As the downstairs redecoration of our homes nears a close (still one half bath to do) the conversation has switched to the upstairs. I started working on the master bathroom renovation months ago (you can read about it here) but the exorbitant cost that the contractor gave me is giving me pause for now. Instead, I am going to focus on finishing the master bedroom since we no longer have a bassinet and pumping station taking up half of it.
I have long put off the redecoration of the master bedroom because I struggle with understanding who I am designing for. For my past two homes, I have made pretty safe decor decisions (white kitchen, removable wallpaper, marble floor tile), because I knew I would only be in the home for a few years, and therefore, maximize my ROI. But our new home is different. We know it’s not our ‘forever’ home, but we plan to be in it at least 5 years so it has to strike the right balance of versatility and personality.
What ‘personality’ am I going for? Well, to let you into my convoluted little brain, I fantasize about a jewel toned home with wainscoting and crown moulding, wallpaper or high gloss paint in every room, and luxe furnishings. To be fair, I also fantasize about giant white linen couches, live wood and cognac leather, and a floor to ceiling window-wall that slides back to reveal my outdoor covered dining room. There is no home on the planet that will satisfy all of the room cravings I have, so I worry that I will never get a chance to design all the rooms that I want to.
Which brings me back to the dilemma of my master bedroom. I’ve had so much fun dreaming up all of the possibilities of this room, but even though I would love to do something crazy… I worry that it would be a major detractor for the next owner of my home. But then again… my kitchen is white. My walls are white. My bathroom will have faux-marble quartz counters. So many of the key decisions thus far have been ‘safe’ and good for resale, as they are ‘on trend’ right now. Why can’t one room in the house, the one room that I sleep in and spend most of my time, be more risky and reflect my personal style?
It can! It should! But what if I execute it poorly? I am a designer and clients see my work so it needs to be perfect! But then again shouldn’t my home be the experimental space so that I don’t muck up my client’s homes? There is truly no right answer to this question, which is why it’s exhausting to be in my head for a day. Phew!
Anyway, I designed 3 different bedrooms which explore a few of my varying tastes. Keep in mind I already own the green velvet tufted bed;
1. Architectural Black and White
2. Art Deco Mod
3. Chinoiserie Luxe
1. Is the original design. White walls with a modern trimmed out accent wall, architectural wood nightstands and graphic black accents.
2. A splash of pattern on the walls and color through pillows, but wood and leather nightstands keep the look from going too over the top.
3. Is there anything wrong with over the top? This room would have a chinoiserie mural on the back wall, paint on the other 3, and a mix of green and gold accents to make the room really stand out.
I know that the third room is the craziest, and definitely doesn’t fit with the rest of my 80s reinvented white home. But man, would I love to wake up in that room! And even though the first design was also my original for the room, I struggle with it being boring and the fact that as a designer I should take more risks in my own home. The second room strikes a pretty happy medium other than the entire room is wallpapered a graphic pattern. So what to do?
In reality, probably none of these designs is best. Instead I need to get back to the drawing board and extrapolate elements from each one that I love, that would be a good practice ‘test’ for my own home, and would still be appealing to the next owner. Typically I wouldn’t even have shared this post with you since it’s not really a finished idea, but that’s what the design process is all about, isn’t it? And hopefully I’m one step closer to identifying my own design style (at least for this home).
