Why Are Loft Conversions Occasionally Known As Garrets?

In recent years, loft conversions have become increasingly popular as a way to boost the usable space in a home. Rather than let an attic become simply a storage space, a well-made loft conversion can become another bedroom and skyrocket the value of a house.

However, whilst the modern concept of loft conversions has its origins in the 1970s, the concept of using attic space as livable space is far older than that, and some people of a certain age may be more familiar with the term garret than loft conversion.

The term itself comes from the word garrison, a rather loosely defined word for a unit of soldiers that is often used as a synonym for barracks or billet. Traced as far back as possible, it comes from the word “garir”, which means “to provide” in Old French and Germanic.

As buildings started to get larger, the attic space was often unused or simply a place for storage, but by the 19th century, there were already people turning them into habitable spaces.

However, before the invention of the lift, the social hierarchy was that the higher up in a building you lived, the lower your social status. This means that contrary to a lot of beautiful loft rooms today, garrets were seen as the absolute cheapest and worst places to live.

They had sloping ceilings, were traditionally cramped and had windows that were typically designed to look good on the outside of the building rather than how much light they would provide the inside.

Part of the problem was that they were somewhat hastily converted. Sometimes they would not have any furniture outside of what was used for storage.

Arguably the most famous depiction of a garret was the 1839 painting The Poor Poet by Carl Spitzweg, where the tiny garret was used as a metaphor for the life of a starving artist.

It is astonishing how much the role has reversed, with many loft conversions the highlight of the house and a selling feature in their own right.