Oh wow! This season has been quite the challenge! After doing the ORC six times before, I can honestly say that this one pushed me to the limit. The fact that I was chosen as one of the 20 featured designers by Better Homes And Gardens, our media partner, added a tiny bit more pressure, but it was such an honor, and I feel so blessed. It is always fun to see just how much can be accomplished in such a short period.
The six weeks went by so fast, and yet so slow. Haha. I was really shocked that I was actually ready for photography last week, but not without some serious drama towards the end. More on that in future posts, so stay tuned. This will be a long post (sorry), but tons of beautiful after shots to make up for it :-).
Thanks to my amazing Photographer Colleen Scott, who always showcases my work beautifully.
Let's go back and see where we started.........
My moody master bedroom makeover would not be possible without our group of official sponsors. They've been nothing short of amazing, supportive and responsive to what I needed to bring this room together.
And I am so thankful to my vendor partners who also stepped in to lend their support and expertise (Helser Brothers, Kravet, S&L Designs, Kelly Moore Paints, Laura Rathe Fine Arts, Creative Style Furniture, Drapery ETC, Woodpecker Carpentry, Tom Navarre, Francisco Paizano, Keith Coen with America's Fine Art Installers)
The Moody Master Bedroom is not just about the mood I was trying to create in the space. It also represents my many moods - the things that I love, the things that I am currently into, the things that I find valuable, the things that I enjoy, the things that are sentimental. It is my bedroom, and I wanted it to be all about me; nothing wrong with that, right? My photographer walked in and her exact words were "it's so Veronica" Mission accomplished!
The room also celebrates my maximalist sensibility and my love for the "more is more" philosophy with restraint and sophistication. The late Tony Duquette and Miles Redd are two of my biggest design heroes, and they do more is more so well.
That term can often be seen in such a negative light, but there is nothing better than living in a space that tells your story, and the more you collect, the more you want to display them beautifully for your own enjoyment.
I wanted an eclectic mix, where nothing matched, but they just go together. I find that when I decorate with the things I love, they always come together, because they always have things in common. I don't overthink my designs, I just "feel" and that guides my selections. Layering patterns and color is very instinctive for me - it comes very naturally, and it really allows me to go bold with my designs.
The custom bed that I designed and had made by S&L Designs takes center stage. I have always wanted a canopy bed, but had to be super careful with 8' ceilings. It can easily overpower the room. I was able to customize the size, the finish, the fabric; really, every detail. You will notice that the mattress sits higher than normal. I personally love a high mattress, and therefore customized it to suit my needs
I always seek to anchor my crazy mix of patterns and colors with classic details and something architecturally strong. The ceiling was a perfect way to do that. Having 8' ceilings can be restricting to anything too grand, but that didn't stop me from going for it with the paneling done by my carpenter Getze Vazquez of Woodpecker Carpentry.
I was able to find the perfect mouldings from Metrie's Option M. With this collection Metrie has taken the most sought-after home décor styles such as boho chic, modern farmhouse, vintage industrial, new traditional, and, together with designers, curated interior moulding and door combinations that create high visual impact in any space. You can see just how much the mouldings I chose elevated the master bedroom for a luxurious look.
I was so excited when my contacts over at Kelly Moore Paints said yes about partnering with me for the One Room Challenge. They are a company that I have long admired. They were so generous in providing all the prep materials, primer and paints for the ceiling and my adjoining bathroom coming soon. I chose KMW57 Cloud White for the main ceiling color, and the black accent in KM4883 Black Cat. My painter Francisco Paizano and his team really did a great job
I have done many black rooms throughout my career, but this time I wanted to add some beautiful visual texture and depth. Pacific Designs provided all the wallpaper for my enormous master bedroom. I ended up choosing pattern PDSZ4034 from the Shenzen collection. Their selections were so amazing, and this one has the right amount of texture and sheen that creates the perfect backdrop for the layers of the room. My installer Tom Navarre did a great job applying the paper
To give the room even more depth and enhance the moody vibe, I decided to go with black silk draperies with the beautiful trim detail. The sheen of the silk against the texture of the wallpaper is so fabulous in the room. Fabricut, who is one of my top vendors for my design projects provided the beautiful silk fabric (Douppioni Silk Color 66), and the gorgeous trim from their Stroheim line (Ingot Color 25). Fabricut also provided the metallic trim on the gold bed pillows in the front (Metalink Color 114) and the gold velvet fabric pillow and coverlet fabric (Vienna Velvet Color 13). My workroom of over 12 years, Drapery ETC did an amazing job creating these custom pieces for me.
