AGH Country House: Primary Bedroom
Project Tour
The pared down primary bedroom is a lesson of beauty in restraint (and a good night’s rest).
At 1,800 total square feet in the AGH Country House, the 13’x12’ primary bedroom, though small, is comfortable, cozy and feels perfectly proportionate. In fact, my philosophy on living with less and my minimalistic-leaning life probably never shows more than when I’m providing a look into my bedroom spaces. I run kind of a hard-line on the function of bedrooms, and that is bedrooms are simply for sleeping. All I look for in a bedroom is the ability to comfortably fit a soft area rug, a king-size bed, and a pair of nightstands with low lighting (we are TV in bed people, so that too). Ideally I would prefer all clothes to be stored within the closet, if possible. So when we first toured the Country House, I was elated to see my preferences already existing.
The philosophy behind a pared down bedroom all boils down to a good night’s sleep. The less furnishings and belongings in a space, the less of a chance there is for clutter and messes. At the end of the day, I want to unwind in a calm, peaceful space. The ability to relax is what makes the space special. And the same type of philosophy applies to the linens and color palette in bedrooms, too. Unfussy, undone linens and a soft brown palette pave the way for restfulness.
I love this linen upholstered bed from Amber Lewis’ collaboration with Four Hands because it blends effortlessness and formality really well. There is a casualness about a linen material on a bed, and I love the combination with its traditional silhouette and turned wooden feet. I went back and forth between the natural and coffee color options; I decided to go with brown, and it turned out so beautiful in here. I love that even though it’s a color, it’s not too much. It was the first thing I selected for the space and set the tone for the entire room. The wool-like area rug came next, and I wanted to contrast the dark upholstery of the bed. It’s oatmeal color has just enough “movement” to it and has an incredibly soft underfoot. It’s a nice budget-friendly option to the beautiful Armadillo rugs, and though it’s not a true wool rug, I love that it was made from recycled single-use plastic water bottles making it a very life-friendly performance material. Next came the sconces— since I haven’t put much art on the walls, I’ve been leaning into sconces as wall decor and I’ve loved mixing so many metals throughout the house, especially classic polished nickel. These substantial Double Sconces are distinctive and add character to the space. The last two items, which just came together in the last several weeks, were the pair of nightstands and the table lamps. I had been searching for a matching pair of vintage nightstands, but their existence and price points are variable and illusive. During my vintage hunt and after a few failed attempts, I came to the realization that I actually wanted something brand new for this type of piece, and so these lime-washed oak side tables felt like the perfect fit. The bronze table lamps have a sleek and and classic form to them; I love that they feel slightly vintage— however, if I come across a real vintage pair, I would quickly scoop them up, but I’d be very happy with these if that never happened.
This tall leaning floor mirror is a vintage piece that I purchased from Hilary Robertson before she moved out of East Haddam. When I bought it, we were living at the Lake House, and it did not fit into the home’s aesthetic at all. My husband was confused by the purchase and he wanted to sell it or donate it, but I insisted we hung onto it; I’m glad I did because it was kind of made for this suite. It bounces the east and south light really well and makes the room look larger as a result.
Self-admittedly, I’m actually a little lazy when it comes to making the bed. Though I appreciate the beauty of a layered bed, I’m not someone who wants to deal with layers of blankets and pillows on the daily. If it takes more than a minute, I’m out; the ability to just pull the sheets and covers up and quickly adjust the pillows is more my speed. This minimal linen bedding set has been great. They’ve gotten softer from each wash, and as a hot sleeper, they’ve been the perfect material to use through the winter, too.
DESIGN TIP In our ideal version of a primary suite, the bedroom, closet and bathroom are their own individually defined spaces, with the bedroom itself somewhat on the smaller side. We love to see a bedroom sized around 15’-17’ x 14’-16’. These dimensions provide plenty of space but feels comfortable and cozy; Larger bedrooms can sometimes feel too spacious, empty and challenging to furnish. This is all dependent on the overall size of the home, too, of course, but when you’re designing or renovating a home and have the option to choose, we prefer dedicating more square footage to living spaces than sleeping spaces.
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After living in many different old homes, I’ve gotten used to the lack of functional storage, and that includes the bedroom closets…but I was pleasantly surprised with this one! It fits nearly all of our clothes, with the exception of long-hanging dresses that are stored in our guest room closet. In the open recessed area of the closet, I added a chest of drawers to store jewelry, undergarments and sleeping/loungewear. The open shelves around it store a mix of shoes, pants, sweaters, everyday-but-casual clothes in open baskets, and seasonal accessories in closed baskets. My small collection of bags hang on tucked away polished nickel wall hooks from Rejuvenation. My philosophy on personal belongings is quality over quantity across the board. I operate out of what I would term an “expanded capsule-style” wardrobe. I own less, but everything is bought with intention keeping materiality and longevity in mind. This hasn’t always been possible, but I’ve refined the practice over the years and I’m happy with where I’ve gotten to. I also used to try to “fight” the fact that I like to wear black almost exclusively, but when I’d make a purchase in a different color, I’d eventually regret it. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more in tune with (and leaned into) my likes, dislikes, and what I feel good in. As you can see, pretty much all black on display here!
I love the textural earthy ceramic table lamp from Troy Lighting. The small area rug is a 2'11 x 5'8 vintage Mahal from Curio Rugs. I’ve purchased three small area rugs from them for this house, and have been so happy with all of them. The mini glass vase is part of a large collection of Hein Vases i have throughout the house. They are hand-blown heirlooms. Though such a small detail, the vintage brown velvet foot stool might be my favorite little feature. Good vintage footstools are impossible to come by!
All of the bathrooms in this home have beautiful antique vanities with vintage mirrors above and flanked with sconces from CL Sterling & Son. Though older in their age, the timeless design feels relevant still today. I added thinly bordered waffle hand towels, fluted glass countertop storage pieces, and a handwoven checkered jute rug to style the space. I love the small details that make these pieces feel more special than your typical bath accessories. Our everyday bath towels are from Quince; Crafted from 100% Turkish cotton, they are not only ultra-soft, but they have the perfect gram weight, meaning that they are heavy enough to be absorbent and plush, but not too heavy that they take forever to dry.
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