Master Suite Series - Dressing Room

We went for our new house's pre-drywall inspection last month and it was an amazing feeling to see the bones of the house in place.  It gave us peace of mind to see that the builder didn't miss any of our changes to the layout.  Although we were walking on sub-floors, it gave us a good idea of how everything will fall into place once it's completed!

When we got to our master suite, the site supervisor commented on how he appreciated we planned it out.  That's such a nice compliment!  When we got to our walk-in closet, which we opted to remove the wall between the "his and her" closets, he bellowed out, "love how you're turning it into a big closet, put in some closet organizers, bada boom bada bing, love it."  OK, I added the bada boom part, but in my mind that was how he would've flowed as he shooted out his vision for our closet =)

Closet organizers are great - they ensure there's a place for everything and everything in its place. They make the morning rush all the more efficient and laundry sorting a joy (ya right).  But if you've been following along, you know that installing closet organizers is seemingly undermining the Mr.'s love to build.  He's always up for a challenge, and knowing him, he now wouldn't settle for anything less than our previous dressing room.  

The new dressing area isn't as large as our previous dressing room, and we would need to make some design adjustments to enhance the storage layout and esthetic of the storage units.  

My wishlist for the new dressing area includes these enhancements from our previous dressing room:

• Make the area appear larger with the use of mirrors
• A counter for our trinkets
• A valet hook for prepping next day's outfit
• For the Mr., a pull-out tie rack (just because I also want a pull-out for my scarves)

We've drilled down to 2 options to complete this dressing area.

Option 1 - Installing storage units with architectural details

With a large entrance to the dressing area, the best design would be to play off of the room's symmetry.  And since it would be nice to have some counterspace to put our trinkets, the perfect option to achieve this symmetry is to have a chest of drawers in the middle.  We can then install the hanging units symmetrically on either side of the chest.  The Mr. came up with a quick design sketch for the long wall facing the entrance of the walk-in:

The Mr. is quite an artist, at least compared to me.  That complements me perfectly, since I can't draw at all.  ;-)

Armed with his design, I headed to my beloved Pinterest to search for the vision that I have.  I want to use mirrors to give the illusion of a spacious dressing area and also to reflect some light from the master ensuite across the hall.  

Of all the dressing rooms that I've pinned, I think this one below speaks to me the most.  Its colour tone is so serene and elegant, with the full length mirrors reflecting light all around the room.  The built-in dresser in the middle of the room provides ample counter space and drawer storage for easy access to daily essentials.

Image via Atlanta Homes

Here's another dressing room that illustrates the use of mirrored doors on the storage units, which are placed on either side of the middle built-in chest of drawers.  Ours won't be quite as large!

TAMARA MAGEL STUDIO

We may choose to go with our reliable IKEA PAX as the main storage units again.  As for the middle chest of drawers, the Mr. may have to custom build them, depending on the actual measurements of the room.

Option 2 - Boutique style walk-in closet

MirrorS, MirrorS, on the WallS...  Option 1 was all fine and dandy, but then who can forget this moment from the movie "Sex and the City 2"?

SEX AND THE CITY:  THE MOVIE, VIA KYLE KNIGHT DESIGN

Yup, my jaw would drop just like Carrie Bradshaw's and hear the music of heavens at the sight of such a beautiful dressing room.  But don't be silly, this is not a request to the Mr.!  It does, however, give me another inspiration.  Instead of the closed storage with mirror doors, how about we go with a boutique style dressing area?  One with open hanging racks, storage and display shelves, and brightly lit hanging areas...  who wouldn't want to go shopping right in the morning?

milan design agenda

Instead of using mirror doors, we can install mirrors behind the hanging racks and shelves.  Keeping everything open and backed by mirrors would also give the illusion of a large area.

DAILY MAIL

ELLE DECOR

So, which option do you think we should go with?  Open or closed?  Dust or no dust?  Traditional organizers or boutique style?  

Master Suite Series - Master Bedroom

Part of the reason why I can see us downsizing was because of the master suite in our new townhouse.  In our old house, we had the back of the second floor as our master suite - a spacious bedroom with sitting area (which we never had the chance to tackle), a generous size ensuite, and an adjacent spare bedroom that we converted to our dressing room.  Our new townhouse's master suite layout also takes up the back half of the second floor.  Of course, every section of the master suite is not as expansive as the old house, nonetheless I think it's a better use of space while still roomy.

When you go into the master suite, a long alley separates the closet on the right and the ensuite on the left, with both facing each other.  As you continue along the alley, it leads you to the main bedroom area.  It's in an elongated rectangular shape, where we would put the bed on the left side and the sitting area on the right side.   

Builder's suggested furniture placement

I imagine setting an elegant and tranquil tone for the bedroom with a beautiful light fixture in the middle of the room as the focal point from the entrance, backed by a pair of gorgeous drapes on the windows.

I love how these drapes are pulled back up high for more drama.  The weight of the fabric also gives a full gathered look at the top, while the bottom elegantly drapes like a ball gown.  

THE DECORISTA DAYDREAMS

I think the richness of the drapes is a perfect backdrop for a crystal chandelier or one that has simple lines.  

1. CRYSTORAMA; 2. RESTORATION HARDWARE

The width of the room is sized for a king size bed and two bedside tables.  So the left side of the room would be a no non-sense look as such...

