Facebook

Tweet

Help

Pretty as a picture

Second Empire style sits side by side with Pop Art in a bedroom suite that blends an eclectic collection of looks into a cohesive whole

View of bedroom with striped red and white bed sheet, bedroom, ceiling, estate, furniture, home, interior design, living room, property, real estate, room, suite, textile, window, window treatment, gray
View of bedroom with striped red and white curtains, yellow bedspread and furniture and bathroom with diamond design features.

Reconciling a period look with a contemporary lifestyle is the task of any designer involved in an historically accurate restoration.

The bedroom suite shown on these pages forms part of a whole-house restoration project of a property built in the late 19th century.

The current owners were dedicated to restoring the home within the parameters of its period, which required certain features to be present throughout the home. At the same time, functionality and personality were to be just as important in the bedrooms, says interior designer Martin Potter of MJ Berries Design.

"In the daughter's room, there is still a formality that references the rest of the home, but it's been relaxed to let her individuality shine through."

The designer was given a base palette of pink and yellow from which to build the design.


View of bedroom with striped red and white bedroom, ceiling, furniture, home, interior design, living room, real estate, room, suite, wall, gray
View of bedroom with striped red and white curtains, yellow bedspread and furniture and bathroom with diamond design features.

"Other than the colour scheme, there were no special requests, which allowed us to evaluate each piece on its own merits, rather than whether it fitted predetermined criteria," says Potter.

The result is a carefully assembled mix of custom and repurposed pieces, alongside those in the Second Empire style, all working together to complete a room that wouldn't look out of place in any home, says Potter.

"The room appears to have evolved over time, with a varied collection of pieces some family heirlooms, some newer just as you would find in any teenager's bedroom."

One of the more imposing elements in the room is the headboard, which the designer found and which was formerly a bookcase.

"This piece works on a number of levels. Its size helps ground the room, and it conceals contemporary lighting that can be used for reading, augmenting the chandelier without encroaching on the period aesthetic."

View of bedroom with striped red and white bed sheet, bedroom, ceiling, estate, furniture, home, interior design, living room, property, real estate, room, suite, textile, window, window treatment, gray
View of bedroom with striped red and white curtains, yellow bedspread and furniture and bathroom with diamond design features.

As part of the renovation project, an ensuite bathroom was installed to service both this and another bedroom.

"As with the bedroom, the bathroom has something of an air of formality, but again the period dictates have been relaxed," says Potter. "We used traditional materials such as marble to impart a suitably classic feel, but this is balanced by the treatment. The mix of mosaics and subway tiles, combined with the pattern on the floor and the wall frieze brings a touch of whimsy that adds a lightness to the whole."

"The custom vanity, with its clean lines and simple Shaker-influenced styling, matches the bookcase and chest of drawers in the bedroom and provides a visual link between the spaces," says Potter.

Credit list

Interior design
Martin Potter,
Bath
Durham apron front from Waterworks
Basin
Savoy oval undermount
Flooring
Bedroom, quarter-sawn white oak installed by Hunt Hardwood Flooring, Stark Carpet custom design by MJ Berries; bathroom, Ann Sacks Tile & Stone mosaics in Cartman
Toilet
Exeter round by Waterworks
Blinds
UV window shades from
Accessories
Etoile robe hook
Builder
S+H Construction
Vanity
Custom made by Kochman
Taps
Vanity, Julia single-hole lavatory set in nickel; tub, Etoile exposed thermostatic shower system
Wallcoverings
White Thassos marble subway tile in various sizes
Lighting
Crystal chandeliers from
Drapes
MJ Berries Design

Story by: Justin Foote

11 May, 2011

Home kitchen bathroom commercial design


Latest Post

08 Dec, 2024

08 Dec, 2024

08 Dec, 2024

We know the Specialists

Similar Stories