This is a story about a room . . . well, to be more exact, this is a story about two rooms in one. I'll explain more below.

In a house with two busy working parents, it is often the case that the master bedroom becomes neglected. With the impending arrival of a new addition to the family, these clients realized that their master bedroom needed a makeover. In its existing state, the master bedroom would be unable to accommodate a small nursery setup, a necessity until the new baby was old enough to move in with her big sister. I know this is a common problem that confronts many of my clients who live in smaller spaces, especially in San Francisco and New York. I hope this before/after shows you that it can not only be done but done stylishly!

Here are some before photos to give you a sense of the space.

The room isn't small by any means, but it is shaped a bit awkwardly. Directly across the bed is a sliding door which sounds nice in theory. But it made the bedroom visible to the entire rest of the house due to the home's layout, making it necessary for the curtains covering it to remain closed most of the time to preserve privacy. The storage furniture in the room felt a bit oversized and was making the room feel smaller than it was. And somehow I didn't grab a picture of the long row of glass closet doors that covered the entire length of the wall. (Note to self, take better before photos.) The glass closet doors made the entire room feel somewhat dated,. The paint color was an off-white with yellow undertones, which contributed to this dated feeling. We like midcentury, but we want the 2016 version of midcentury if you get my meaning. Here we go!

To bring in modernity, richness and interest in this room, we wallpapered! See below.

An improvement, I would say. Remember I mentioned the glass closet doors that extended through the entire length of the room? We replaced them with these off-white heavy curtains. I was slightly concerned that it might be too much fabric but it turned out so well. Due to the height of this closet, standard closet doors would not fit, and custom doors were outside the budget. This is a great long-term temporary solution.

I work really, really hard to collaborate with my clients and find compromise wherever possible. I also don't push for something unless I feel very strongly about it. This wallpaper was one such suggestion. There was some hesitancy on the clients' part but I knew this blue grasscloth would work so well here and I'm so glad they trusted me. The wallpaper has a sheen and richness that the camera can't truly capture, it adds so much to this otherwise blank canvas of a room.

We replaced the rug with one that was bigger and more appropriately sized to the space. Grounding the space with the right sized rug is a principle that is often overlooked but it's really important in creating the right balance in a room. The warmness of the walnut bedframe and nightstands seriously pops against the wallpaper. And there are touches of gold and brass detail throughout the room including these wall-mounted sconces which allow for more surface space on the nightstands.

Let's move on. This is a very sad corner, secretly dreaming to be brighter and better.

I think we did this corner justice. We tucked the glider in the corner, as can be seen below.

Such a sweet corner. Don't worry, the clients are purchasing a roman shade for that window to make sure the newest addition of the family gets proper shut-eye. The bassinet will be placed between the glider and bed, making things slightly tight for a little while but there is still room to move around.

We just wallpapered the one wall, getting a lot of bang for our buck. We repainted the other walls Grey Owl by Benjamin Moore. It's such a small change but makes such a difference. The cooler tones offset the warm wood floors and create this beautiful contrast.

Should we move to the other side of the room? Directly opposite the bed is a slider door as I mentioned above. Here is the before.

Due to privacy issues, and the fact that the clients never used this sliding door, they placed storage furniture in front of it. I thought the situation could be improved. Below is the after.

The existing heavier silk curtains were just not working for the room or the clients. The room felt very dark since these curtains were always closed to maintain privacy. We replaced them with these curtain panels which are the perfect solution. The panels allow some natural light to come in yet preserve a sense of privacy since this area is the primary dressing area. And before you get up in arms about blocking the sliding door, don't worry, this is a temporary floorplan. Once the glider moves out, the dresser can be relocated to that corner.

As I always do, I brought some plants in to bring in some life and energy. Pro tip? I swear that plants from Ikea are hardier than most. Since I knew my clients are insanely busy, juggling their careers and household, watering plants falls to the bottom of the list. Fingers crossed that these survive.

