One of our major must-haves in our new build was a first-floor primary suite. We accomplished that goal with the help of our general contractor, J Martin Builders. In addition to being on the first floor, we also wanted to create a restful and beautiful space that blends calming aesthetics with thoughtful functionality. A space that nurtures sleep, serenity, and allows us to show our personal style. In today’s post, I share our primary bedroom and ways you can create your own bedroom retreat.
If you’re looking for a builder in NW Montana or Hawaii, reach out to J Martin’s President, Jason Gerbozy at https://www.jmartinbuilders.com/
Floorplan
The 2,125 square foot home we built in NW Montana is one level and will work great for aging in place. It has no stairs on the outside or inside of the house. It also has wider doorways and hallways than standard builds. When my husband, Jim and I were designing the floorplan on SketchUp, we had several goals, which included a first-floor primary bedroom and the ability to age in place. We actually created about seven different floorplans before we were satisfied with the final one.
Additional goals for our build, included large windows, natural materials and a home inspired by mid-century modern design. For the primary bedroom specifically, we designed a generous space with access to a covered patio and the outdoors beyond. The bedroom also has a walk-in closet and five-piece bathroom. You can read about and see more of the bathroom below:
Our build site sits on a raised knoll overlooking the Swan Range. Jason suggested we increase the size of our build location by lowering the knoll about two feet. This increased the excavation budget, but a single-story home and larger yard space made the extra cost worth it to us. We could have saved money by building two stories with bedrooms upstairs. The final floorplan is shown below, and our primary suite is on the right:
Symmetry
When designing your primary bedroom, focus on comfort and the rest will come easily. Think about creating a retreat, one that encourages more sleep, calm and relaxation. To be honest, designing a bedroom is pretty simple. Usually, there is an obvious wall to place the bed, then you flank it with nightstands and place a dresser on another wall. Symmetry happens naturally in bedrooms.
In our case we positioned the leather and wood king bed from Wayfair as the focal point when you enter the room. The headboard provides a structured backdrop to the textural bed linens. The neutral leather and wood allow us to change up the bedding in the future. The nightstands by Pottery Barn match the proportions of the bed and have a vintage vibe. The top of the nightstand has plenty of space to add decor, plus there is an additional shelf below and two drawers for remotes or other items you want hidden away. We continued the symmetry by placing a pair of table lamps on top of the nightstands. Each nightstand has decor that is special to us, but it is not the same.
Dimensions
Although less important than a kitchen, you still want to consider dimensions to ensure your space is harmonious and practical. You’ll want to make sure the bed size is in proportion to the size of the room. The ideal bed clearance around all three sides of the bed is 24 to 30 inches. You’ll want anywhere from 3 feet 6 inches to 4 feet in front of closet doors. We placed the two casement windows so that a king-sized bed would fit between them and there is still plenty of space for the nightstands.
Pro-Tip: A successful design balances the visual weight, height, and color of everything in the space. The king bed is the correct size for the room, and all the furniture pieces have similar visual weights. The decor in the space is a mixture of heights, some tall and some low. This mix adds a dynamic sense of movement and interest to the room. The colors, predominately green and rust are spread throughout the space.
Seating
You’ll want additional seating in your space, whether it is a bench at the end of the bed, chairs or a small sofa. We have room for two additional seating areas. First is an upholstered bench, which is three-fourths the width of the bed. This is a great spot to pack for a trip, and it opens, so we can store extra linens inside. The second spot is a comfortable, velvet chair that fits perfectly into a corner of our bedroom. I added a light and now it’s a quiet spot to read.
Lighting
Lighting is important in every space, but in your bedroom, you’ll want to ensure you have both overhead and ambient lighting. As you can see above, we also added task lighting next to the chair, which works great for reading or sewing on a button. We also have dimmable wall sconces providing ambient lighting for this space. The bedside lamps could also be used for reading. Table lamps should take up about one-third of the nightstand top. To avoid glare in your eyes while sitting up, the bottom of the shade should be around chin level. Finally, we have additional lighting at the ceiling with a modern fan and light combination. All of our lighting can be controlled with switches located next to the bed. This saves you from having to get out of bed or walk around in the dark. The alabaster table lamps pictured below were found at HomeGoods. The alabaster stone base is lighted, so when we want to create a cozy vibe, we turn off the upper bulb and just use the light in the base.
