BRIGHTENING UP THE MASTER RETREAT

It’s no secret that I’ve been talking about updating our master bedroom and that I’ve been working on a few new things in recent weeks. The time has finally come for the big reveal – and you wouldn’t believe the change. Even my husband and kids can’t believe it. Don’t get me wrong – we loved our bedroom before. It was sophisticated and curated, with an enveloping colour palette and warm, earthy elements. You can read all about it HERE. The layers of grey on grey were exactly what I wanted when I designed our space. The issue with it was the overall light quality. Lighting is the single most important element in any design. I often tell clients and friends that without the right lighting, your desired results may not be achievable. Our north-facing windows cast cold light into the room, and on a dark day, with this colour palette, walking into the space felt confining and a little heavy at times. We were in need of a change, so I set out to create a light and airy space by brightening up the master retreat with paint and lighting  – basically the complete opposite of what we had – to help visually enlarge and to brighten up our small bedroom.

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Here it is – our new master retreat. I must say, the results are exactly what I had envisioned. I created this look with only a few changes, believe it or not, and it wasn’t a huge cost factor either: a new, fresh and light paint colour, new bedding (which I revealed to you last month, HERE), a few new accessories, new lamps, a new chandelier, and the real stars of this space, SYLVANIA LED lightbulbs, which I purchased at Canadian Tire (I’ll get to that shortly). That’s it. Small changes, HUGE impact. Take a look…
I wanted the palette to be cool and crisp, literally like a breath of fresh air – especially for the summer months. I plan on reverting back to our grey bedding in the winter to add the cozy factor back in here. The wall colour, Icicle White, by Benjamin Moore Origins for Canadian Tire, works fantastically with both palettes, so it’s a big win-win. This colour is so refreshing and calming at the same time; it’s the softest blue imaginable, with a hint of grey in certain light.There were already a few brass accessories in the room and paired with the dark grey, it was quite glamorous. I loved it. I wanted even more of the brass with my new blue and white palette, and I fell hard when I found this gorgeous Canvas Harlowe Chandelier from Canadian Tire. The soft brass colour and brushed finish add the perfect modern element to the space. I’m thinking I may add some shades to it to create a more tailored look, but I am in love with this little gem and its linear quality just the way it is. It’s very different from our previous fixture, which was more feminine.I’ve used SYLVANIA ULTRA LEDs in the chandelier, which are dimmable; it’s very important to me that the ceiling fixture has this feature because I love being able to have low, ambient light when I’m relaxing in the evening. There’s a small, initial investment, but the overall savings can be quite significant – with up to 85% in energy savings! That’s a big factor as far as the environment goes, and even better, they’re mercury free – I love this feature the most because it feels great knowing our home is that much safer for our family and the environment. There is no warm up time, and they turn on right away – no delays. You can view SYLVANIA’s full lighting collection HERE.I used the gold-framed coral print artwork from our master bathroom and hung them in a simple row on the large wall. Keeping it minimal here allowed for the space to breathe and let the chandelier really set the tone for the room.The existing bedside lamps moved over to this wall, atop our two Ikea dressers, and the regency style mirror was yet another metallic touch that reinforced the Palm Beach vibe I wanted for this vignette. It has been in a few different rooms around our home, and I think I’ve finally found its permanent spot.The blue and white ginger jars from the living room have found a new home in here for the summer and provide the perfect balance for our new blue and white bedding. I have plans to glam up these dressers as well. I’m debating between brass drawer pulls, brass ring pulls, mirrored drawer fronts and sides, or a patterned overlay on the drawers only. Maybe mirrors and overlays…that would be gorgeous. There are so many options! I can’t decide which one – I may just keep it simple and go with new hardware.As far as lightbulbs are concerned, I honestly did not know about the features of LEDs until I tried them in this space. I’ve always used basic incandescent bulbs, and since switching them out for LED lightbulbs in this room, I can’t believe how gorgeous the light quality is, day or night. Now I want them everywhere! It brings out the wall colour at night and enhances my metallic finishes – which are a very important element of this design – even more so than before. I absolutely love it all.I have two different types of LED lightbulbs for the table lamps: SYLVANIA LED for the dresser lamps and SYLVANIA ULTRA LED for the nightstand lamps. Both are soft white with a cool colour temperature, which is ideal for interiors. It creates a bright, crisp and clean feeling in this space. SYLVANIA LED lightbulbs are less expensive than premium, SYLVANIA ULTRA LED bulbs, and they last up to 10 years! I’m using SYLVANIA ULTRA LED lightbulbs for the nightstand lamps because we use these lamps the most. I like to read at night and do work while sitting up in bed, and since they can last up to 22 years – yes, 22 years – I’ll definitely get a lot of work done!The lighting enhances all of the beautiful accessories on my dressers and nightstands as well. Everything sparkles and shines so much more…who doesn’t love extra sparkle?!HERE’S A CLOSE UP LOOK  : I love how it brings out the details of the decor and colours even more at night.My husband and kids have all said it looks and feels like a hotel suite in here, and they can’t believe the difference in the before and after. Hearing that coming from my family is the icing on the cake for me; I could not be happier with how this turned out and how much the lighting affects the overall feeling in here. I can tell you that I’d have to agree with them on the hotel thing. It’s like my own little retreat. Not only at the end of the day (when it’s time to wind down) but even in the middle of the day, I’ll come in sometimes just for a few minutes, look around and get that breath of fresh air to recharge. I hope you like this as much as we do! Thanks for reading, I’d love to hear what you think. xo

GET THE LOOK OF OUR MASTER BEDROOM :