Natural light is the absolute best interior accessory if you ask me. Nothing beats a sunlit interior to help you feel good at home. When designed right, rooftop spaces are often the ones that have the most beautiful daylight coming in, not to mention the exposed wood beams that often decorate the ceiling and the view you have when looking up at the sky or through the window. An apartment or room with a sloped roof can be a challenge to decorate, but once you get it right, it can become such a beautiful, cozy, and well-lit space.

This is why I’m so happy to have teamed up with VELUX, to give you my 5 top tips on how to decorate spaces underneath a sloped roof. You can even win a room makeover designed by me at your place with a budget of €3000 euro! You can find more info on how to participate on the VELUX Instagram or VELUX Facebook page.

Tip no.1: Flood the room with light
Making the most out of your rooftop space all starts with the windows. Did you know rooftop windows let in double the amount of daylight as a regular one? By strategically planning out the windows, you can guide natural light exactly where you want it to be and you can even create more headspace by building out part of the window.

Last week I had the opportunity to style a rooftop space here in Munich which was fitted with a VELUX CABRIO™ which allowed the space to be filled with such an abundance of daylight and a beautiful view over the rooftops in the neighborhood. While the CABRIO™ design doesn’t take up more space than a normal roof window, it can be folded out and opened up like a balcony, how cool is that?

It’s impressive what natural light in the right spot can do to a space. In case you are planning out your own rooftop apartment, VELUX has an online configurator where that guides you through the steps of selecting the right VELUX windows for your space which is a great place to start and they also have a wide variety of solutions to protect your space from heat and sun.

Tip no.2 Strategically place your furniture
When it comes to the interior of your rooftop space, you better optimize the space available as much as possible. Some areas typically require ceiling height (like storage space, or the main part of the kitchen), but other areas can easily fit underneath a lower ceiling. Think about a strategically placed bed, dining table, or office space. The really low spaces can be used for low shelving, either open or closed, and make a great display for your favorite accessories.

Image sources: Alvhem – Stadshem – Bjurfors

Tip no.3 Adjust your furniture to the room

Custom-made storage space is the best option for optimally adapting to the layout of the room, but if you don’t have the resources, you can find many modular systems, which let you design closed or open cabinets to your style and needs. Systems that come in different heights can be placed underneath the sloped ceiling and the open space on top can be filled in with baskets and beautiful storage boxes when you need extra storage space.

Images Sources: Alvhem – Bjurfors – Innerstadspecialisten

Tip no.4 make smart use of dead space
The challenge with attic spaces is usually the lower area, which can be optimally used for a built-in desk for example, or storage space, but often attic spaces come with little niches and corners that are even harder to decorate. Measure the size available and look for a way to turn the nook into a fully functional space like a wardrobe, home office, or even an open-plan bedroom like in the first picture below.

Images sources: Alvhem – Stadshem – Bjurfors

Tip no.5 Embrace your surroundings
Do you have a weird nook, beams in uncommon places? Instead of dreading them, embrace them as part of the room, as they add character and personality. A lower space by the window can be turned into an amazing window seat and that funky beam you have been dreading could be the ideal spot to dangle a statement pendant from, or the perfect spot for your favorite plant. The key to this is to leave yourself with enough time, decorating is a process and once you have the layout of the space figured out, the right accessories will come your way. Rather than seeing the awkward features as disturbances, embrace them, or even accentuate them to make your interior truly unique.

Image Sources: Ahre – Bjurfors – Alvhem 

Together with VELUX, I’m giving away a room makeover designed by me worth €3000. We are looking for the most beautiful home with VELUX windows in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland and I will consult and restyle the winner’s home in person. I myself can’t wait to start with this project and to see pictures of your amazing spaces! You can find more info on how to participate on the VELUX Instagram or VELUX Facebook page.

This blogpost was created in collaboration with VELUX, however all opinions are my own of course. If you are looking to add more daylight to your sloped or straight rooftop you can find all info on VELUX solutions on their website. They have a great inspiration section where you can see example projects as well.

The muted mint green wall color (not entirely sure, but it might be Jotun Lady Minty Breeze) in this beautiful living room transforms this classy Scandinavian interior. The living room seems to be the center of the apartment, with two light-flooded bedrooms on each side. The combination of the vintage cabinet in a darker wood tone, the light furniture and area rug, and the black and brass accents in the details goes perfectly with the color of the walls. I love the way the art pieces pop out of this wall color as well.

Both bedrooms are decorated modestly in a neutral color palette, though I love the way the wall color of the living room comes back in the vintage armchair next to the bed.

I love that the mint green wall color in this home goes more toward a grey tone, which is more muted compared to the bedroom in this Scandinavian home for example, which goes much more toward green. I like both variations but if you rather add a subtle mint green tone to your walls a more muted tone might be the way to go.

Styled by Grey Deco, photographed by Henrik Linden for Alvhem

The new release by Danish interior brand Ferm Living is something I’m looking forward to every season. They do a bigger release at the beginning of the year but have released some exciting new items a few weeks ago as well.

