{House & Home Magazine}—The best bedroom suites incorporate lush textiles mixes in bedding, upholstered furniture, windows, floor coverings and shower curtains. PRETTY AND PASTORAL: White takes on many different forms in this New Orleans-style home in Baton Rouge's Settlement at Willow Grove. Resident and atist Connie Hebert has herself decorated all of the home she's lived in, but she took a different approach to this one.
"I usually like lots of clutter," she says. "But I really wanted simple lines, not cold, but clean and inviting."
Hebert's guest bedrooms have the look and feel of luxurious hotel suites with substantial beds, custom drapery, and soft, relaxing textures. Each bedroom has its own look, while maintaining a respected theme of sophistication.
Hebert and her guests refer to this bedroom as "the powder blue room," giving a nod to the idea of making the room look like the sky, with fluffy clouds. The look was achieved with plush white carpet, quilted fabrics, and a light color scheme.
The rich mahogany bed is Louis XVI style, circa 1880, it's headboard featuring ornate carvings of a floral crest with ribbons. The bed stands on fluted legs with gold detail. The powder blue bedspread is handmade, its color accenting the comfortable mint chair beside it.
Decorator Susan Briggs helped Hebert with the custom curtains, which are pleated linen in mustard and sea foam. Hebert says she wanted the curains to be soothing, yet full of sunshine. French doors open to a balcony, which overlooks the front yard.
The elaborate chandelier is made completely of crystals, adding to the soothing atmosphere of the space.
"When you turn on the light, it just puts sparkle all over the room," Hebert says. "It's fancy, yet simple."
The accompanying guest bathroom features a similar color palette, using white walls and cabinetry to make light hues of greens and blues pop. The antique gold mirror is intricately carved, lit by the feminine wall sconce. Hebert chose the hand-hooked rug to portray her love for canines, while bringing in complementary shades of powder blue and olive.
While one of Hebert's guest bedrooms was meant to resemble a soothing sky, a second suite was made to look like a walk in the park—or a grassy field. By using tan, cream and soft hunter green, this guest bedroom bears a touch of masculinity.
The antique toile curtains are patterned with a hunting scene, matching the bed's dust ruffle. Soft green is also evident in the delicate bedding and framed oil paintings of hunting dogs.
There are shades of red throughout the room in the bedside lamp, the prayer bench cushion and the nightstand, a handcrafted Louis XVI style piece with a red marble top and bronze side panels.
"It makes people happy when they feel like they're somewhere else," Hebert says. "So I just put myself in their shoes when I'm decorating."
The accompanying bathroom also uses shades of olive in the toile window covering. A mahogany mirror is an antique that Hebert has carried along from a variety of different homes.
"When I start decorating," says Hebert. "It's like a blank canvas and I visualize what I want in each place."
SUITES THAT SUIT: Between the crisp black and white in one guest room and an assemblage of soft gold and olive in the others, designer Larayn Guidroz of Swags and Tassels in Lafayette created personalized areas for a variety of guests who routinely visit a client's River Ranch home. Each bedroom has its own look and feel, detailed with tailored bedding and custom window treatments.
Simple neutrals such as black and white don't always have to serve as the backdrop in a room. By pairing the colors with a variety of textures and patterns, a classic can be made into something contemporary.
The homeowners wanted a guest room decorated to fit a teenager's unique style—a very sophisticated teenager, that is. While Guidroz made an effort to keep the colors simple, the intricate details give this room a chic flair.
"When you're using just two colors, it needs textures and patterns so it's not boring," Guidroz says. "It's clean and modern, with details that jazz up the two colors."
The painted ebony bed has cane inserts in the headboard, which stands out against the tailored hotel bedding and patterned damask dust ruffle. The chair, upholstered in neutral muslin, also has cane inserts to complement the bed frame.
The neutral tones in the room make way for unique spotlight pieces like the wool rug with its chandelier imprint. A chrome floor lamp is shaded by strings of crystals, adding a touch of glamour. The ebony nightstand, which Guidroz describes as having "a waistline," is accented by the chrome table lamp with a silk-pleated shade. The stunning window treatment is a custom eyebrow-arched Roman shade with beading detail.
