We went all in on renovating the primary bathroom and closet earlier this year—it was one of the biggest transformations of the year! To make our closets truly luxurious (translation: bigger!), we had to make a very tough decision: steal about 2.5 feet from the width of our primary bedroom.
Here’s the before of that same angle—with a younger Cricket :)
I’m going to be honest, I was so worried about sacrificing that space. For a hot minute, the room looked tiny with the construction tarps up! But the truth is, the finished bedroom still feels like a dream—it’s actually cozier, which is exactly what you want in a retreat, right?
But taking that 2.5 feet didn’t just give us our dream closets; it set off a chain reaction of changes that transformed the rest of the bedroom’s layout and style.
Here are six ways the bedroom layout and styling changed after the closets and bathroom got their makeover:
1. Relocating the Entry Door
- Before: The bedroom door lined up with the mudroom door, which was all the way across the kitchen. You could practically see into our bedroom from the living room if the door was left open.
- Now: We scooted the door about three feet to the right, which feels worlds away from the living room. It now lines up beautifully with the powder bathroom door across the hall. That simple three-foot shift made the room feel instantly more private. Plus, it created the perfect blank canvas for a gorgeous, oversized mirror right on the exterior wall. Hello, hallway upgrade!
2. We Gained a New Dresser Nook
- Before: That wall where the TV hangs was totally flush with the door opening—no room for anything extra underneath.
- Now: By playing with the wall structure, we magically created space for a dresser or console table underneath the mounted television. I’m obsessed with this extra storage space!
- The Trade-Off: We did have to say goodbye to our floor-length mirror inside the bedroom. BUT, since our new closet has mirrored doors (for quick shoe checks!), and the mirror outside the door works just as well, it felt like a worthy sacrifice for the bigger closet.
3. Updating Furniture in the Window Nook
- Before: We had a bench at the end of the bed and a reading area with chairs in the bay window.
- Now: I found the bench at the end of the bed felt too tight in the slightly smaller room. So I moved this brown velvet bench into the bay window nook and added a small fringe ottoman to the end of the bed. The vintage chairs found their new home in the living room in front of the fireplace, and I LOVE how stately they look there.
Here’s what it looked like before:
4. Pocket Doors and Sky-High Ceilings!
- The Old Vibe: The doorway leading into the bathroom had that classic transom window over a standard-height door.
- The New Vibe: We nixed the transoms entirely and went big! The doors into the bathroom and closet are now a soaring 9 feet tall. Taller doors change everything! They seriously make the room feel like it expanded vertically. Bonus: We installed pocket doors for the bathroom and the closet, which are life-savers for saving floor space! (If I can put a pocket door somewhere, I probably will, as evidenced here.)
5. We Put the Frame TV in Its Place
- The Problem: Our old box trim was a different shape than our Frame TV, which always bugged me. Building a trim box just for the TV felt like a commitment we might regret later.
- The Solution: We ditched the dedicated box! We applied the new trim directly to the wall and centered the TV right over it. Chris was a little skeptical about how it would mount over the trim, but it works perfectly (here’s what he used!). Don’t build something for the TV you have right now—that might change later!
Tuscan Copper Frame
Add an ornate frame to the Frame TV and suddenly it feels like something you stumbled upon at a really good vintage auction.
shop now6. The Whole Room Feels More Special
- Honestly, seeing the beautiful new bathroom and closet inspired me to give the bedroom the finishing touches it deserved! I was inspired to bring in more luxurious drapes and simplify the decor. Everything had to feel intentional.
This renovation was a massive undertaking, but the ripple effects it had on the bedroom were totally worth the temporary chaos. It just goes to show you that sacrificing a little bit of space can sometimes make the entire room feel better, cozier, and more pulled together.
What dresser did you choose for under the TV? I don’t see it in any pics! Looks awesome–such a win when things work out even better than you had imagined!
We haven’t decided yet! We’ll see if one inspires us.
Julia the bedroom is amazing!
Is there anyway your staff can do the “slider” before / afters?