Before and After: 6 Bedrooms That Offer Function and Style

1. Basic to Beautiful in Los Angeles

Before: The upstairs master bedroom in this Spanish Revival home had light peach walls and light wood flooring.

After: The homeowners refinished the floors with a dark stain, painted the walls a neutral tan and added tall window treatments that bring elegance to the room. The canopy bed enhances the room’s sophisticated feel.

Personalized touch: The toddler bed at the bed’s foot is the designated sleeping spot for Bowie, the homeowners’ dog.

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After: Light paint eliminated the room’s previous cavelike feel. Adjustable sconces on both sides of the bed replaced the nightstand reading lamps, while built-in bookcases double as nightstands.

Personal touch: To solve the couple’s reading comfort issues, designer Christopher Fein came up with an adjustable headboard. When they want to read, the pair can lift up the 6-inch-deep headboard to create a backrest, which blocks the window. When they are done reading, they can flip the headboard back down.

Custom bed frame, nightstands and bookcases: Bootlace Design & Build; paint: Mascarpone, Benjamin Moore

After: Fein added six panel doors to unify the wall. The fourth door from the left opens to a bathroom. The other five panels open to the closets.

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3. Reclaimed Warmth in Portland, Oregon
Designer: Guggenheim Architecture + Design Studio

Before: This upstairs master bedroom was actually too big for the homeowners, who wanted to reconfigure the space on their second floor to make room for a baby nursery.

After: Architect Jenny Guggenheim reduced the size of the master bedroom to make it feel cozier and to carve out space for a nursery. Wall paneling made from reclaimed redwood fencing warms up the room and doubles as a headboard. The wood was cut to fit the wall.

4. Bursting With Color in Manhattan Beach, California
Designer: Kelly Mack

Before: The master bedroom in this beach home had a simple light blue-and-white color scheme.

5. Brown to Bold in Manhattan Beach, California
Designer: Kelly Mack

Before: The second bedroom in the same home as No. 4 had a simple brown color scheme, with windows and French doors that brought in lots of light but also exposed the room to the neighboring home.

Kelly Mack infused the room with a tropical-inspired palette of vivid greens, oranges and fuchsia. The window valance, curtains, pillows and wall panels are made from the same quilting fabric.

Translucent film sheaths the windows, ensuring privacy while allowing light to enter the room.

6. Institutional to Elegant in London
Architect: Russell Taylor Architects

Before: This 1798 property was originally an aristocratic home, but after World War II, it was acquired by the government and became a hospital. When the current owners purchased it, the home was full of medical equipment and had linoleum on the floors. This top-floor room was still outfitted as a messy office from the building’s hospital days.

After: In this photo, you can see the fireplace, windows and archway from the previous photo, but otherwise the room is hardly recognizable. The homeowners exposed pine floors that date likely from the Victorian period (1837 to 1901). The architect believes that this room was probably always intended as a bedroom for its owners. Simple furnishings and understated decor emphasize the space’s elegant architectural features.

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