Fireplace is focal point of master bedroom makeover
Sue and Shouvik are a busy young couple with full-time jobs, a 2-year-old son, and a newborn baby. Life is hectic, and these two need a place to escape the daily hustle and bustle. But, although their master bedroom is huge, they struggle with trying to lay out their furniture in this oddly-shaped room.
Sue is a shopaholic and Shouvik is a hoarder, so the walk-in closet is bursting at the seams with clothing, shoes and accessories. To compensate, they’ve added various cabinets throughout the space to address the lack of storage.
They’re desperate for a design that is functional yet luxurious, pulling together all of the room’s elements into one designer look. At the end of the day, Sue and Shouvik are looking for an adult retreat that is reminiscent of a boutique hotel suite.
To begin, we upgraded their queen bed to a king-size bed, perfect for family time on Sunday mornings. We repositioned the bed to another wall, and flanked it with mirrored panels lit up by modern wall sconces. A custom-made headboard covered with a rich, silvery patterned fabric contrasts sharply with the far wall, which was painted black and draped in dark, wall-to-wall sheers.
The ebony fabric makes the far wall recede, and a three-piece triptych photo of the Brooklyn Bridge at night is attached to hidden brackets, making it appear to “float” against the gauzy backdrop.
The most eye-catching piece in this master bedroom makeover is a unique ethanol fireplace, encased in a white dresser that is opposite the foot of the bed. The clean-burning ethanol flames add romance and warmth to this bedroom retreat, with the added bonus of more attached storage.
Part of the problem with Sue and Shouvik’s old bedroom was a lack of storage. To fix this, I decided to create an open concept dressing room with an island to hold jewelry, socks, ties and laundry hampers. The custom marble-topped island is the hardest-working piece in this bedroom, with not only gorgeous form but tons of function, too.
Additional wardrobe storage is found around the island, with all cabinet handles and hardware boasting a tiny bit of bling for added elegance. In front of the bay window, we improved the existing window seat with a new custom bench seat cushion, and accessorized it with pillows that picked up our color scheme: ebony, white and gray. An elegant chandelier hangs above the island, with table lamps providing additional illumination.
All in all, Sue and Shouvik’s new master bedroom is all that they hoped for: an elegant retreat with the vibe of a boutique hotel and the functionality of providing a place for everything.
The busy young couple now has an adult space to call their own, which is going to become increasingly important as their kids grow up and demand much of their attention. Here, in this elegant and romantic space, it’s all about the two of them.