One of my favorites of the new collection is the asymmetrical Forma wool rug, which is great to add an extra dimension to a larger living room (I think it’s important that such a rug has enough space around the sides for it to work in a room). I also really like the Lay cushion series which features a nice contrast in textiles that look great on a neutral sofa.

Every single room in this beautiful turn-of-the-century apartment in Sweden is nothing short of amazing. The timeless furniture pieces combined with custom-fitted storage solutions and minimal and subtle decor work so nicely in this space and in every single room you can see something unique. The dining room with the solid black wood dining table and the walnut dining chairs works perfectly on the light area rug, which grounds the table into a rather large space.

The living room features an asymmetrical rug and a custom-built bookshelf that goes around the entryway toward the dining room. In the kitchen you can find another smaller dining table with beige dining chairs and a walnut round table and the bedroom shares the same color palette as the rest of the apartment, giving all the rooms a unique yet coherent look and feel.

Photographed by Alen Cordic for Bjurfors

Through those beautiful historic doors, you can walk from the living room into a calm and modestly decorated bedroom, which shines in its elegance and simplicity. I love the mixture of different beige textiles on the bed* in combination with crisp white bedlinen* and the beige area rug under the bed. Add a vintage side table and a few subtle details and create a beautiful bedroom decor.

via Alvhem

Cool wall colors tend to work nicely in a bedroom and this beautiful minty green with a touch of sage gives the perfect fresh touch to this room. The white linen bed skirt* and the vintage pieces add a romantic touch to the space and the dried flower wreath finishes of this bedroom perfectly.

via Alvhem

A triangle is not the easiest room shape to decorate, that’s for sure. Somehow the stylists of this beautiful room made it work so well though. I especially love the combination of the muted yellow bedroom walls with the burgundy wall color of the niche, which comes back in the bamboo lamp above the bed.

via Bjurfors

This wall color used to be so trendy for a bedroom a few years back, but I think it was more than just a trend. Blue just works so nicely for a bedroom and I love that the built-in wardrobe has been finished in the same color.

via Alvhem

In this bedroom, I think the vintage pieces in dark wood stand out so much. The fact that they are combined with this deep sage green color on the wall makes them stand out even better. The bed has been made with a combination of white and beige textiles and really stands out in its simplicity.

via Stadshem

Speaking of a romantic touch, these chequered bedsheets* really do it for me. I think they add so much character to the otherwise calm and tranquil bedroom.

via Stadshem

While a cooler color palette is very common in bedrooms, a combination of white and warmer beiges can give your bedroom a very soft and cozy effect. The palette warms up the white flooring of the room and I like the sheer white curtains* in front of the window as well.

via Stadshem

This bedroom looks very soft and cozy, courtesy of the beautiful mixture of textiles on the bed. The pillow covers and blankets range in size, color, and textural finish, adding an interesting play of materials to the bed.

via Bjurfors

This beautiful grey bedroom makes use of a colorful pop of pink in the artwork and the flowers on the nightstand to add a playful touch to an otherwise neutral palette. I love the one-seater in front of the window as well, for reading a book at night.

via Bjurfors

While my eye goes immediately to the smart usage of space for a little home office in the corner, what really stands out to me in this bedroom are these beautiful chequered bedsheets* adding a subtle graphic touch to the space.

via Alvhem

Art pieces can really bring an interior to another level and that’s definitely the case for this beautiful living and dining area in this Swedish turn-of-the-century apartment. I think the dining room is the most impressive room (it’s so rare as well to have a room solely for dining in city apartments nowadays isn’t it?) with the beautiful moldings on the ceiling and the large oriental rug in combination with the walnut dining table and the white series 7 chairs. The large artwork on the wall in combination with the original fireplace and the large fig tree works so nicely.

When you go through those wing doors, you can find the living area, which has been painted in a greenish-grey wall color that makes the white moldings on the ceiling stand out even better. The light area rug in combination with the white linen sofas brighten up the space so much and they guide the attention towards the art, which also in this room takes most of the attention in the space.

via Entrance Makleri

This beautiful light-flooded home with different shades of white and light grey on the wall and a white-washed hardwood flooring makes a very bright impression on the pictures, and I’m sure this effect is even stronger when you see it in real life. What stands out to me the most, however, is the vintage vitrine cabinet in the dining room which has been painted in a grey color. I think it transforms the space and adds so much character to this area.

From the shared living room and dining area, you can walk straight into the kitchen, which has been finished with white tiling that goes all the way up to the ceiling and contrasts nicely with the grey color of the cabinet fronts in shaker style. While the vintage glass cabinet is the most apparent element in the home, you can also find a vintage candle holder on the wall above the bar trolley, which is so pretty as well.

The small bedroom has a built-in wardrobe in shaker style in white, which doesn’t take up much space visually and still provides ample storage space because it goes all the way up to the ceiling. The same built-in wardrobe module can be found in the hallway as well, where I love the combination with the vintage chair and the big round mirror on the wall.

via Entrance Makleri