The moment I first poked my head into my own attic space, I saw potential. But I also saw a sloped ceiling that would crack my skull if I stood up too fast and a floor plan about the size of a large walk-in closet. Pinterest showed me airy white lofts with soaring rafters. My reality was a 20-square-meter triangle with a dormer window that leaked a little when it rained hard. The biggest challenge was making it work for overnight guests. I needed a place where my mother-in-law could sleep without climbing over a suitcase, and where I could still watch a movie on a Tuesday night. The key was landing on a single piece of furniture that could do double duty without looking like a compromise.

I started measuring obsessively. The longest wall was only 240 centimeters, too short for a standard double bed without blocking the door swing. That forced me to look at a sofa bed. But I was terrified of that lumpy foam you find in cheap conversions. You know the one.