant reframing etc. No closets; can’t put in the garage or an exterior panel on the table, etc)

Thoughts? thanks for your help!

Comments (5)

PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
4 years ago
Put it where it is the least visible or use the panel to make it disappear. I never notice my attic entry in my walk in closet.
girl_wonder thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
ci_lantro
4 years ago
An eye candy of a light will attract attention to ceiling. Probably not what you want to happen.
girl_wonder thanked ci_lantro
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This is our house. The living room is in the bay window. The second floor bedroom is in the rectangle window above the living room. There is a cold zone between the floors that cools any forced air heat before it reaches the bedroom. When we removed part of the wall in the staircase, a cold breeze blew between the first and second floor. The main floor closet is to the left of the front door, not in the correct spot to add insulation. After adding insulation between the floors we could replace the living room ceiling. Maybe access doesn't need to be permanent. Here is where we are making changes to the staircase. Its cold and breezy in this spot.
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girl_wonder
Original Author
4 years ago
Thanks ci_lantrio. You’re probably right (even though that’s not what I wanted to hear.) Maybe I’ll tone down the fixture and install something more simple . And wait until the access is in place before deciding. After I posted, my architect stopped by to discuss other things and this came up. He dis-recommended trimming the access (What my GC had recommended) but said that the access panel can be built so it’s flush with the ceiling and there can be just a thin line where the panel sit’s in the ceiling. He said it’s more work but has a better result. My GC is on board, so we’ll see how this turns out. Thanks again for your comment.
suezbell
4 years ago
Is the attic access a doorway to steps or is it an overhead pull down stair?

IF it is a doorway, would it be possible to make the door to the attic access a bookcase and the doorway "hidden"?

https://www.google.com/search?q=bookcase+as+hidden+door&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjipPPyyv_mAhXqguAKHbkLAOkQ_AUoAnoECA0QBA&biw=1366&bih=628#spf=1578884448673

If it is a set of steps that pull down from the ceiling, just paint it the same color as the ceiling and let it visually disappear as much as possible. If there is a pull cord, there are tools that you could use to reach a higher cord with a loop -- emphasis on with a loop -- essentially a sturdy broom handle with a hook on the end..
girl_wonder thanked suezbell
girl_wonder
Original Author
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Omg yes I would love a bookcase as a hidden door but unfortunately it’s in the ceiling. Not even with pulldown stairs. (Those units are huge; the compact one I found felt too small/unstable to use). We’re going for the smallest opening 22x30 with the goal of making it disappear.

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