A Family Expands Their Italian Apartment by Reimagining Its Cramped Attic

A growing family of four living outside Milan had a smart solution for their increasingly cramped quarters. They wanted to transform the empty attic above their apartment into more square footage, so they hired Italian design firm Archiplan Studio to put their plans into action. The team agreed that the upstairs area could be put to better use, but the designers concluded that the best way to do so would be by turning it into a living space that's fully equipped with a dining area, living room, and bathroom. They also decided that the renovation wouldn't disrupt the building's original footprint — the bedrooms would simply remain downstairs, and the work would revolve around creating a cohesive open layout that maximizes any available light. To create a unified look with distinct locales for cooking, eating, and entertaining, the designers stuck to woods like birch and durmast that coordinate with a creamy shade of white for the walls. The bright paint, in turn, magnified the sunshine from strategically-placed windows, which also illuminate cozy beams and clever built-ins. Now, the family's 1,000-square-foot home has more than enough space to meet everyone's needs, and does so stylishly.