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Tackling a refresh on a frumpy bedroom is right up interior decorator Jennifer Wagner Schmidt’s alley, especially when her Leesburg, VA, client was looking for a more modern, glamorous master suite for herself and her husband. In fact, Schmidt is so into freshening rooms with affordable luxury that she even curates a home accessories subscription box.

before

The tarnished silver mirror, the white-glass lamp base, the lacquered chest, and the grass cloth wall create a symphony of textural and material interest in the neutral design.

WALL COVERING  Grasscloth (5002903) Schumacher  NIGHTSTAND  Bungalow 5 Jacqui 4 Drawer Dresser in White  MIRROR  Restoration Hardware Palazzo Antiqued Glass Mirror  TABLE LAMP  Horchow White Rippled Glass Lamp WHITE VASE Jayson Home SMALL BOWL  Jayson Home (No Longer Available)

“The bedroom was terribly out-of-date, with heavy dark furniture, busy patterns, and a light green palette,” says Schmidt. “My intent was to make it a soothing retreat, with a pretty sitting area by the corner fireplace.”

Coming up with a color scheme was easy enough: her client loved gray and wanted to stay neutral. Still, Schmidt felt the selected pale gray wall paint needed to be broken up in the large bedroom and its adjacent sitting area, so she created a textured feature wall behind the headboard in a warm taupe grasscloth.

Perfect symmetry defines the headboard wall in the bedroom, as well as the textural contrast of its feature wall.

WALL COVERING  Grasscloth (5002903) Schumacher BED  Jonathan Adler Templeton in Brussels Charcoal;  NIGHTSTAND  Bungalow 5 Jacqui 4 Drawer Dresser in White  MIRROR  Restoration Hardware Palazzo Antiqued Glass Mirror TABLE LAMP  Horchow White Rippled Glass Lamp DRAPERY HARDWARE  Antique Drapery Rod 2″ Bauhaus with Bauhaus Cubic 2.0 finials  X BENCHES  Custom by LivenUp Design  PILLOWS  HomeGoods  BEDDING  Discontinued  WHITE VASE Jayson Home  BOOKEND  on Left N IGHTSTANDin Store Only World Market BOX  Jayson Home Scaled Box

This cream-upholstered elegant armchair nestles up to a side table in a bedroom corner, where the homeowner can catch up on reading.

CHAIR  NeoVintage on Etsy in TCH Ivory with Silver leg finish   SIDE TABLE  Regina Andrew Modern Drum Table PILLOW  Custom  SILVER JACK Z  Gallerie   BASKET

serena and lily

Pandan Basket Metallic

“Of course, I got rid of the heavy sleigh bed,” says Schmidt, replacing it with a charcoal platform bed and tufted velvet headboard. “I also picked two white lacquered chests to serve as nightstands and double for storage, while breaking up all the grays a bit,” she adds.Twin tarnish-finished mirrors and tall bedside lamps fill the headboard’s feature wall nicely in the high-ceilinged room.

Meanwhile, at the foot of the bed, a pair of X-benches works well with the low profile of the platform bed, looking a whole lot more attractive than the prior chunky armchairs. A single reading chair in a quiet corner by the window provides another serene spot to relax.

An assortment of trellis-patterned pillows adds interest to the all white bedding.

THE KEY TO CREATING INTEREST IN A NEUTRAL SPACE IS BY MIXING TEXTURES AND FINISHES,—says Schmidt

Grasscloth shelf backing elevates the bookcase from the mundane to the spectacular, while highlighting displayed items, including white and silver objects, on its open shelves.

(Clockwise from Top Left) WHITE SCULPTURE  World Market  SILVER VASE  Vintage   SILVER SPIKE BALL  Dwell Studio Urchin in Bright Silver   WHITE VASE  CB2 Kabasa Vase   WHITEWASH URNHomeGoods   SILVER WISH BONE  High Street Market  SILVER BOWL Vintage  MARBLE BOX  No longer available via West Elm  WHITE BOX WITH GOLD ANTLER Homeowner’s   MAGNIFYING GLASS HomeGoods WHITE BUBBLE BOWL  HomeGoods ORCHIDTrader Joe’s

“For continuity, I added the same grasscloth to the shelf backs on the bookshelves in the adjacent sitting area,” says Schmidt. Soft gray linen curtains also tie the bedroom and its sitting area together.

In the latter, an inexpensive IKEA sofa is glammed up with faux silver fox pillows. The sofa pulls up to a slate linen upholstered storage ottoman, holding spare blankets.“

Of course, I also added a touch of glam there, with the two shiny metal standing lamps,” says Schmidt. “They complement the custom metal drapery rods too.”

Overall, the glamorous new bedroom suite is the perfect retreat for the couple at end of a busy day.

A sofa and ottoman provide the ideal spot to kick back in the adjacent sitting area by the corner fireplace, extending the bedroom’s vibe.

SOFA  IKEA Karlstad with Benz Slipcover  PILLOWS  Vermont Home Design on Etsy (Faux Fur White Gray)  BLANKET  HomeGoods  OTTOMAN  Ballard Designs Graham Storage Ottoman (Claire Gray)   FLOOR LAMPS  Robert Abbey Porter (S1911)  ACRYLIC TRAY Mark and Graham Acrylic Serving Tray;   WHITE VASES ON OTTOMAN  HomeGoods