| Less is More :: Changing a room from traditional to contemporary starts with paring down the architectural elements to the minimum. More Images :: Find out more about Dora Brigham and Sally Taylor’s work. 714.979.2195, dorabrighaminteriors.com |
For some people, the master suite doesn’t figure as high as say, a kitchen, on the priority list for home improvement. But for Chalene and Bret Johnson, who own an expansive two-story home in Nellie Gail Ranch, the master suite is where it all begins. As a sanctuary from the hectic work life at their fitness company, their bedroom, bathroom and lounge needed to be a soothing but sophisticated place to which they could retreat and relax.
And as elegant as the master suite was before it was renovated, it wasn’t, well, “them.” So they brought in designers Dora Brigham and Sally Taylor, whose work they had viewed in a local magazine, to give the master suite a more contemporary look.
“Chalene and Bret found that the traditional design of the home did not reflect their personality,” says Taylor. They are both active, energetic, extremely busy entrepreneurs balancing family life with a demanding business life. And they are creative, self-motivated and successful in their endeavors.”
The Johnsons’ wish list was fairly straightforward. “The suite needed to speak ‘sparkling luxury,’” Taylor says. “They both wanted to update the master to be like a high-end hotel suite, but on a sensible budget due to the economy. They wanted to replace the carpet with wood, and create a sparkly environment. Chalene needed space for her accessories on the bath vanity and an overall spa feeling in the master bath.”
The biggest challenge for the designers was how to erase the traditional look of the master suite. They started by removing the formal columns and altering the fireplace areas with linear glossy built-in cabinets and shelves.
Then, they drew inspiration from the Johnsons’ personal style. Chalene’s favorite color – lime – became the leitmotif for the entire suite. “That color was exciting,” Brigham says.
Nowhere is the lime more riveting than in the unexpected star of the suite: the bathroom. There, translucent lime glass tiles cover the glass walls of the shower – a design feature that was the most difficult part of the project to complete.
“The sub-contractors would not perform the installation of the glass mosaic tiles on the glass shower walls,” Taylor says. “So the contractor – Will Mendez of WAM Builders – conducted the installation himself by gluing each one-inch square of glass for the mosaic, then adhering it to the glass shower walls.”
The glass mosaic tiles are just the beginning of a list of things that gleam and glitter. The designers added “jewelry” to the space: Murano glass on the recessed ceilings, sconces and pendants with clear and amethyst crystals and knobs adorned with inset glass.
In the bedroom, lime serves as a much more muted accent – on accessories such as vases and pillows. “We balanced lime’s stimulating effect with serene and relaxing elements,” Brigham says. “We complemented it with the raisin color on the wallpaper on the bedroom and retreat walls. We repeated the touch of warmth with chocolate colors for all wood surfaces.”
There’s a lot of restful softness in the bedroom with the bedding, upholstery and drapes rendered in white, butter and other light hues. There’s glamour there, too, in the tufted oversize headboard and the zebra-striped ottomans at the foot of the bed.
The Johnsons saw all of these unfold throughout the construction, but Bret still wanted the element of surprise for the finale. So Chalene kept him out of the house until every single accessory was in place.
“She took him by the hand and proceeded to walk through the double doors to the master suite,” recalls Taylor. His reaction was a compliment not just to the designers, but also to his wife: “Wow, honey, now our bedroom looks as sparkly as you are.”
Chalene says she and Bret have since become lifelong clients of Brigham and Taylor. “Dora and Sally brought us creative, original ideas which, though we never would have come up with on our own, were exactly to our taste.”
With the private master suite completed and the designers having won the confidence of the Johnsons, Brigham and Taylor have started designing changes to the entertaining spaces of the home.
And the first item on that wish list? Make the rest of the house look like the master suite.
