Warm, Minimalist Style for a Master Suite in Oregon
Garden views, built-in storage and nods to Japanese design contribute to a calm and beautiful retreat
Before: The bedroom needed an update. “They had a lot of hand-me-down furniture and hadn’t ever really designed the room for themselves,” Leasia says.
The designer has been friends with these clients for many years and redesigned other spaces in their home, so she has a good idea of their style. “These clients were like many of my other clients who have raised their kids in the house and, once it’s just the two of them, want to make their homes nice for themselves,” she says. “I always suggest that my clients send me Houzz ideabooks and to concentrate on a few photos that really show how they want a space to look and feel, to show me specific items they like and to make notes about what in particular about the photos interests them.”
The designer has been friends with these clients for many years and redesigned other spaces in their home, so she has a good idea of their style. “These clients were like many of my other clients who have raised their kids in the house and, once it’s just the two of them, want to make their homes nice for themselves,” she says. “I always suggest that my clients send me Houzz ideabooks and to concentrate on a few photos that really show how they want a space to look and feel, to show me specific items they like and to make notes about what in particular about the photos interests them.”
Built-In Storage
Leasia flanked the bed with beautiful floating chests. “We were mindful of keeping the room as light as possible. The ash is a beautiful blond color, and the rift cut is what gives it that uniform rectilinear grain,” she says.
“My clients were very into all the nitty-gritty details,” Leasia says. “They had a very clear understanding of how design and the way it works can affect daily life.” For example, they wanted charging drawers for devices in their nightstands.
The designer placed directional reading lights in the ceiling to eliminate the need for table lamps or sconces and keep the look uncluttered.
Wall paint: Moonlight White, Benjamin Moore
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Leasia flanked the bed with beautiful floating chests. “We were mindful of keeping the room as light as possible. The ash is a beautiful blond color, and the rift cut is what gives it that uniform rectilinear grain,” she says.
“My clients were very into all the nitty-gritty details,” Leasia says. “They had a very clear understanding of how design and the way it works can affect daily life.” For example, they wanted charging drawers for devices in their nightstands.
The designer placed directional reading lights in the ceiling to eliminate the need for table lamps or sconces and keep the look uncluttered.
Wall paint: Moonlight White, Benjamin Moore
Find a local cabinet pro on Houzz
Leasia designed a built-in dresser that’s recessed into a thick wall between the bedroom and the bathroom. It frees up floor space and keeps things airy.
To expand the master bathroom’s footprint, the designer eliminated a large walk-in master closet. This meant reducing the total square footage of the bedroom and closet from 295 square feet to 270 square feet. But the numbers are deceiving: “Walk-in closets can be a huge waste of space,” Leasia says. “It took some reassuring and taking a careful inventory of their clothing, but the new system provides much more efficient storage than the old closet did.”
She also found good compromises for how each of them likes to experience a space. “He likes a TV in practically every room, and she doesn’t want to look at them, so we installed it in the ceiling,” she says. The lines in the ceiling mark the TV lift. It slowly swings down like a hatch with the flip of a switch, and then it hides away when they are done watching.
Browse more photos of bedrooms with midcentury modern style
She also found good compromises for how each of them likes to experience a space. “He likes a TV in practically every room, and she doesn’t want to look at them, so we installed it in the ceiling,” she says. The lines in the ceiling mark the TV lift. It slowly swings down like a hatch with the flip of a switch, and then it hides away when they are done watching.
Browse more photos of bedrooms with midcentury modern style
Before: “My clients finally said, ‘Enough is enough’” regarding their 41-square-foot bathroom, Leasia says. It was difficult to get to the toilet, reach for things in the medicine cabinet and wash hair in the phone booth-size shower. By borrowing space from the master closet and the guest bath, she more than doubled the size to 91½ square feet.
Before: Look to the middle of the floor plan to see how much space the master closet took up and how small the master bathroom was in comparison. The hall (guest) bathroom used to have a tub.
After: The dark lines show changes in the walls. The new bedroom closets at the top left of the plan allowed Leasia to use the walk-in master closet space to expand the bathroom. And she used the hall bathroom’s tub space to create a spacious master bathroom shower.
The new bathroom will enable the couple to age in place more safely and comfortably. The shower is curbless, and the new tile floor is heated.
The new bathroom will enable the couple to age in place more safely and comfortably. The shower is curbless, and the new tile floor is heated.