The beautiful drapery hardware was provided by one of my favorite vendors, Helser Brothers. I only had to reach out to Jay, one of the owners and tell him what I was up to, and he was so generous in providing all the hardware in record time. The custom gold finish provides a nice contrast against the grasscloth wallpaper, and the beautiful pagoda style finials tie in perfectly with the Chinoiserie influences in the room. If you know me, you know I love Chinoiserie. I went beefy with the drapery hardware, because this room is all about more is more.
The gorgeous ceiling light fixture is from Hudson Valley. It is called Dunkirk. I chose it because it totally reminds me of fireworks. I went a bit larger because I knew that the room would demand a substantial chandelier. The faceted crystal spheres refracts the light and casts some beautiful shadows in the room.
The beautiful, and dare I say sexy dimmer switch from adorne Collection by LeGrand helps to set the mood with the lighting. LeGrand also provided all the USB and regular outlets and switches throughout the bedroom and closet, as well as my master bathroom. I chose the magnesium finish to tie in with the wallpaper. They are available in several options and finishes. I will be using the adorne Collection by LeGrand on all my projects going forward
Even my doors got an upgrade. Emtek provided the gorgeous door levers and the pull on the custom desk. I chose the knurled L- square lever with a square rosette in flat black and satin brass on the knurled handle. There are several options to create your own custom door hardware. You have to check them out. These are some of the small but impactful details that will take your space to luxury status
One of my favorite pieces in the room is the gorgeous fully custom sofa that was created by Creative Style Furniture. I reached out to April, the owner, and she was so excited to partner with me for the ORC. April and her team went above and way beyond for me. Not only did Creative Style Furniture create the beautiful custom sofa, they also created the custom hair on hide desk that is a part of my soon to launch Veronica Solomon Style Collection, as well as reupholstering the desk chair. The fabric on the sofa is from Clark and Clark Majestic Velvet collection and the amazing metallic 8" bullion fringe is from Houles. I had to have Bullion fringe in the room. I just had to :-)
The flower-shaped nailheads on the arm of the sofa add a playful detail. The monogram on the center pillow was also done by Creative Style Furniture in a gold metallic thread. Isn't it fabulous? And the two pillows with the ribbon was actually inexpensive trim from Hobby Lobby. This is a testament that you can take something inexpensive and make it look luxurious with the right application.
I worked with April to create the custom desk from the Veronica Solomon Style Collection. I wanted the convenience of a small workspace inside of my bedroom, but I hardly wanted it to look like a workspace. The hair on hide texture and the nailhead details just adds that luxury touch without looking officey. The Veronica Solomon Style Collection is available soon, but you can reach out to get your order in
If you've been following the progress of the room on the blog, you will know that the desk chair is one of 6 really ugly chairs I got from my seamstress (see week 3 for before). Well, look at it now. Creative Style Furniture did an amazing job refinishing it in this gold finish, and the gorgeous Clarence House Fabric takes it up a few thousand notches.
Most of the gorgeous pillows on the chair and bed were provided by Arianna Belle. I am in awe of how luxurious they look in the room. The quality is top notch, and Arianna was so easy to work with. The website is a great resource not just for beautiful pillows and inserts, but guides for styling your bed and sofa.
I chose the black and white zebra (Le Zebre Black) shown on the bed and on the sofa, the solid white with grosgrain ribbon border as the euro shams on the bed, the white with black greek key trim shown in the floral chair. The other pillows were custom made by my drapery workroom, Drapery Etc
I am also very much in love with what I am calling my reading corner. This Scout Design Studio wing back chair really anchors the space. It is called the Bobby Chair and it comes in an oyster tweed fabric. I sent my own Clark and Clark fabric and had them reupholster for me. Such a gorgeous and fun addition. I love the exaggerated silhouette with the really bold fabric. The bug pillow is also a Clark and Clark fabric and the greek key pillow is from Arianna Belle
And in case you didn't notice, the original Hunt Slonem art on the wall above the chair, let me bring it to your attention. Haha. I reached out to Laura Rathe Fine Art to borrow this piece for my room reveal, and she said yes! I was super excited because I love Hunt Slonem's work, and I have long admired these bunnies. You can also see the bunny motif in the custom duvet cover, which is the Hutch pattern in black from Lee Jofa/Kravet. If you are interested in purchasing this original piece, you can reach out to Laura Rathe HERE . Mention that you saw it here, and she'd be happy to offer a discount
The beautiful acrylic side table is from Lamps Plus, as well as the two faux fur ottomans. They add a glam and youthful touch to the room, so show off my playful side.