Guidroz followed suit in the attached bedroom, staying close to the black and white theme while incorporating details. The custom damask shower curtain is fastened with beaded buttons. A similar feminine print is reflected in the open-iron drum chandelier, complete with crystals. Light cabinets and travertine tile contrast with darker pieces in the bathroom like the black mirror studded in rhinestones.
Chances are that guests in this home will find themselves welcomed into one of two guest rooms fit for French royalty. For these spaces, Guidroz was inspired by an antique French walnut bed and a framed oil painting that the clients alerady owned. The curvilinear textiles in soft olive tones and gold-leaf accessories.
The full-size bed's silk coverlet has a textured top with an attached sheer. The drapes are made of textured slk and edged with rich tassel trim, hung from a rod painted with gold leaf.
Antique pine flooring leads guests to an in-suite bathroom outfitted in complementing decor. The vanity, from Swags and Tassels, is topped with a crystal chandelier and an ornate gold-leaf mirror.
Also European in style, an upstairs guest room is washed in warmer tones of butternut, olive and taupe. The bed's headboard has an antique look, but was newly custom made.
"Antique beds are often smaller and aren't made in king size," Guidroz says. "The headboard was French-inspired and still has the antique look."
The mahogany headboard includes an upholstered inset of creamy gold silk, fitting with the custom tone-on-tone silk bedding in olive and taupe. The drapery is made of a subtle pinstripe fabric to pick up the room's warm color palette. Completing the look is the patterned wool rug at the foot of the bed, bringing another pattern to the mix.
"We wanted to have a really elegant French take on this room," Guidroz says. "It's more refined and could fit in a French chateau."
CLASSIC COMFORT: From Tuscany to Venice, the bedroom suites in this award-winning Baton Rouge home are blushing with Italian romance. Interior designer Yvonne Kelleher, ASID, served up elegant spaces by pairing soft silk fabrics with hand-carved beds, contrasting dramatic drapery and understated antiques.
While the color palatte in this master suite gives nod to the European countryside, the smooth silk fabrics and antique furnishings make it luxurious. The tufted fabric, billowing drapery, and ornate carvings bring out elegance in the bedroom.
The bed is commanding with its bold carving work and textured inlays. A tufted silk duvet is accented by a collection of fringed throw pillows, adding loft and romance. At the foot of the bed is a unique bench with a cane seat and intricate inlays. It serves as a safe haven for unusesd bedding at night.
The stone fireplace is flanked by an Italian chest, topped with an antique French mirror.
Cinnamon tones, blues and greens are brought into the mix by way of the custom silk drapes on a dark chestnut rod. The French bergere, or armchair, is upholstered in silk velvet.
A nutmeg chaise lounge by Marge Carson is warmed with an eclectic mix of silk throw pillows. Rich wood floors are nearly covered with a beautiful hand-knotted Peshawar wool rug, adding to the luxury of this bedroom.
Continuing with the European theme, the master bathroom is equally elegant with its dual-entry walk-in shower and marble floor. The bathroom has two sections—his and hers. The bathtub and shower area is located in the center of the bathroom, connecting the separate vanity areas. The cabinetry is off-white with an antique finish, complete with stacked bun feet to resemble furniture.
Inside a second guest suite, an upholstered leather bed and tones of red and rust bring out more Tuscan flair. Dramatic window swags and angular lampshades add sophistication to the room while comfort remains.
The leather bed brings out the rust in the bedding, made from a variety of textures, including silk. A throw at the foot of the bed and the swag curtains are made from the same large-patterned fabric with silk trimming. Window shades are made from natural fibers, letting the sunlight illuminate the room.
The oval table at the bedside has intricate leather inlays on the top and carved detailing throughout the legs.
"In a guest bedroom, it's important to have a table to accommodate books, with reading lights on each side of the bed," Kelleher says.
A framed oil painting of Venice offers the room a final touch of brick and brown tones, echoed in the adjacent bath and shower curtain.
From silky textures and gold finishes to mauve and soft teal accents, the guest bedroom has a feminine touch. The angelic bed serves as the room's focal point, while the warm tones in the carpet and curtains create a cozy and elegant space.