Sconces above your nightstand are so on trend right now and you can see why below. They create the coziest and most inviting bedroom lighting.

All you parents out there, I know you're busy and you work really hard. You really deserve to come home to a master bedroom that is truly a retreat. Don't forget to take care of your needs as well as your kids. Even the smallest changes can make a big difference as this before/after demonstrates. Let me know if you're interested in changing your bedroom into a sanctuary you deserve. Thanks for reading!

It's very common that when I tackle a new project for a couple there are differing opinions on budget, logistics and most commonly, style preferences. She likes traditional furniture, tufting, and gold accents. Him? He likes clean lines and mid-century modern furniture. I view it as part of my job to mediate the differences in style preference between a couple and find creative solutions so that everyone can be happy with the final result. It's a skill that was honed in my prior life as an attorney that has proven surprisingly indispensable in my new line of work.

This project was a bit different. The clients decided that each room would have a clear single voice. No mediation or compromise necessary. A feminine retreat for She. A library for relaxing, reading and book clubs. For Him, a home office, minimal in style with mid-century modern accents and a focus on practicality.

Let's start with the library. Here is the before:

It was clear that book storage was a priority. It's a necessity for any successful home library. Because the room was fairly small at 10 feet x 10 feet, we had to be smart in how to install seating. Another problem to solve with this older home was lighting, since there was no overhead lighting in this room. Although the room would be used primarily as a retreat, She wanted the option to hold small gatherings as well so I wanted to make sure we kept things cozy but not crowded. Below is the after.

Beautifully serene yet also very colorful. Since the room is so small, it was very difficult to get whole room photos. I hope these photos give you a glimpse of how cozy and inviting this space is. We briefly considered built-in bookcases but since this room may eventually be used for a different purpose, we decided to stick with the dependable Ikea Billy bookcases. The blue velvet settee sets the tone for the entire space and the gold accents throughout elevate the feel of the room.

I'm going to be honest, I was itching to rearrange the books into vignettes. But I controlled myself. This is a working library with all the books arranged by genre, and in this case, I very much respected the client's need to keep the library categorized as it is supposed to be.

One of my favorite details is the coffee table. See below.

It's all about the details. The gold curvy legs of this coffee table are so perfect for this room. Just the right amount of feminine with the modern. Although this room was already carpeted, I installed a small area rug to ground the space. This white shag rug is not only fluffy and welcoming but so very soft under your feet. What about the lighting problem? See below.

For a room without any overhead lighting, an arc lamp is the way to go short of installing can lights. This is a great temporary solution, providing diffused light for nighttime reading. And last but not least, since She would be hosting friends in this space as well, I thought it might help to have a beverage cart on hand.

Great right? One can easily imagine this cart filled with snacks and drinks for book club events. I loved how this library turned out and I'm just jealous I don't have one of my own.

Shall we move on to the home office space for Him? Here is the before.

Similar to the library, office storage furniture was a priority here. Specifically, file storage was sorely lacking. Although everyone says we're in the digital age, with every office I do, paper files are alive, well and aplenty.

For Him, he wanted a clear working space and overall a minimalist feel to the office. Here is the after.

Mission accomplished. The bold Rothko print brings some color into the room and plays nicely against the gray walls. The art cable allows one to display travel mementos and rotate whenever the mood strikes. The beautiful white task lamp is mid-century inspired with the brass stem and clean lines.

A breath of fresh air. Closed storage is everything for an office. Everything is tucked away behind closed doors. The walnut vertical bookcase not only allows for additional book storage but hides the printer in plain sight as it blends back into the background. The lower closed cabinet is where I put the harder to wrangle items such as packing supplies and smaller miscellaneous office items.

I usually believe that every room should try to remain cohesive with all other rooms in the house. But sometimes . . . rules are meant to be broken. And more importantly, if the space allows, embrace the true luxury of having a room completely and utterly defined by one's own personal style without any compromises!

I hope you enjoyed this before and after. Thanks for reading!