So now we have black walls and wood floors. We’ve got the basic foundation of the room in place. Let’s take a deep dive into the design process and I’ll show you all the plans we have for finishing this bedroom and bathroom …

If you missed the last two weeks of the Spring 2021 One Room Challenge, I encourage you to go back and read about how we built this entire space from scratch after our house was hit by a tornado (here) and how we settled on a really crisp color palette based in neutrals (here).

To recap from last week, we’re currently sitting with a pretty bare room. The walls of the bedroom and bathroom are painted Black Magic by Sherwin Williams. The trim is Pure White by Sherwin Williams. We’ve purchased a new bed, bedding, and a rug. And that’s basically it:

That’s the view of the bedroom from the day we moved into the house last August. Since then, nothing has changed. We’re using temporary bedside tables while we await our new design. At this point, everything hinges on coming up with a concrete design plan for this room.

The decisions we make at this point will determine the overall feel of this room. So let’s talk about how I consider and then settle on a design plan.

Since I want the changes we make in our Principal Bedroom Suite to be long-lasting and worthwhile, I’m tackling this space as if I were designing for a client. I’m following the same general process I have for working with clients (except I’m also doing a lot of the installation myself, rather than hiring it out).

When I work with clients, the very first thing I do is create three concept boards for every room. While the general style typically remains the same, based on what the client has previously shown interest in, each board has a distinct overall vibe.

MODERN BLACK BEDROOM + BATHROOM DESIGNS

Modern Luxury Bedroom

My initial design concept for the bedroom section in our Principal Suite merged a lot of the characteristics of natural luxury and transitional style that we’ve incorporated in our previous bedrooms. I stuck with lighter neutral colors and luxurious fabrics like linens and velvet and added a darker focus with black accents and plaid wallpaper.

Modern Glam Bathroom

To accompany this luxurious bedroom design, I created a concept for our en suite bathroom that added glamorous touches to up the wow factor.

While we absolutely loved this original design concept, we did notice that it doesn’t quite fit with the general overall style of the house at this point.

As we get older, our personal style has begun to feel a lot less … mature. We’re looking to have more fun in our home at this point. As a professional designer, I create beautiful and luxurious spaces for clients all day long and now I’m craving something less perfect for my own space.

Modern Geometric Bedroom

Once I realized I wanted to add a little more Scandinavian style to the space in order to make it work with the remainder of the house, I began adding geometrics for the second concept. I love playing with stripes juxtaposed with natural elements, like wood, to create a balance of organic and industrial.

Modern Industrial Bathroom

By adding more industrial elements in the bathroom, I was able to wink at the history of our home without losing the overall modern feeling I want this addition to have.

This second design concept felt like it was getting closer to evoking the playful feeling we want our room to have but we weren’t quite there yet.

So I decided to go full-tilt fun:

Modern + Playful Bedroom

My personal style veers into the Scandinavian Modern spectrum. I’ve often been hesitant to use that term when I describe my vision for my home because I think it’s too frequently aligned with neutral and white spaces. Clearly, we’re not looking to have a neutral or white space.

If you remember my daughter’s bedroom design concept, you probably recognize the floral pattern already. Even if you don’t remember her bedroom, you likely recognize those bold poppies from just existing in the world. That pattern is Marimekko’s Unikko design and it dates back to 1964 and I absolutely love the story behind it.

Armi Ratia, the founder of the Finnish design and print house Marimekko, declared that she would never release a floral pattern at Marimekko. In protest, Designer Maija Isola submitted a series of bold florals for consideration to Armi. The designs were so beautiful and so perfectly Finnish-Modern that Armi ate her words and released the pattern, called, Unikko (Poppy in English) the next season.

To date, Unikko is the most famous and fruitful design to come from Marimekko. You can read more about this story here: The Secret History of Marimekko Unikko Fabric

Modern Playful Family Bathroom

Remember when I said we aren’t frilly? As the story above exemplifies, rules are made to be broken. This Unikko fabric inspired me to add more playfulness to our currently-shared family bathroom too. It might just show up in every space I design in our house moving forward.

I wonder how much fun the other designers are having in their homes this season. Now is the perfect time to go check them out and see if anyone else is using any iconic designs in their concepts.

You can go check out the other designers and give the ones who inspire you a follow. Once again, you can see the full list of participating designers here.

Next week, we’re going to tackle the building of our closet and discuss how we plan to store two women’s clothing and shoes in a closet that was meant to handle brooms and guest linens. It’s a fun ride! Make sure you check in to see how it’s going. Until then, stay safe and sane.

xoxo
Teri

DECORATING ON A BUDGET ISN’T ALWAYS EASY BUT I’M HERE TO HELP.

Commenting on this post is disabled so I can focus on our upcoming projects + client designs but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to hear from you. Send me your questions and comments on Instagram by either commenting on my latest post or sending me a direct message. I really love to chat it out!

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