The gorgeous faux floral arrangements you see sprinkled throughout the room are from Natural Decorations Inc (NDI). A few are natural flowers from Trader Joe's. I use NDI on almost all my design projects, so imagine the excitement when I saw that they were an official sponsor of the One Room Challenge. The one on the TV console is OF409 and the one on the night stand and black credenza is WF1116. The one on the acrylic Lamps Plus side table is from my studio which I have had for a long time. The tulip arrangement on the coffee table and bouquet on desk are real flowers from Trader Joe's
Every girl needs a full length mirror in their private sanctuary, and this beautiful leaning one from Varaluz is as beautiful as it is functional. I kept it simple with the clean gold frame since there is already so much going on in the space.
The gorgeous lamp on the black and gold credenza is from Meg Caswell Collection for Couture Lamps. I fell in love with it immediately. It is called the Devonshire and I love the strong architectural lines.
You will see the repetition of the square detail on the drapery trim, the credenza and even on one of the nightstands on the left side of the bed. The nightstand, which is really a large chest and the mirrored TV console are from Worlds Away.
And you may notice the gallery wall of Chinese calligraphy? I love Chinese calligraphy and I love the brushes as well. You will see a few of them and a lot of other things from my collections. For example, my design books are everywhere in the room. Hints of Chinoiserie in the coffee table and the ginger jar on the bedside chest.
The Chinese prints were purchased from Shutterstock and Society 6. I had the ones from Shutterstock printed locally by AlphaGraphics Katy and they were all matted and framed by Hobby Lobby. My art installer Keith Coen with America's Fine Art Installers did a great job installing all my artwork and mirrors
And not to forget my adjoining closet, I wanted to create a beautiful little vignette with personality. This large piece from Minted is called Lady Gray (30x40) by Juniper Briggs. Doesn't she have attitude? I love walking into the closet and seeing this great little vignette.
A picture of my late husband Sacky is always close by
A closer look at the dimmer switch and the USB outlet and wall plates by LeGrand Adorne
Other items in the room not mentioned above
Round mirror above headboard - Carvers' Guild
Black faux bois fabric on shams on bed - Kravet
Red lamps on nightstand - from my studio (no longer available)
Bird lamp on TV console - Cyan Design
Floral arrangement in closet vignette - Creative Branch
Fabric on small accent pillow on bed - Clarence House
Zebra Rug - from my studio
Collection of poets above TV console - Restoration Hardware (bought several years ago)
Collection of black disks on stands on black and gold credenza - Curated Kravet
Black and gold credenza - Artmax
Chinoiserie coffee table - Amazon
Bust - from my own collection
Chinese calligraphy brushes - from my own collection
My master bedroom is really a collection of things that I love to surround myself with. For every room that I design for myself, there is always the following elements:
classic, timeless, pattern mix, color, variety of textures, whimsy, something unexpected, Chinoiserie, something sentimental, a collection, something vintage.
A closer look at the Meg Caswell Devonshire Lamp from Couture Lamps.
The pair of gold linen kidney pillows shown here are from Arianna Belle.
So this is the space! I just love it!
What do you think?
I will be sharing more of the behind the scenes stuff in future posts, including what this room really costs. Be sure to subscribe at the top of the page. You don't want to miss all the juicy details
Check out the REVEALS of my fellow featured designers
At Home With Ashley | Casey Keasler | Dorsey Designs | The Farmhouse Project | Home Made by Carmona | House of Funk | House of Jade Interiors | House Seven Design | House That Lars Built | Inspired by Charm | Jana Bek | Jessica Brigham | Kelly Golightly | Murphy Deesign | The Pink Pagoda | Sarah Gunn | Sherry Hart Designs | Sugar & Cloth | Veronica Solomon | Vintage Revivals | Media Partner BH&G | TM by ORC
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Wishing You Beauty And Inspiration!
Veronica
Thank you so much Jamala. I’m so happy you like the room so much. It’s one of my boldest ones yet. More to come. Maybe one day soon we will get to meet. Thanks for your love, encouragement and support always.
Thank you so much Linda. I’m so happy with the way it turned out. So glad you like it.
I keep scrolling over this post again and again. Every image is perfection and each detail has me envious in the best way possible way. I just can't believe the the transformation! Well done!