Lofty Ambitions

If you have the lofty ambition of creating more space without increasing the foot plan of your abode, a mezzanine may just be the answer.

There are numerous ways to incorporate a mezzanine or intermediate floor within a space and, contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a double-height ceiling to pull it off.

If you want the intermediate level to feel part of your home’s main space and not have it cut into the open feeling, then an open-plan mezzanine could be the option for you.

Open stairs and a transparent balustrade will further maximise the sense of space.

Seal off the space and you have a completely new private room in your house, or hedge your bets and create a glass wall that provides both a fixed balustrade and an openable section of windows.

If you do have a double-height room that happens to err on the large side, consider suspending a mezzanine in a corner of the room so you can see a second side of it, providing the illusion of a floating room.

For those of us without the luxury of space, a mezzanine may still be on the renovation cards, with a mezzanine nook; a cosy elevated space that offers a sleeping or reading platform accessible by ladder or stairs.