Pasadena, California is full of historic homes and beautiful tree-lined streets. This particular house is a Craftsman, built in 1923 and now owned by busy professionals that often work from home. “The bedroom suite is the only room on the second floor of the house, and they really wanted it to feel like their escape at the end of a long day,” says interior designer Jennifer Vaquero of September Workshop. “Their wish list included a full bath, a laundry area in the closet, higher ceilings, and replacing a mini split with central air/heating. The home is already at its maximum allowable area for the lot, so additional square footage was not an option. We really had to make the most of the small space!”
Style-wise, Jennifer pulled inspiration from the clients’ favorite color: blue. “In the bedroom, the custom bed by House of Morrison is upholstered in the most beautiful floral Pierre Frey fabric,” she says. “It offers such a warm contrast to the cool blues present throughout and is a perfect backdrop for the fun bedding.” They found a great vintage campaign secretary, that serves double duty as a small workspace and overflow storage for the closet.
In the bathroom, the medicine cabinet by Bugbee Wood Company is one of Jennifer’s favorite design elements. “Because of some existing conditions in the wall, we actually couldn’t install sconces, so we got a little creative,” she says. “I also love how that Calacatta Viola marble (via Stoneland) is used repeatedly in the small space—it makes it feel bigger than it is.”
Finally, in the corner of the room, there was a tiny closet that led to an attic space. “To make up for the space we lost in the main closet by creating a full bathroom, we reimagined that area and were able to more than double their storage capacity,” the designer explains. “There’s a tall cabinet for shoes, a bank of drawers under the window, and the little door leads to what is now a finished (albeit low) attic space for seasonal clothing, which did require a redesign of the HVAC system.”
Raising the ceiling height also proved to be tough. “We didn’t want to change the roof line, in an effort to avoid needing historic approvals (required for anything that affects the street-facing exterior of the home) from the city, but we encountered a few surprises during demo that made the original plan to vault the ceiling impossible,” she recalls. “We went through several different ideas, and with the help of our wonderful contractor and structural engineer, landed on what actually feels like the perfect design element. While we only gained about eight inches, it makes all the difference in the world, and we received the ultimate compliment when someone told us it looked like it had always been there.”
The result is equal parts cozy and vibrant. “Blue is accented by purples and golden hues that make the space feel like both the perfect place for both a restful night’s sleep and the start to a strong morning,” Jennifer concludes.