Japanese Inspiration
To bring in as much light as possible, Leasia put a transom window in the shower and an etched-glass window next to the toilet. The tile also gives the bathroom a warm, minimalist aesthetic. “This tile has a beautiful subtle texture that reminds me of handmade Japanese rice paper and Japanese pottery,” she says.
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To bring in as much light as possible, Leasia put a transom window in the shower and an etched-glass window next to the toilet. The tile also gives the bathroom a warm, minimalist aesthetic. “This tile has a beautiful subtle texture that reminds me of handmade Japanese rice paper and Japanese pottery,” she says.
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The porcelain floor tile was also inspired by Japanese design, as it recalls the look of Japanese yakisugi-ita (also called shou-sugi-ban) siding. This refers to a process where Japanese cypress exterior siding is charred. The toilet is from Japan and includes a heated seat and automatic flushing. Its full apron maintains graceful lines.
The linen closet backs up to the built-in dresser in the bedroom; like the dresser, the closet and the double vanity are rift-cut ash. The bottom part of the linen closet, which is directly behind the dresser, contains shallow shelves for everyday toiletries. The top part, which is above the dresser, provides deep space for linens.
The linen closet backs up to the built-in dresser in the bedroom; like the dresser, the closet and the double vanity are rift-cut ash. The bottom part of the linen closet, which is directly behind the dresser, contains shallow shelves for everyday toiletries. The top part, which is above the dresser, provides deep space for linens.
“Another big consideration for aging in place is to be thoughtful about lighting — use lots of it and make it controllable,” Leasia says. The integrated LED lights in the mirror give her clients lots of light without shadows. The overhead lights are on dimmers.
“My clients wanted to touch things like faucets when we were shopping, to lean over them to see how they would feel when washing their faces. They wanted to see how all of the details would affect their daily experiences in an intelligent way,” she says. The streamlined drawer pulls and the simple silhouette of the one-hole faucets also maintain a minimalist look.
Takeaways
“My clients wanted to touch things like faucets when we were shopping, to lean over them to see how they would feel when washing their faces. They wanted to see how all of the details would affect their daily experiences in an intelligent way,” she says. The streamlined drawer pulls and the simple silhouette of the one-hole faucets also maintain a minimalist look.
Takeaways
- In a dark room, investing in new windows is usually worth the splurge.
- When sharing inspiration photos with your designer, it helps to think about and explain exactly what you like about them.
- A charging station or drawer next to your bed can be convenient.
- Floating dressers and nightstands off the floor can make a bedroom feel larger.
- Walk-in closets are not always better than traditional wall closets.
- Touching materials and turning on fixtures can help you imagine what they will feel like in your space.
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Master Suite at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple whose kids have grown up and moved out
Location: Portland, Oregon
Size: 270 square feet (25 square meters) for the bedroom and 92 square feet (8.5 square meters) for the bathroom
Designer: Jenni Leasia Interior Design
After 30 years in their Portland, Oregon home, this couple was ready to refresh it. Interior designer Jenni Leasia created a streamlined look that suits the 1960s architecture. She also gave her clients the storage they need and nodded to the minimalistic Japanese style they admire.
The master bedroom makeover included new large windows, two built-in nightstands, a built-in dresser and a new set of closets. To enlarge the tiny master bathroom, Leasia took over a walk-in closet and some adjacent guest bath space to give the couple a spacious shower, a double vanity and some much-needed elbow room.
Creating a Relaxing Bedroom
The large wall of windows made the biggest difference in the project. “In the Pacific Northwest, it’s all about getting as many windows as you can — we need light,” she says. The windows look out on beautiful gardens created by one of the homeowners, a landscape designer. The clean-lined bedroom serves as a calm backdrop to the views.
“One of the clients had spent a lot of time in Japan, studying the gardens and immersing herself in the culture, and she is very involved in the Japanese Garden in Portland. We wanted to nod to the warm, minimalist aesthetic of the architecture there. And Japanese minimalism also works beautifully with a warm, modern Pacific Northwest aesthetic,” Leasia says.
She kept the room from seeming too sterile by using a material palette of natural textures in warm neutrals. The bed is cane, the Roman shades are woven grass, and the new built-in furniture and doors are rift-cut ash. The flooring is red oak to match the original floors in the home.
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