Battle of the Master Suites

My master suite is on the small side, but that doesn’t mean it can’t feel relaxing and comfortable. This reno starts with smarts: making better use of the available square footage and combining the awkwardly separate bathroom areas into one large space. Then comes the real fun—adding wow factor everywhere I can.

Drew’s Before & After

Drew’s Design Highlights

LET IT SLIDE

In addition to a much-needed new sliding glass door to elevate the room’s indoor-outdoor flow, I added custom sliding barn doors to separate the bedroom and bathroom. They’re a clean, stylish take on the rustic trend and tie in perfectly with the family-friendly vibe of the house.

MOUNTAIN “DO”

A major feat of this reno was shrinking the master closet and using that space to build a showstopping double sink vanity. As much as I wanted the wall behind the vanity to incorporate tile, it was simply too expensive for my budget. To create an equally stunning feature, we moved mountains…with paintbrushes. This completely custom mural by local artist Katherine Jacobus echoes the topography and misty coloring of the Bay Area.

BIRD BATH

The bathroom’s wow factor continues with this glazed floor tile in peacock blue—the unique color is reminiscent of the bird’s famously vibrant feathers. Installing them in a braided rope pattern adds extra visual interest, and the crisp white grout really makes the color stand out.

Local construction support: Jason Bliss and Scott Bliss of Benchmark Construction
Local design support: Laura Martin Bovard of LMB Interiors
Tile expert: Kali Robledo at Fireclay Tile
Custom barn doors: RW Garage Doors
Custom bathroom mural: Katherine Jacobus
Interior doors: Meeks
Shower glass: Heavy Lux
Shower and door hardware: Belmont Hardware
Window and doors: Dolan’s Lumber

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Just like the kitchen and living room downstairs, my master suite’s layout needed a lot of work. To transform the space into an inviting retreat with an unobstructed view of the hills (and next door goats), we made a huge move. Actually, a tall move—we literally raised the roof to create a higher angled ceiling, adding tons of drama and value in the process. We also relocated the staircase to make room for a sleek, functional bathroom and then turned the old bathroom into a walk-in closet.

Jonathan’s Before & After

Jonathan’s Design Highlights

WALL-PLAYED

To further distinguish the separate areas of the master suite—bedroom and reading nook—I orchestrated different aesthetics for the walls. Behind the bed’s custom niche is a dazzling seagrass accent wall, which pops next to the white walls and trim. Opposite of that side of the room is a punch of poppy patterned wallpaper in metallic gray, velvety texture included.

HOW NICHE!

Once the streamlined layout was in place, I complemented the room’s soaring height and unique slants with clever geometric pieces. We installed a custom wooden niche with sconces above the bed, which itself is a sturdy low-profile platform with angled legs. The patterned duvet cover is an architecture lover’s dream, and the wooden nightstands, ironically, round things out with sharp edges.

SHOWER POWER

My tricked-out master shower has everything you could ever want or need: sleek custom glass, white subway tile with a peek of the grayish-greenish accent wall, a handy hand shower, and a teak fold-down bench—so you can have a seat and admire the beauty of your surroundings.