Chapter One
the suite life
Gone are the days of bedrooms designed purely for sleeping. Master suites are now amply sized and increasingly luxurious, outfitted with extras-from sitting areas and work space to entertainment centers, libraries, and spa-style bathrooms. With so many appealing amenities, master suites have become take-me-away destinations.
grand ambition
Vision counts for more than size in this modest suite. Grandeur comes to this bedroom and bath by means of a stately bed and hand-painted cornices that complement flowing silk panels. A pretty paint scheme, fine antiques, and ornate accessories complete the look.
Luxurious and dramatic are words that come to mind when describing this Charlotte master suite. Yet the bedroom and bath started as so many do: just two plain spaces with 8-foot ceilings. Ordinary wouldn''t suffice for the design team of Nancy Taylor Lynch, Christi Bowen, and Olivia Morgan. The designers wanted to create the illusion of grandeur "by extending the eye vertically," Lynch says.
The first larger-than-life move was the choice of the stately dark wood bed with a burnished gold canopy. The bed''s commanding presence sets a regal tone. Grand touches continue at the windows, where custom hand-painted cornices lend architectural detailing. The cornices crown lush ball gown-like drapery panels that abut the pale yellow ceiling. Painting the ceiling this surprising color helps draw the eye upward, making the ceiling appear taller.
Walls swathed in a soft robin''s-egg blue team with the yellow ceiling for "a lovely and somewhat unexpected contrast that supports the bed''s starring role," Lynch says. The blue hue flows into the bath, where it shifts from paint to two wallpapers: an English floral print and a tone-on-tone stripe. Ornate accessories and antique furnishings further engage the eye. "You can put a lot of luxury and interest in a small space," Lynch says.
european panache
Drawing on the European tradition of decorating with a mix of pieces, regardless of their pedigree, designer June Price uses a calming palette of soft blues, golds, and whites as a backdrop for showcasing the homeowners'' antique furnishings. Now a comfortable haven, this small master suite invites lingering.
A perfectly matched bedroom appeals to many Americans. The dresser goes with the bed and the corresponding nightstand. And all the bedding comes from the same collection to ensure that the patterns and colors coordinate. But when charged with decorating this master suite in Atlanta, designer June Price looked to the homeowners'' existing mix of furnishings, which included many French and English painted antique and reproduction pieces, for inspiration. "We used the furniture as a starting point," Price says. "We wanted the style to reflect a European flavor."
To that end, the bed features an eclectic blend of fabrics: a plaid bed skirt, matelass? bedcover, floral shams, and appliqu?d throw pillows. The layered window treatments repeat the bed''s rich texture as well as its warm gold, blue, and white color scheme. A sitting area, outfitted with plush armchairs and a cushy ottoman, snuggles up to a gas fireplace for more tactile comfort.
The room is capped by a dramatic vaulted ceiling. Price had it paneled in cypress wood and painted a subtle gray-blue to cast a calming influence over the room.
cozy ch?teau
Toile, wood beams, and a stone fireplace help designer Barry Dixon transform a new suite into an old-world European escape. The designer''s fine blend of antique and reproduction furnishings and his careful selection of timeworn accessories further hide any telltale signs of newness.
Toile is one of those patterns with an uncanny ability to imbue a room with an instant patina. Interior designer Barry Dixon tapped its elegant old-world qualities to take the edge off this newly constructed Washington, D.C., master suite. He used the pattern generously, swathing the bedroom walls in paper-backed toile and repeating the same fabric in plentiful folds around the bed and windows.
Dixon neutralized what''s often considered a feminine pattern by selecting a coffee-and-cream palette. The warm color scheme and his other deft design choices transform the blank slate into a cozy, character-filled European ch?teau that balances gender issues. Wooden beams that define the ceiling team with the toile for more timeless appeal. The stately four-poster is grand in scale, but its soft ribbonlike arches temper the masculinity. Dixon dressed it with simple fabric panels rather than using sheers or a canopy. A dark wood table and a carved wooden lamp contrast with a curvaceous porcelain lamp and antique charcoal drawing of a mythological goddess.
In the bathroom, Dixon employed a neutral palette of acid-washed tumbled marble tile, glazed cream cabinetry, and aged-plaster-look walls. "I think there''s a yin and yang to the entire space," Dixon says.
surrender to comfort
Enduring style takes more than beautiful fabrics, elegant furnishings, and a soothing palette. Designed by famed interior designer Charles Faudree, this master suite possesses these aesthetic qualities along with the comfort and practicality that make it inviting. With its desk, sitting area, and hidden entertainment center, this welcoming bedroom is made for living.
Master bedrooms are often treated as decorative leftovers. Even in elegant homes, they''re often low or nonpriorities. "I see it frequently," says famed Tulsa interior designer Charles Faudree. "But your bedroom is where you start and end the day, so it needs to be restful, calming, and serene." Faudree wrapped this dreamy master suite in soothing blue and ivory for a couple who had never before decorated their bedroom. "Most people just need a little nudge," he says.
Using fine French antiques and yards and yards of lush fabrics, Faudree created a room with timeless grace and beauty. Striped silk panels cocoon a strikingly modern bed, and a pretty cotton floral moves from coverlet to classic draperies to a pair of antique club chairs. With cut velvet, leopard print, and muted damask thrown into the decorative mix along with richly detailed wallpaper and a soft-blue ceiling, this room is fresh and quietly lively. Smart furnishings, including a desk, a chaise longue, and seating next to the fireplace, make the bedroom comfortably appealing. Before Faudree lent his touch to the bedroom, it was strictly a place for sleeping. Now, his delighted client reports, it''s a place to really live.
decorative d?tente
Designer Stephanie Wohlner gracefully blends traditional richness with contemporary simplicity to cater to the contrasting style preferences of a Chicago couple. Soothing neutral colors unify the look in this master suite. The welcoming result proves that a little give and take can be a good thing.