TUFTED BENCH:  LAYLA GRACE; RUG:  JOSS & MAIN.

We'll switch out those bedside tables with our to-be-refinished vintage ones.  Place a dreamy bench at the foot of the bed, and a neutral rug to go under the bed.

The fun comes from imagining the possibilities on the right side - the sitting area. The builder's layout plan included a simple sitting area.  The colour tone of the inspiration photo below is what I'm going for:  cream, grey, and taupe never fail to dress up an elegant space.

SOURCE OF PHOTO UNKNOWN

There are numerous design ideas for this sitting area.  If we opt for additional storage, we can place a dresser against the long wall, and perhaps a chaise in front of it.  There may even be room for a small vanity table.

CHAISE LOUNGE:  HORCHOW ; DRESSER PHOTO:  VOGUE; VANITY TABLE PHOTO:  ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST.

The Mr. suggested another option, one which he would build a mantel for a faux fireplace.  A pair of armchairs can go in front of the candlelit (with faux candles!) fireplace.  Oh...  that would look so romantic =)

FIREPLACE PHOTO:  ZARA HOME; SITTING AREA PHOTO:  A WELL DRESSED HOME

I'm liking the light grey walls with a hint of lilac for our bedroom.  It's neutral, yet the slight touch of lilac works well with the overall romantic feel of a master bedroom.  I sneaked in the Benjamin Moore Violet Pearl on the design boards above...  ya think the Mr. would notice?

Stay tuned, as I'll be sharing our design ideas for our master ensuite and dressing area soon!

Are you looking for master bedroom design ideas?  Check out my Pinterest board to see what inspirations I'm gathering!  

Refinishing Plans for Vintage Night Tables

If you follow me on instagram, you might've noticed that we have a work-in-progress pair of vintage bedside tables.  It's a perfect though small project for the Mr., who has been feeling restless through this drought of home projects as we continue to long for the completion of our new house.  

Funny thing was, I wasn't really looking for bedside tables, but rather a sideboard for our dining room.  Since I had previously lucked out with a vintage piece of console table, I decided to try my luck again for a vintage sideboard.  

Of course, when my intent was to look for something specific, I would never find it!  Doesn't this always happen when we shop for anything?  Well, everything happens for a reason...

I've wanted to replace our current bedside tables with ones that have storage, as in the mirrored bedside tables/ cabinets mentioned in this post.  However, most of the nicer ones almost always come too wide.  That may not work, considering we will only have 30" on either side of our bed to work with in our new master bedroom,  Not to mention, a nicer pair would cost close to $1000, if not more.  I've been holding back in an attempt to find a (much) better deal.  

But I guess something is just not meant to be.  Lately, I've started to re-think about the mirrored bedside tables, and wondered if that would be too much mirror with our mirrored trimmed headboard.  

So, instead of finding a sideboard, I had ideas churning in my head when I saw this pair of bedside tables.

Faux bamboo furniture is making a comeback from its mid-century hollywood regency hype.  This pair of bedside tables were from the Henry Link Bali Hai collection...  from the 70s!  I love the bamboo detailing, and how the table top is curved along the faux bamboo front legs.  The rounded and curved detailing echoes our curvy headboard frame.  I showed the photos of the pair to the Mr., told him about my big plan for them, and waited for his judgment.  The Mr. agreed to once again be my DIY'er!  

The tables are of good quality, and drawers were built with dove tail joints, something that we no longer see in modern furniture construction.  

As you can see, the pair are of the same style but one was painted over, and the other was in its original glory.  That didn't matter to us, since we were going to refinish them with our design in mind.

I'm looking to paint the pieces over in a bluish grey colour, that'll give some contrast to our linen coloured headboard.  That's my part in this DIY project, figuring out the paint colour!  Thinking of doing a high gloss on this piece, that'll make it look a bit more modern and elegant.

All our trips to stone fabricators have made marble even more appealing to me.  My plan is to remove the existing top, and replace it with a piece of statuario marble fabricated in the exact shape. The bluish grey paint colour would complement the grey veining of the statuario marble.  The Mr. has already gotten the backing and the top off of the units...  he's really anxious to start!

REMOVE BACKING OF FURNITURE | CLASSY GLAM LIVING

UNSCREW TOP OF BEDSIDE TABLE | CLASSY GLAM LIVING

TOP AND BACK REMOVED | BEDSIDE TABLES REFINISH DIY | CLASSY GLAM LIVING

We're not planning to keep the original drawer pulls, even though it's probably a big no-no to replace them on a highly sought after piece of vintage furniture.  We would rather finish it to our liking since we're already painting it over and such.  I think a set of simple brass bail drawer pulls would complete the look.  I also like the lucite pulls, with the rings picking up the bamboo ring details.  Here are some of my top choices:

sources:  1 AND 2.. QUMUSE; 3. SIGNATURE THINGS.COM; 4. A ROSE RAMBLING

This easy peasy refinishing project should keep the Mr. occupied for a little bit.  We'll have a ton of projects to start when we move in.  Even the little man has volunteered to help paint the walls for his room!

Until then, stay tuned for the reveal of the refinished bedside tables!

Have you scored a diamond in the rough lately?