Hi! Happy Monday. I thought it’d be nice to kick off this new week with a bright, happy, inspiring makeover from our dear friend, Hilton Carter. Shall we step inside? (Take your coat off. We’ll catch up.) Now, you might know Hilton from his series of hit books, his incredible Plant Rants, or from his fabulous Target collection…but today, we’re hanging out inside his newly-renovated attic. It’s the hit of positive energy and cheery light that we could all use on these dark fall nights – you’re going to love it.
Let me catch you up to speed: with a second daughter on the way, Hilton needed to carve out space for a usable guest room. “Before this, the third floor was mainly used for storage and my Peloton,” he says. “It wasn’t insulated and of course was the hottest room in the house. Great for working out, but not for having guests stay over. Two of the dormers were used for storage and the other for HVAC.”
Hilton needed to make it guest-ready as quickly as possible – “mainly [for] in-laws visiting to help with the kids at the moment,” he says” – and undertook a few key transformations. He replaced the falling plaster with new drywall; he removed the carpeting and had the floor insulated; he updated the HVAC; he chose to open the ceiling to give the room more height (such a wise call!); he removed a dormer; and he carved out space for two new skylights. “I can’t exist in space without plants, so in order to make sure any plants brought into this room could live their best life, I needed to add more daylight. So we added two skylights and let the skies in!”
“For me, it was exciting seeing the roof getting cut open and seeing the light fall into the room.
And then: design inspiration. “The carpet covering the floor had to go and just as you would expect, there was nice wood flooring underneath,” Hilton says. “But it would have taken a lot to restore them to look as nice as the floors and the rest of the house.” He turned to a trusted friend, Leanne Ford, who “convinced me to paint them white…like, Leanne Ford white…like, WHITE WHITE,” Hilton says. “And as she does it, ALL WHITE EVERYTHING.”
He complemented the monotone look by transforming his newly-revealed beams into a design element. “I knew there would be beams there, but it was unclear if they would be right to keep exposed,” Hilton says. “I’m very happy we did – it really helps the look and feel of the room.”
“The goal was to make the guest room bright and welcoming,” Hilton continues. “It felt like such a dark space and the addition of skylight filled the room with natural light. Now that they’re in, the room is just full of joy.”
We’re also no stranger to skylights here – we’re Velux loyalists, having installed them in more projects than I can count! – so I was happy to see that Hilton opted for the same high-quality product that we love. (PS. ICYMI, I’d urge you to enter the Autumn Glow giveaway! You can win two solar-powered Fresh Air skylights – that’s the kind you’ve seen in our projects over the past few years – plus shades and installation. Someone has to win and I’d be so excited if it was you!)
Once the room had been painted, Hilton added a bit of charm and architectural detail back to the space. “I decided on the shiplap because with making the decision to paint the entire room white, I thought having two walls with shiplap would create a nice accent but also mimic the lines of the wood flooring,” he says. “And no, it wasn’t DIY. They were purchased.” (Great news for those of us who lack the tooling and/or focus to cut our own planks for our walls!)
“As someone that can stare at a blemish on a white wall until it drives them absolutely nuts, painting my floors white seemed like punishment,” Hilton says. “But after thinking about how I wanted the room to feel bright and vibrant, having the entire room white could create that instantly, especially when reflecting light from the skylights…with so much white, it’s time to add color!”
And on that note…are you ready to see how he styled his space?
HOW CUTE IS THIS? Do you not just want to cuddle up here, grab a book from the shelving unit, and watch the clouds pass overhead? There are so many smart, thoughtful details – let’s dive in, starting with those graphic layered rugs, which served as the jumping-off point for the color palette. “With them covering so much of the room, I knew that I could fill the room with bright vibrant colors,” Hilton says.
I love how the flat weave and the plush woven rug work together here – they’re a big statement on their own, but they’re balanced here by the quiet white backdrop. Certain hues of yellow can come off as loud or overpowering, but this warm ochre base tone leaves Hilton’s room feeling luxe, cozy, and comfortable. (“I doubled up on the rugs because I love a good layered look and because I just couldn’t make up my mind,” Hilton says.”)
Be sure to clock the outlets and switches that flank both sides of this king-sized bed, too – those are some of the smart, thoughtful details I mentioned! If you’re hosting guests regularly, rethinking the placement and positioning of your lighting and outlets will take your guest room experience to the next level.
None of Hilton’s spaces would feel complete without a few well-chosen plants…so naturally, we had to get the lowdown on how he landed on the plants for this room. “My plant styling process always starts with the amount of light that is coming into the room,” he says. “With the addition of the skylights, I was able to place whatever plant I wanted up there because the room is full of light. With my options being endless, my next thoughts were what would fit under the vaulted ceilings perfectly.”
He ended up sourcing a Schefflera, Snake Plant, Satin Pothos, Monstera Thai Constellation, Philodendron Florida Beauty, Philodendron Xanadu, and a Ficus Tineke for this room. (And I urge you to watch this clip for more plant styling tips. You can see how Hilton is training some of his vines to grow up the beams – it’s super neat, but also super helpful for those of us who struggle with trailing plants!)
Guests are already returning with rave reviews. “The room has been enjoyed by my mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and a few friends. All have loved it and have overstayed their welcome,” Hilton kids. “I’m joking. We wanted to make a guest room that would make our family and friends feel at home. We’re lucky that they want to stay with us. Especially with a toddler and infant in the house.”
Weary guests can open or close the skylights’ shades with the tap of a remote, so a good nap (or a restful night’s sleep) is never too far away. “Once it was completed my wife and I were very jealous that it wasn’t our bedroom. Good thing we made plans to make sure our bedroom was also going to be renovated and styled so that we wouldn’t feel too bad about it,” he jokes. (It turned out super cute, too – catch up on their primary suite here!)
But wait, there’s more! “We decided to remove the wall and door into one of the dormers to open up, giving us a nice little nook,” Hilton says. You can take a peek at this secret area (and the adorable bistro set that Hilton sourced) by checking out this video tour. It looks great in the photos, but the warmth and care just shine through this clip.
Thanks to our pal Hilton for the tour of his inspiring home, thanks to Velux for the tip-off on the giveaway (don’t forget – you have til 11/30 to apply!), and thanks to you for being here! I hope that this bright space can make your day a little brighter, too. Any thoughts?
*Design and Photos by Hilton Carter
