Room of the Day: A Bold Design for a Compact Master Bedroom
Bright details, molding and wallpaper that wows turn a functional space into a glamorous sanctuary
Gold wallpaper with a powerful linear pattern seems like a bold choice for a bedroom barely large enough for a queen bed and nightstands. Interior designer Alexa Johnson went for it, believing that any space has room for a big design move.
The 80-year-old house had had many updates by the time the owners bought it, but the plain, taupe-colored master bedroom remained. The clients wanted something more inspiring and dramatic.
The challenge: meeting their desire for high style without making the room feel as though it were closing in on them.
One client “loves gold, champagne and sparkle,” Johnson says, but she didn’t want to go too overboard with a romantic look. Inspiration came to Johnson in the form of Kelly Wearstler wallpaper. She’d seen it in black and white, but when she found it in gold, she knew she had hit pay dirt. It combined the right color scheme with her client’s desire for something that looked hand-painted.
Wall-mounted lights: Circa Lighting
The challenge: meeting their desire for high style without making the room feel as though it were closing in on them.
One client “loves gold, champagne and sparkle,” Johnson says, but she didn’t want to go too overboard with a romantic look. Inspiration came to Johnson in the form of Kelly Wearstler wallpaper. She’d seen it in black and white, but when she found it in gold, she knew she had hit pay dirt. It combined the right color scheme with her client’s desire for something that looked hand-painted.
Wall-mounted lights: Circa Lighting
This print would overwhelm the room if applied from floor to ceiling, so Johnson added wainscoting for balance and an architectural detail. To make the room feel more spacious, she mounted the sconces above the nightstands.
Bed linens: Pottery Barn
Bed linens: Pottery Barn
She adorned the metal nightstands with Lucite trays. “We had such a small wall to work with and so much to squeeze in,” Johnson says. “I liked that the trays kept things organized and pretty but didn’t add too much more visual weight.”
She also kept the bed linens neutral to make the room feel larger and to give the eye a place to rest. The custom pillow reflects the client’s love for nature.
Johnson picked strong colors, orange and blue, as accents because she feared anything soft would pale compared with the light fixture and wallpaper.
Chair: Pottery Barn
Johnson picked strong colors, orange and blue, as accents because she feared anything soft would pale compared with the light fixture and wallpaper.
Chair: Pottery Barn
Johnson’s client got the original bunny artwork from Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market. “It’s so romantic and fun for the master bedroom, but it’s not sappy,” Johnson says.
Molding adds a Craftsman touch to the closet doors, and gold-toned fox handles give another nod to nature.
To give the room a feeling of height and match the home’s architecture, Johnson added molding and hung the drapes at the ceiling. The blue curtains complement the artwork and bedding while giving the room even more drama.
Johnson chose the light fixture for how it echoes the wallpaper’s print and pulls it from the walls to the ceiling.
“I love being able to repeat an element — a shape, a color, a metal — at least once in a room,” she says. “I think it creates a sense that those choices were intentional and careful. The trick is not to go overboard and turn it into a themed room.”
Light fixture: Currey & Company
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Johnson chose the light fixture for how it echoes the wallpaper’s print and pulls it from the walls to the ceiling.
“I love being able to repeat an element — a shape, a color, a metal — at least once in a room,” she says. “I think it creates a sense that those choices were intentional and careful. The trick is not to go overboard and turn it into a themed room.”
Light fixture: Currey & Company
More
Browse wallpaper designs in the Shop section
See more Rooms of the Day
Location: Seattle
Size: 144 square feet (13.4 square meters)
Designer: Alexa Johnson, owner of Manderley Design Co.
The queen-size bed, which the clients already owned, fit in just one place: between the entrance to the room and the wall.
Photos: Aly Medina La Luz Photography