Keeping the decorating peace is all in a day''s work for Chicago-area designer Stephanie Wohlner. Although she would decline to add marriage counselor to her r?sum?, Wohlner can easily lay claim to helping couples reach stylish design compromises that never give the appearance of settling for second best. Such was the case with Jessica and John Supera''s elegant master suite. Jessica loves tailored interiors; John is more of a modernist. "There''s a part of Jessica that wants chintz and toile, and another side that wants a dressier, more sophisticated design," Wohlner says. "But either way, she''s much more traditional than John."
Taking on the roles of mediator and designer, Wohlner developed a harmonious design that weaves contemporary and traditional elements throughout the bedroom and bath. Neutral colors and clean-line furnishings are a nod to John''s desire for simplicity and serenity. The damask wallcovering and the lamps, vases, and artwork that soften the setting have a decidedly feminine flair that suits Jessica''s tastes.
"There are no fussy draperies or busy prints, so the rooms can appeal to both John and Jessica," Wohlner says of her creative balancing act.
edited luxury
Creating a calm retreat long on classic beauty and lean on color was furniture manufacturer Amy Howard''s primary goal for the master suite in her new home in Tennessee. Clean-lined elegance, timeless profiles, and understated opulence combine with some brilliant surprises to make these spaces formal yet comfortable.
When furnituremaker Amy Howard designed her new home in Tennessee, she placed emphasis on creating a pared down, classically beautiful master suite. "I deal with color, fabric, and finishes all day long," Amy says. "I decided to make this my escape-quiet, restful, and nearly monochromatic."
Beige walls, reclaimed oak floors, a carved stone mantel, and deep crown moldings lay a serene foundation enhanced by textural Irish linen panels at the many tall windows. Amy went into the room with an airy mix of ancient, antique-inspired, and modern pieces that work together elegantly to promote calm. A spectacular 18th-century-inspired canopy bed is flanked by mirrored night tables. A 19th-century chest of drawers and old Venetian chairs lend rich patina. And unexpected modern pieces, including a pair of low-slung armchairs near the hearth and a supersoft mohair sofa near a hand-painted Italianate armoire that houses the television, provide freshness. "I wanted formality, but with a comfortable tone," Amy says. "I wanted the room to be refined, but in a way that was still welcoming. I want my family to come in and feel good here."
artful endeavor
There''s nothing abstract about designer Kathleen Navarra''s daring approach to decorating this bedroom. The bold colors and graphic elements pay homage to 20th-century artist Mark Rothko. Like the famed painter''s vivid canvases, the room catches the eye and sparks conversation.
Filling a canvas with a few intense bands of color was a format embraced by Mark Rothko, who emerged in the 1940s as a leading abstract expressionist painter. It was with one of Rothko''s hazy color-drenched artworks in mind that San Francisco designer Kathleen Navarra created this bold pink-and-brown master bedroom in a San Francisco showhouse. "My goal was to show that you can use color in a way that although on the outside may seem very bright and jarring is actually incredibly soothing and warm-just like a Mark Rothko painting," Navarra says.
Navarra painted the walls watermelon, topped with a brown glaze to soften the vivid hue and add depth. "It''s a technique that appears in many Rothko paintings," she says. "He started out with a bright color and then put darker shades over it." The boldly striped upholstery covering two chairs in the sitting area is another nod to Rothko''s work, which often featured simple flat shapes. An embossed velvet in brown, pink, and red steers the room in a luxurious but still contemporary direction.
Neutrals instead of brights dominate the adjoining bath, where a mod oval-pattern tile mosaic in the shower stall adds verve. "I wanted people to walk into a room with a very contemporary edge to it," Navarra says.
speaking softly
A quiet palette of pale greens, subtle blues, and creams creates an ideal backdrop for fine artwork and elegant accessories. Include a towering tester bed and a perfectly proportioned fireplace, and you have a master suite that doubles as a soothing sanctuary. Draperies, hung at the ceiling, reinforce the luxe look.
Before interior designer Jane Schwab began planning the interior of the newly added master suite in her 1923 English Colonial home, she took measure of the room''s fine proportions and natural light. To play up these stellar features, Jane settled on an understated blend of light greens, blues, and off-whites. She added sizzle to the elegant mix through her careful choice of furnishings-foremost among them a towering custom canopy bed painted with chinoiserie motifs.
Beneath one window rests a comfortable settee upholstered in linen of the palest robin''s-egg blue. A pair of French-style berg?re chairs from her husband''s mother and a small bench that hails from England define the seating area by the fireplace. "I spend a lot of time there reading in the evenings," Jane says. "It''s such a comfortable spot."
Thoughtful editing of accessories makes the room''s vignettes all the more appealing. Bedside tables boast wooden lamps with natural-color pleated silk shades along with a few interesting objects, including two petite antique cast-concrete birds. Above the bed hangs the painting The Yellow House, a pastel by New England artist Mary Loring Warner.
"The colors she used were just wonderful," Jane says. "In general, the right colors are just so important, especially in a bedroom."
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Beautiful Bedrooms Copyright © 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Excerpted by permission.
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