The Primary Bedroom Suite – Final Design!

Hi Everyone,

I hope you’re feeling well this weekend of the full moon. I don’t usually pay much attention to whether the moon is full. However, I don’t know if I was in denial about the difficulty of these last weeks with floors and painting and the moon or if I’m merely burned out.

 

I’m sure it’s all of the above.

 

That manifested in that I didn’t do the hot sales on Friday. Oh, I updated most of it over the last few days but didn’t send anything out. And this post is coming out much later on Sunday morning.

Here’s what happened yesterday.

 

At about 5:00, I thought I better take some pics of the new floor in the primary bedroom suite to show you. I took them and came upstairs to “develop” them. In 2024-speak, that means doing the appropriate editing.

Can I tell you that the two yellow bulbs look worse than ever now that the floors are white? The supposedly warm bulbs give off a pink and yellow light. I hate them.

 

But that’s not all. I know most of you are going to hate the white painted floors.

 

Why?

Because we have primed white walls, a white floor, an aqua ceiling, and filthy windows in front of out-of-place-curlycue window guards. Then, there’s construction crap out in the garden, the aforementioned hideous lighting, and nothing else except for a sea of white.

 

As my darling Mama always said with a wink:

 

“It’s like a marshmallow in the snow.”

 

And sometimes, it’s a pink marshmallow. But too often, it’s a pink marshmallow that has peed all over itself.

Sorry, but that’s what it looks like.

Related but slightly off-topic, I got a brief email on Friday from Paul Montgomery, an incredible artist and owner of the Mural Source, wondering where we were with the wallpaper I wanted to do.

It must have slipped through the cracks. I had sent Paul an email about a month ago when the paint debacle was getting sorted out, followed by the bathroom floor. In the email, I said that we needed to put the paper on hold until things calmed down with the entire primary bedroom suite.

 

I still love the wallpaper for the Solitude White for the primary bedroom.

 

However, the scheme keeps changing, and even though the colors are fine, the Chinoiserie paper doesn’t feel quite right. Besides, we’ve had difficulty with our white paint colors, and then coordinating with the background of the paper.

Below is the new bathroom design, which I adore. That is not the floor. You can see which one I selected in this post. (It’s #3)

 

The bathroom in the primary bedroom suite.

 

The beautiful Solitude White by the Mural Source is the paper I was planning on doing in the primary bedroom.

 

 

There’s nothing wrong with the Solitude, but there’s something I never told you.

 

Last spring when I was getting samples from The Mural Source, I sprung for a large one of the English Parks in the Grisaille colorway.

 

This is a beautiful room by interior designer Cindy Rinfret in Greenwich, CT. I met her briefly in 1996 when I walked into her shop when I was just starting my business.

Anyway, I had the lovely English Parks Grisaille sample pinned up in my room and enjoyed looking at it so much. Alas, I knew full well that I had nowhere to put it.

 

Laurel, that’s nice. Are you going to show us the floor and tell us what color you selected?

 

Yes, I am.  However, you must prepare yourself to be disappointed.

 

Please note the lovely pink reflection of red brick mixed with the green from the ivy and blue from the sky. I daresay it’s also reflecting the ceiling. (Benjamin Moore Opal Essence 680) The floor is opal-like, isn’t it? That was my mommy’s birthstone.

 

You will never guess what this color is.

 

It’s a Laurel Home Collection color. In fact, it’s on everyone’s list of the best white paint colors.

 

 

It’s this one. Yes, I know what you’re thinking. ;]

 

NO WAY, LAUREL!

 

Please don’t argue with me. ;] I checked out the can.

It is Benjamin Moore oc-17 WHITE DOVE!

Imagine if I had done a cooler white like I thought I might. The floors would’ve looked like baby blue.

 

Well, you’re right, Laurel. I hate the room. Clearly, you have no idea what you’re doing. You should’ve listened when a chorus of us was begging you to do a wood stain on the floor. Oh well…

 

Thanks, y’all. I love you, too.

You guys know I’m just joking around with you. I mean, I do love you! But you know, and I know, I’m hoping to make you eat the words I put in your mouth. ;]

 

But first, let’s look at a few more pics of the marshmallow in the snow.

 

Ah, now it’s looking much more like the Dove, right? Thank God for the black railing and the warmth of the stain on the stair treads. They’re looking far darker here than they are.

 

 

Laurel, so far, you haven’t shown any images with this terrible lighting you’re always going on about.

 

You’re right, I haven’t. That’s because I spent a good hour color-correcting all these images.

Below is how the image above looked straight out of the camera.

 

 

Like I said. Pee-covered marshmallow. (But, I see pink, too!) Please understand that I don’t make stuff up just to make you spit out your coffee. Truth be told, it’s not quite this bad in real life. However, the camera lens does its best with the LED lights.

 

And finally, the view I will have from my bed.

 

Yes, I talked to Chris about the gaps now quite noticeable where the baseboard meets the floor. I would like to avoid a shoe moulding,

So, now it was after 7:00. At some point, I made dinner and ate it.

I came back to the post and knew what had to be done.

 

We need to see how the English Parks Grisaille looks inside these panels.

 

An hour or so later…

Holy Crap! That looks GOOOOOOOOODDD!!!

I’ll just stick me a mattress on the floor, and it’ll be perfect.

Okaaaay. You know I’m not going to do that.

 

Naturally, I kept going and going, and before I knew it, it was past midnight.

 

OMG! This is it!!! Well, not the coffee table, and maybe not that chair. Do you like how I left the patches on the ceiling?

However, the big question is for you haters (of the painted white floors). Can you see what a fresh, calming look this is?

 

Couldn’t you get this look with a wood-stained floor?

 

Nothing wouldn’t be wrong with it, but it’s a different look.

Okay, now let’s put it all together, just to make sure.

 

I love it!

While I also adore the Solitude White mural, I love the English Parks Grisaille even more for my primary bedroom suite.

For more lovely grisaille papers and murals, please check out one of my favorite posts here.

I think it relates much better to the bathroom down the short hall that comprises the primary bedroom suite.

 

Another compelling reason I prefer the more neutral wallpaper, and something we all need to be mindful of, is what’s going on outside.

 

My garden (before it became a dumpster) in July 2022.

This monochromatic grisaille paper will look beautiful with the red brick, the leaves, and definitely when it snows.

Okay, now I get to enjoy my day before the onslaught begins all over again tomorrow.

 

Note several hours after publishing.

 

Guys, I have no other place to put the bookcase! It is normal to cut off large pieces of mural. Look what happens when there are doorways and windows, or the mural is under a staircase. There is a bed on the opposite side of the room also covering up a large section.

 

There are 13 panels ranging in size from about 8.5′ and a foot or less for three of the panels.

 

At this time, five of the panels have no or minimal (like the small radiator) major pieces of furniture covering them up. It was the same in my Bronxville apartment. Actually, every section was fully or partially covered, except for one section that could be seen in its entirety, but only when the door was closed. haha.

 

It’s the nature of things and not a defect. Or at least, it isn’t for me and I’m the one living here!

The focal piece of the mural is below, between the door and window. It is seen walking into the bedroom.

It will be tough deciding which section will go there. The opposite wall has two full-length sections and that’s the secondary focal point.

xo,

 

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