A Chic Retreat: My Master Bedroom

The master bedroom was part of our second floor addition, and while it’s not a huge space, it more than serves its purpose as a luxurious room to relax and rejuvenate in with a king size bed, small vanity and a bank of dressers for tons of clothing storage.

I’ve always been on board with calming fluffy white bedrooms, but I decided to shake it up by introducing a major statement rug and some other attention-getting accents. The result is still a very restful space, but the bold hit of pattern and colour give it more personality.

I needed a palette that would be grounding and not too feminine, and I found my unlikely colour combination inspiration in this dreamy Grand Tenue Hermès silk scarf which features my favourite regal violet, classic navy and a cheerful sky blue.

I took the colour inspiration to ELTE where it was translated into a custom ikat rug. The three colours are so vibrant and I love the eclectic ethnic vibe it adds to the space. The making of the custom rug was such an interesting process, that I’m going to be chronicling how it came together in a separate post later this weekend so stay tuned for that.

The nightstands were the result of an IKEA tarva hack us design editors did for a special makeover issue of Style At Home. After all that gold leafing, I knew I wanted to enjoy the fruits of my labour past the shoot, so I cut down the legs by a few inches so they would sit at a more bed-friendly height. I love all the extra storage it provides but I am, however, not in love with how the drawers glide (they’re always getting stuck), so one day hopefully they can be replaced with the inspiration behind the hack: Suzanne Kasler’s tuxedo chests in a creamy ivory lacquer.

Because the headboard was so tall, I wanted lamps with presence. The Nola lamps by Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams that I picked up at ELTE were a perfect fit with their elongated base and gold accents, which tied them to the nightstands perfectly.

For the headboard, I went with the tall upholstered Milano from Barrymore Furniture with simple clean lines and three rows of button tufting. I used a creamy ivory linen, Fabricut’s Brother in Snow, which complements the warmer ivory tones of the wool carpet. I chose a headboard only, as opposed to an upholstered bed frame, because I like having access under the bed. In order to give that same finished look as a platform bed, I had Cooper Bros. sew a custom bedskirt in the same linen – a great cost-savings trick that can also be sent out for cleaning if needed.

For the bedding, I visited my favourite linens boutique in Toronto, Au Lit Fine Linens. I have always loved the hotel look, with a graphic banding detail, but for extra pizzazz, I decided to go with their scallop design. Outlined in navy as opposed to a more girly colour, it tones down the frill factor while still looking very refined.

Even though the headboard and drapery fabric is a warmer ivory, I decided to go with classic white sheets instead of matching it directly to the headboard. The cream was beautiful, but white is a total classic that you can’t go wrong with, and custom king size bedding is an investment that you want to ensure will work for you over time! If you’re into beautiful beds like me, be sure to check out my “in bed with” post on the Au Lit Blog for more

To top off the scalloped bedding, I chose a single rectangular Madeline Weinrib cushion in her Blue Mu fabric to echo the ikat rug. A rich navy diamond matelassé coverlet folded at the end of the bed is the final punctuation of colour and completes the bed beautifully.

In addition to sewing the bedskirt, Cooper Bros. were also responsible for updating my grandmother’s antique tub chair with a slick new upholstery job. Recovered in Maxwell’s platinum vinyl in pearl, it looks totally fresh and even more importantly, will stand up to wear and tear.

The same Fabricut linen as the headboard and bedskirt is used for the blackout lined drapery panels. To bring in a hit of navy, the leading edge of the drapery panels have a wide grosgrain ribbon from Mokuba sewn on. In order for the crown moulding to run uninterrupted across the window (which was specified too large to fit under the moulding ), a plaster valance box was created for one seamless line. The drapery hardware runs underneath on a track, and the result is not only functional but looks very finished as well.

I wanted to pair something traditional with the modern parsons vanity it for some tension and to help tie it to the rest of the house’s gilded accents, so I looked for beautiful vintage options in Miami, I came across pairs of these solid brass bamboo and chiavari chairs. I’ve always loved the classic chiavari design, plus they were already upholstered in purple so it was meant to be!

(photos of bedroom taken by stacey brandford)