This compact room serves as our master bedroom. One of the house’s early drawbacks was that the master was small and not directly connected to a bathroom. Many people prefer a true master suite, and originally this house lacked one. It wasn’t obvious how to create a suite without significant changes.
The master does sit near a bathroom, connected by a short hall that leads to the bedroom from the entry. We’ve considered relocating the bedroom door to the end of the hall, adjacent to the entry, to provide a direct connection to the bathroom and create more of a suite-like arrangement.
Atlanta Homes
If we add a new door from the hall, we might choose a sliding barn door that sits flush with the wall so it doesn’t consume floor space. In the hall photo you can see where the current bedroom hallway begins on the left. To the right of that hall are another bedroom and an office; straight ahead are the dining room and living room.
See the swine paint in the hall? 🙂
Relocating the doorway would still leave us with a relatively small bedroom and bathroom, but it would make the space feel more like a master suite. The trade-off is that it would limit public access to the only bathroom on the main floor. With the master door moved, guests might need to enter the hallway by the bedroom, but the bathroom could remain the first door off the hall so visitors wouldn’t necessarily have to walk through a bedroom to reach it.
I wrote a post a while back about remodeling a bathroom to have two entrances, creating a guest entrance when only one bathroom is available on a floor. That might not be possible here due to space constraints. Adding a powder room where the current office sits could be an option in the future, but it isn’t a priority now. We do have a second bathroom downstairs, so for the moment that suffices.
Right now reconfiguring the room and bathroom is low on the list. Instead, we want to make this bedroom feel more like ours with simple changes. The master often ends up last on the to-do list, but we decided we want to make it feel like home now rather than waiting for an ideal remodel. Many of our other projects will require larger budgets, so starting with a paint job is a practical and impactful first step. I’ve already chosen the color and have the paint ready.
The room is currently painted a yellow I jokingly call “lemon chiffon.” Combined with the pale swine/hog shades in other areas, the house won’t feel settled until the walls are repainted. Since this master is fairly small compared with the large suites found in many homes, I’m leaning into its coziness rather than trying to make it feel larger. I plan to create a snug, enveloping feel with darker walls.
Embracing a small bedroom by making it cozy is often the best approach.
Below are some dark-walled room images for inspiration. They aren’t necessarily the exact styles or shades we’ll use (we’re not planning on black or deep navy), but they capture the moody, intimate atmosphere we’re aiming for.
Lonny
Lonny
original source unknown
Our Fifth House
House and Leisure
House Beautiful
To balance the darker walls, I’ll keep white trim and introduce white bedding or accents so the room doesn’t feel too heavy. The windows bring strong morning light, which means the room will feel bright during the day and dark and romantic at night.
Elle Decor
Rue Mag
Design Sponge
We’ll keep our current bed for now — a wooden sleigh bed that belonged to my mother — which will look warm and rich against darker walls. The bed fits well beneath the windows, where curtains can frame it and create a cozy nest. Opposite the windows, we’ll place a dresser and TV. We don’t use the TV in the bedroom often, but it’s nice for quiet winter evenings. For family viewing, we have a TV downstairs, and we prefer keeping the main floor largely TV-free for a calmer atmosphere.
The room is narrower than our previous master, so I’ll need narrower nightstands; my old dresser and nightstands won’t fit here but will be repurposed elsewhere. The closet doors are currently mirrored, which helps reflect light and is practical for checking outfits, but I’m considering replacing them with a different style down the line.
My immediate goal is to paint, then rearrange and settle in with new curtains and finishing touches. I also have a semi-flush mount light fixture ready to install to add sparkle and a romantic glow. I’m excited to see how the room evolves — it will feel different from our old bedroom, and since not everything is planned, the final result will be a pleasant surprise.
We’re just about ready to begin painting and I’ll share progress updates and the new paint color as we move forward. I haven’t started holiday decorating yet; some years I begin early, but this season I’ve been focused on settling in and work projects. Even while the house is in a “before” state, I still plan to put up my usual two trees and decorate. I won’t wait for a perfect house to enjoy the season and will share anything I do in the coming weeks.
Watch for updates on this room and the reveal of the new paint color.
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