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Tackling a refresh on a frumpy bedroom is right up interior decorator Jennifer Wagner Schmidt’s alley, especially when her Leesburg, VA, client was looking for a more modern, glamorous master suite for herself and her husband. In fact, Schmidt is so into freshening rooms with affordable luxury that she even curates a home accessories subscription box.
before
The tarnished silver mirror, the white-glass lamp base, the lacquered chest, and the grass cloth wall create a symphony of textural and material interest in the neutral design.
WALL COVERING Grasscloth (5002903) Schumacher NIGHTSTAND Bungalow 5 Jacqui 4 Drawer Dresser in White MIRROR Restoration Hardware Palazzo Antiqued Glass Mirror TABLE LAMP Horchow White Rippled Glass Lamp WHITE VASE Jayson Home SMALL BOWL Jayson Home (No Longer Available)
“The bedroom was terribly out-of-date, with heavy dark furniture, busy patterns, and a light green palette,” says Schmidt. “My intent was to make it a soothing retreat, with a pretty sitting area by the corner fireplace.”
Coming up with a color scheme was easy enough: her client loved gray and wanted to stay neutral. Still, Schmidt felt the selected pale gray wall paint needed to be broken up in the large bedroom and its adjacent sitting area, so she created a textured feature wall behind the headboard in a warm taupe grasscloth.
Perfect symmetry defines the headboard wall in the bedroom, as well as the textural contrast of its feature wall.
WALL COVERING Grasscloth (5002903) Schumacher BED Jonathan Adler Templeton in Brussels Charcoal; NIGHTSTAND Bungalow 5 Jacqui 4 Drawer Dresser in White MIRROR Restoration Hardware Palazzo Antiqued Glass Mirror TABLE LAMP Horchow White Rippled Glass Lamp DRAPERY HARDWARE Antique Drapery Rod 2″ Bauhaus with Bauhaus Cubic 2.0 finials X BENCHES Custom by LivenUp Design PILLOWS HomeGoods BEDDING Discontinued WHITE VASE Jayson Home BOOKEND on Left N IGHTSTANDin Store Only World Market BOX Jayson Home Scaled Box
This cream-upholstered elegant armchair nestles up to a side table in a bedroom corner, where the homeowner can catch up on reading.
CHAIR NeoVintage on Etsy in TCH Ivory with Silver leg finish SIDE TABLE Regina Andrew Modern Drum Table PILLOW Custom SILVER JACK Z Gallerie BASKET
Pandan Basket Metallic
“Of course, I got rid of the heavy sleigh bed,” says Schmidt, replacing it with a charcoal platform bed and tufted velvet headboard. “I also picked two white lacquered chests to serve as nightstands and double for storage, while breaking up all the grays a bit,” she adds.Twin tarnish-finished mirrors and tall bedside lamps fill the headboard’s feature wall nicely in the high-ceilinged room.
Meanwhile, at the foot of the bed, a pair of X-benches works well with the low profile of the platform bed, looking a whole lot more attractive than the prior chunky armchairs. A single reading chair in a quiet corner by the window provides another serene spot to relax.
An assortment of trellis-patterned pillows adds interest to the all white bedding.
THE KEY TO CREATING INTEREST IN A NEUTRAL SPACE IS BY MIXING TEXTURES AND FINISHES,—says Schmidt
Grasscloth shelf backing elevates the bookcase from the mundane to the spectacular, while highlighting displayed items, including white and silver objects, on its open shelves.
(Clockwise from Top Left) WHITE SCULPTURE World Market SILVER VASE Vintage SILVER SPIKE BALL Dwell Studio Urchin in Bright Silver WHITE VASE CB2 Kabasa Vase WHITEWASH URNHomeGoods SILVER WISH BONE High Street Market SILVER BOWL Vintage MARBLE BOX No longer available via West Elm WHITE BOX WITH GOLD ANTLER Homeowner’s MAGNIFYING GLASS HomeGoods WHITE BUBBLE BOWL HomeGoods ORCHIDTrader Joe’s
“For continuity, I added the same grasscloth to the shelf backs on the bookshelves in the adjacent sitting area,” says Schmidt. Soft gray linen curtains also tie the bedroom and its sitting area together.
In the latter, an inexpensive IKEA sofa is glammed up with faux silver fox pillows. The sofa pulls up to a slate linen upholstered storage ottoman, holding spare blankets.“
Of course, I also added a touch of glam there, with the two shiny metal standing lamps,” says Schmidt. “They complement the custom metal drapery rods too.”
Overall, the glamorous new bedroom suite is the perfect retreat for the couple at end of a busy day.
A sofa and ottoman provide the ideal spot to kick back in the adjacent sitting area by the corner fireplace, extending the bedroom’s vibe.
SOFA IKEA Karlstad with Benz Slipcover PILLOWS Vermont Home Design on Etsy (Faux Fur White Gray) BLANKET HomeGoods OTTOMAN Ballard Designs Graham Storage Ottoman (Claire Gray) FLOOR LAMPS Robert Abbey Porter (S1911) ACRYLIC TRAY Mark and Graham Acrylic Serving Tray; WHITE VASES ON OTTOMAN HomeGoods