Rug & Bedding
I always look for wool rugs, which are extremely durable and feel soft underfoot. I found the 9 by 12-foot rug by designer, Nate Berkus at Wayfair. You want a rug big enough, so your feet sit on it when you get out of bed. The rug anchors the bed in the space and helps create that focal point. Don’t forget to put down a good quality pad before you place your rug.
The green color in this rug works well with our Jaxson quilt, linen sheets and decorative pillows, which all came from Pottery Barn. I recommend you invest in cotton or linen sheets. You’ll always feel the difference in good quality bed linens. This layered bedding is not a set, but mixed and matched for a truly unique style. You could use fewer decorative pillows, but the king shams placed in front of the king pillows and two square and one lumber, all in different fabrics and patterns dress the bed nicely.
Pro-Tip: If you’ve been following along, you’ll notice several threads that connect the different rooms and other parts of our house. For example, we are using colors, such as green and rust throughout the home. I have also repeated velvet and walnut, all of which is tied together with mid-century modern design inspiration.
Storage
Even though this space is private, consider using the 2:8 principle, the idea that the visual noise of a home can be minimized by putting away 80 percent of your things and leaving only 20 percent on view. We’ve found a nice balance of closed and open storage in our space. The mid-century modern dressers I found online several years ago offer lots of closed storage in the bedroom. These Kent Coffey Tableau walnut dressers are stylish and well made with dovetail joints. The highboy and dresser add storage, warmth and character.
We customized our primary closet to fit our needs. The space includes double hanging areas, drawers, shelves and a single rod hanging for long dresses. We added walnut hooks to store hats and robes. A genuine cow hide adds interest and feels comfy. We even fit a small, upholstered bench and hamper.
Window Coverings
We prefer the almost invisible, clean lines of blinds to curtains in our space. We chose locally owned and operated Budget Blinds to provide blinds for our whole house. The neutral color is a tad darker than the Greek Villa wall color. The bedroom blinds and one above the tub in the primary bath are remotely operated making them easy to open and close every day. The sliding door has matching panels, which look great by don’t feel very sturdy. They haven’t broken, but we have needed to adjust them twice already. In spite of the panels, I recommend Budget Blinds for the quality, service and many style choices available. You can see the sliding door panels partially closed and open window blind in the picture below:
Details
Small details can make a big impact. They also help you create a space that is uniquely you. Everything should tell a story and be something that you love. The National Geographic Society’s travel book series was inherited from Jim’s mom. They are full of photos and descriptions of places we’ve been or want to visit. My jewelry case is functional and adds a fun pop of color. The moon, sun and star brass hooks from West Elm are a fun and practical way to store necklaces. Jewelry I wear everyday sits in the crystal heart. My hubby, Jim’s watch and wallet sit on top of his dresser in a custom-made holder from Etsy. The owl and crystal flowers were both gifts from Jim, one for our anniversary and the other during a trip. Our engagement photo in a silver frame sits next to the bed and on Jim’s side there is a large Citrine crystal, which is said to have healing properties. Vacation photo books sit on the second shelf of our nightstands. The enlarged photographs above the bed and dresser are favorite vacation pictures. All these personal items have special meaning to us. Make sure the decor you put in your spaces are filled with love and fond memories.
A restful and beautiful primary bedroom blends calming aesthetics with thoughtful functionality—creating a space that nurtures sleep, serenity, and personal style. Bedrooms are personal spaces, ones that are not seen by many people. This is the space you should feel free to get creative with color, textures and decor. Here are some additional enhancements to create serenity in your space:
- Sound Control – Rugs, upholstered furniture, and curtains absorb sound for a quieter atmosphere. If you have noise to damper, consider a white noise machine or soft music setup.
- Scent and Ritual – Essential oil diffusers, candles, or fresh flower signal relaxation. Taking advantage of that reading nook or meditation corner adds retreat vibes.
- Connection to Nature – Maximize views of greenery or sky through windows. Add indoor plants for freshness and a sense of life.
Speaking of relaxing, we recently added a Bullfrog Hot Tub, which is just steps away from our primary suite. What helps you relax and unwind?
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