The antique French bed is a vauable, understated piece the clients already owned. Its footboard has ornae carvings and scroll detailing in tarnished gold. Going with that idea, Kelleher added the custom bedding, which includes a soft white duvet over a down comforter, and fluffy pillows with monogramming on the cases.
"A guest bedroom needs to be very comfortable and homey," Kelleher says. "That can be accomplished using down comforters and pillows."
The chest beside the bed serves as a nightstand in shades of blues and greens, accented in the damask drapes. Over the bed, a taupe balloon shade in the center of the window ascents into an arch to match the architecture of the home.
The chandelier is made from iron with a China bell at its base and off-white silk shades. The bedside lamp, from Regency Lighting, has a cream base that's been rubbed with gold leaf for a unique finish.
Despite smooth textures and shiny fabrics, the home's third guest suite is packed with details of the masculine sort. With a color scheme of gold, olive and chocolate, clean lines and sharp patterns keep this bedroom redefined.
The Baker bed is square and simple, its frame upholstered in rich caramel leather. The delicate bedding is primarily pale mint green with a slight shimmer, topped with a pair of striking chocolate and cream pillows.
Aside from Roman shades, the rooms balcony doors are dressed in silk drapery panels with stripes of green and chocolate. The mahogany bench near the doors has simple lines, and provides guests a nice place to store luggage.
The iron chandelier is detailed in an understated medieval style with the links and crown-like center. Over the bed, a waterscape adds to the masculine tranquility of the room.
WARMTH OF TUSCANY: A touch of simple Tuscan style and regard to the countryside are evident in this master suite designed by Albert Nolan of Nolan Kimble Interiors. The colors and textures from nature were brought indoors to create a soothing sleeping and sitting area in soft gray and gold tones of featured fabrics, highlighted by the tailored window treatments.
Old heart of pine flooring creates the base of this room, topped with a patterned wool rug with touches of mauve, rose, and taupe. The elegant focal point of the room—the bed—is made from mahogany and accented with 24-karat gold leaf. A collection of lofty bed pillows and a pair of comfortable chairs makes the room inviting.
Dressed with rose and gold curtains at the window, the sitting nook seems straight out of the countryside with its ceiling of old cypress beams and boards.
FIVE STAR COMFORTS: After taking a stroll through the cobblestone streets of Paris, it would only be fair to relax in the five star hotel room—but what if this romantic European inspired bedroom was right in your home? That is what inspired Rod Miller, design/build contractor with R&D Builders and Designers, when he remodeled the master suite in Baton Rouge's University Club.
Miller says the previous space was done in bold red and gold. The sitting room was added on, which leads to personal gym with a spiral staircase to an overhead office.
"I really wanted to create a space where the homeowners could do everything they need to do in one spot," Miller says.
The designer used a variety of textures and a soft color palette to make the room elegant. Although the clients already owned the bed and nightstands, the custom silk coverlet accents the bed's gold-leaf detail. Miller added the mirror behind the bed, which gives the room depth. The padded-fabric panels were upholstered on plywood, tufted, installed, and trimmed.
All of the wall treatments were completed with Paris in mind, including the intricate moldings, the pillars, and the raised paneling, which was done in a tricolor system for more depth. The silk and polyester drape is a dramatic touch that brings in the blues from the sitting room and the antique bench.
"We were gven carte blanche," Miller says. "The homeowners said 'wow us,' so we went with something elaborate, yet elegant."
SITTING PRETTY: A simple sitting area within a bedroom suite can offer a convenient getaway from busy activity in other areas of the home. Designer/builder Michelle Raborn of RAH Homes in Lfayette created such a space for her clients using rich wood beams and copper tones.
"This room is surrounded by windows to view the backyard," Raborn says. "It has a flat-screen TV hanging on the wall in the corner. It's just a good place to relax, watch the news, read the paper, and unwind."
Matching the copper walls of the adjacent bedroom are window treatments custom made by Michelle Cart designs. Embroidered silk fabric was used to create the Roman Shades with swags and tassels.
Walls in the sitting area are gray, contrasting the white painted, wood-framed windows. Warm wood flooring, and a stained cypress ceiling create an intimate corner that embraces anyone who relaxes here.