TThis small room is our master bedroom. Its size and the lack of a direct bathroom connection felt like limitations when we first bought the house. Many people prefer a master suite; this house didn’t have one, and it wasn’t obvious how to create one without significant changes.
The master sits just off a short hall that leads to the bathroom and entry. We’ve thought about moving the bedroom door to the end of that hall so the room connects more directly to the bathroom.
Atlanta Homes
If we add a new door from the hall, it could be a sliding barn door that sits flush with the wall so it doesn’t take up extra space. In the hall photo you can see the bedroom hallway opening on the left; to the right is another bedroom and an office, and straight ahead are the dining and living rooms.
See the swine paint in the hall? 🙂
Moving the bedroom entry would make the space feel more like a suite, even if both bedroom and bathroom remain small. The trade-off would be losing a public entrance to the only bathroom on the main floor. With the master door at the end of the hall, guests would have to enter the hall and use the bathroom as the first door, which avoids going through the bedroom itself.
Earlier I wrote about remodeling a bathroom to include two entrances so it can serve guests without passing through a bedroom, but this space may not have room for that solution. We could potentially add a powder room in the current office, though that’s not a priority right now. We have a second bathroom downstairs, so it’s manageable for the moment.
Reconfiguring the room and bathroom is not an immediate priority, so I’ll revisit those ideas later. For now, the goal is to make the bedroom feel more like us with simple, achievable changes. The master is often last on the list to improve, but we want to make this space comfortable now rather than waiting for a large renovation. Painting is an affordable transformation, and I’ve already chosen and purchased the paint.
The room currently has a yellow “lemon chiffon” color that, along with other bold paint choices in the house, doesn’t feel like us. Because the master is relatively small, I’m embracing its coziness rather than trying to make it appear larger. I plan to give it dark walls to create a snug, nest-like atmosphere.
Sometimes the best approach for a small bedroom is to embrace its cozy size and make it warm and inviting.
I gathered inspiration from several dark-walled bedrooms. We won’t be doing black or navy, but these images help explore the moody, intimate feeling I want to achieve.
Lonny
Lonny
original source unknown
Our Fifth House
House and Leisure
House Beautiful
To balance the dark walls, I’ll keep the trim white and use white bedding or accents so the room doesn’t become too heavy. The space receives strong morning sun, so it will feel bright during the day and dark and romantic at night.
Elle Decor
Rue Mag
Design Sponge
We’ll keep our current bed — a wooden sleigh bed that belonged to my mother — which should look rich against dark walls. The bed fits beneath the windows and will be flanked by curtains to create a cozy, tucked-in feel. Opposite the windows we’ll place a dresser and a TV. We don’t watch much TV in the bedroom, but it’s nice for occasional cozy winter nights. Family viewing happens downstairs, which helps keep the main living areas quieter.
I’ll need narrower nightstands because this room is not as wide as our previous master. My old dresser and nightstands won’t fit here, so they’ll be repurposed elsewhere. The mirrored closet doors reflect light, which is practical, though I’m considering replacing them with something more stylistic in the future.
My immediate plan is paint, followed by rearranging furniture, choosing curtains, and finishing details. I also have a new semi-flush mount light fixture to install that should add sparkle and a romantic touch. I’m excited to see how the room comes together — it will have a very different vibe from our old bedroom, and not knowing every detail means the final result will be a pleasant surprise.
We’re nearly ready to start painting and I’ll share progress updates and catch you up on other projects as they develop. I haven’t started Christmas decorating yet; this year has been busy with settling in and work, but I still plan to put up my usual two trees and enjoy the season even while the house is in transition.
Watch for updates on this room and the reveal of the new paint color.
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