A Vintage, Travel-Inspired Master Bedroom
Hi, I’m Tera of Tera Janelle Design. I’m so excited to be back again this week! If you popped by earlier in the week you saw this newly-built walk-in closet I designed for two extra special clients and first time, soon-to-be parents. They were anxious to create a master bedroom getaway prior to baby’s arrival. And today I’m back to reveal their new vintage-style, travel-inspired bedroom!
But first, in case you missed the last post, a little background about the homeowners and the design plan…
They are world-traveling, spunky, high school sweethearts. Audrey loves interesting coffee mugs, bunnies, and the sound of the rain. Dave loves craft beer, driving with the windows rolled down, and a really good cup of coffee. On the regular, Audrey works as a production manager for a leather bag line and Dave as a local police officer. They are a funny, sentimental and endearingly relaxed couple. And they make me baked goods and celebrate with homemade pizza and champagne = the perfect clients. I was so excited to create a comfortable, functional, vintage-inspired master getaway for these soon-to-be parents!
The Design Plan
- Create storage
- Overhaul a neglected end of the room to create a walk-in closet
- Blend the colorful, shabby-chic design style of Audrey with the more neutral, casual style of Dave
- Bring in additional light
- Keep the beautiful patina of the painted wood floors
- Build-in additional character
- Display mementos throughout
If you look at the Before & After floor plans for the bedroom, you’ll see that while the room is rather comfortable in size — particularly for a cape cod — it was utterly lacking in storage. And with a baby on the way, creating storage and a master retreat for these soon-to-be parents was a new, top priority!
The left side of the room was rarely used, so we built a wall to create the walk-in closet. By using an antique door as a pocket door, we eliminated the need for a closet door to swing and eat up precious space.
Adding this wall required us to change the swing of the bedroom entry door from right to left, so that it opened to reveal the bedroom rather than the closet wall. Though the unlevel floors proved a bit tricky for swapping the swing of the door, in the end we were able to keep the original door and create better flow into the room.
Let’s talk about those suitcases! Because I’m swooning. When the homeowners first mentioned redoing their bedroom, these suitcases were my inspiration. I kept them a secret until the final reveal, and I’m so pleased the homeowners love them as much as I do. They were my jumping off point for the color palette and design concept for the space. I wanted to balance Audrey’s love for pretty things and feminine lines with Dave’s love for vintage finds and rustic imperfection. And since they both love travel and had a house full of travel mementos, I knew this suitcase design statement would be one they would both fall for.
The lamp furthers the nod to travel, eliciting a seaside, storied design style. The whole vignette claims this side of the bed as confidently “His” and triumphs at evoking a relaxed, vintage style.
Tera Janelle’s tips for shopping for old suitcases…
Shop for old suitcases at local vintage stores and online resale shops such as Craigslist and Etsy. Suitcases with imperfections are okay – in my case preferred! If you plan to stack them, consider suitcases that have complementary colors and differing textures. If you would like to use them as a nightstand or end table like these, look for flat suitcases of scaling sizes.
The room’s previously teeny-tiny closet was practically unusable. So we knocked out the wall to create a 7’+ wide x 30″ deep nook on the right side of the room. And then — to my utter delight — the homeowners jumped on board with exposing the brick chimney. Dave and Audrey are such fans of old charm, I knew they’d be smitten. And since the white painted floors were shabby-chic in style, the exposed brick would provide a rustic balance to suit Dave’s design preferences.
If you follow me on instagram, you already saw a sneak peek of the newly opened space. It was a loud and dusty process, but as knocking-down plaster goes, the plaster and brick were rather accommodating. Furthermore, the brick was in great shape (we’d taken a look at it in the attic ahead of time to be sure). With the old closet wall gone, the room suddenly felt so much larger. And the newly exposed brick instantly transformed the feel of the room!
We designed a custom, built-in dresser to recess into the newly created nook. It maximizes storage — all 7′ + of it! A huge thank you to our cabinet maker who built the custom cabinetry and our contractor who built that beautiful thick, wood dresser top and floating shelves. I adore our team! We also ran an electrical outlet inside the left cabinet, as a convenient place for Dave to plug in his police radio. And the dresser top offers additional outlets, in prime position for plugging in a lamp, as well as a laptop or cell phone or baby monitor.
This white and neutral room needed the warmth of wood tones. The woven wood blinds and the dresser top add texture and warmth to the space. They break up the white and complement the brick. And seriously, that dresser top!
Now I couldn’t abandon Audrey’s love for pretty things and feminine lines. This room was meant to be a blend of them both. So “Her” side of the bed got equal attention. With a focus on pretty! Just look at that mirror. It was a whirlwind score of a find. The weathered metal plays to Dave’s style, while the shape is so entirely Audrey.
I am all about using furniture and decor homeowner’s already have on hand. (Like the homeowners’ lovely bed and bedding.) And Audrey had this great table she’d hoped to keep as a vanity. So we did! And with the addition of the mirror and tufted stool, it is a perfectly proper and lovely vanity area. And that lamp. I must confess, I have a weakness for lamps. I love room-fulls of light and pieces with character, and lamps accomplish both! This handcrafted lamp from India has graceful lines yet organic imperfections in the glass. It is beauty laced with imperfect-ness. And it’s just plain pretty!
In the end, this room functions beautifully. And above all, that’s what these parents-to-be needed! But it also does double duty as a place that intimately reflects both their styles. It is smart and well-traveled and witty. It has all the beauty and charm to strut about, but is balanced by a great dose of keeping-it-casual-and-real. It is the epitome of what I love about these clients. And they love this room to smithereens.
The homeowners have moved in all the elements of real life and these spaces still look beautiful, it is what I love about design. Great design both looks good and functions well. What an honor to help clients create homes they love. Homes they live real life in. Spaces that are functional and beautiful, and indescribably home.
(P.S. If you missed their walk-in closet reveal, pop on over!)
SOURCE LIST
Paint, Walls and Trim — Sherwin Williams “Snowbound”
Paint, Walls — Benjamin Moore “Revere Pewter”
Paint, Pocket Door — Benjamin Moore “Charlotte Slate”
Door and Hardware — Local antique and salvage shop
Rope Lamp (similar) — JCPenny
Lamp (similar) — Pottery Barn
Woven Shades — Lowes
White Curtains — Target
Vanity Table — Homeowners
Bedding Set — Homeowners
Vanity Wall Mirror — Homegoods
Tufted Vanity Stool — Target
Basket — Nate Berkus, Target (no longer available)
Striped Storage Bins — Target
Chicago Artwork— Homegoods
Globe — Homegoods
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More beautiful master bedroom ideas:
click each photo to see more details of the room
Add a sliding door to the closet
Hang a large framed map (as a headboard!)
Get the Look Fixer Upper Baker House Master Bedroom
Tera Janelle is a designer, photographer, and list-loving woman who adores sweet potato pancakes and a good country song. She is a Wisconsin farm girl who grew up and fell in love with the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, where she presently masquerades as a Southern gal. She adores nearly every type of cheese, sunny days, classic interiors, and the perfect shade of gray.
Tera has spent the past 10 years working in staging, renovations, construction, and design. She has had the great honor to design all varieties of spaces, from boutique commercial projects to charming, historic homes.
She prides herself on affordable, classic, and comfortable design—offering a variety of design services to suit every budget.
Find more of her love for renovation, bright interiors, and marble anything on https://www.instagram.com/terajanelledesign/, or from time to time on her blog.
