Bedroom Number 1: Your master suite - Episode 5 (Season 2)

Hello, this is episode five of season two. Now this episode is about bedroom number one, the main bedroom of the house. And this can be the bedroom on its own or it can be arranged in combination with some attached spaces like a walk-in robe, an ensuite and even appearance retreat. Other names for it are the master bedroom or the master suite. So without further ado, let's go. Welcome to Get It Right with the undercover architect. This is the podcast all about designing, building or renovating your home. I'm your host Amelia Lee. Think of me as your secret ally. I am on a mission to help you create a home that makes your life better, whoever you're working with and whatever your dreams, your location or your budget. Together we'll uncover the nitty gritty of how to get it right and how to create a home that works, feels great and that you feel great in. So join me now. In this episode I'm going to be discussing the master bedroom. Now it's no coincidence that the episodes I've been delivering are in a certain order because in my experience working with countless families in building or renovating their homes, the key priorities will be this. They'll say let's improve or create an awesome open plan living kitchen dining area that has a really great connection to outside. Now let's get a second living space for some extra room and some sanity in our crazy family life. And let's create a beautiful bedroom for us, the grown-ups in the family, where we can escape the craziness that is our family. On suites and walk-in robes, I'll be talking about those more in episode six and episode seven so that I can give you a lot of detail around them separately. This episode is going to be about the bedroom itself and any adjacent or included areas that you might have as a retreat space. So as I said they may be in the room and the room can be overall big enough to accommodate these spaces or they could be in a separate but attached room to the main bedroom. Of course I'm going to be sharing the four Fs and how to use them to get it right in your main bedroom and as always I'll be identifying three key mistakes and three big design tips to help you design a beautiful master bedroom for your home. But actually there's a lot of mistakes and design tips that are peppered right throughout this podcast episode so listen out and never fear although we're talking about the main bedroom I'm going to be keeping this G rated. So there's something to know about this episode. A lot of what I'll be doing is sharing options that are available to you. I'll actually be asking a lot of questions in this episode that you can then ask of yourself or you can discuss with your partner to work out the best design choices for you. Look unlike some other parts of the home the way that a master bedroom is designed it really isn't too prescriptive in order for it to work. There are of course some fundamental things that work and that don't and I'll be taking you through those. However so much of the design aspect of the main bedroom involves super personal choice and as with your whole home I really want you to design it with intention. Actually think about how you'll use it and then design it to suit you. So that's why I'm going to be sharing options and I'm going to be asking questions for you to consider so that you can determine the best design for you. Now there are certain things that home owners will always look for in a master bedroom. Of course it needs to fit the bed so and that will usually be a queen or a king size bed. It needs privacy and sound protection from the house itself and from the street and most homeowners don't like their master bedroom getting too hot in the evenings before they're about to go to bed. But that's when we start to get more personal because beyond this the way that people use their bedrooms is quite different and these are some of the requests that I've had for the design of a master bedroom. I've met clients who really don't spend any time in their other than sleeping and other nocturnal activities. So the idea of lounging in their bedroom or having a retreat space it's just really odd to them and so they just want to make it compact and useful and fit the bare minimum. There are other clients who need it to be the darkest room in the house. You know often one of the couple will be super sensitive to any natural light and that can include moonlight when they're sleeping or they may do shift work and so they need to sleep in it during the day. Then there's other clients who really want a whole other lounge room in there or a separate room or space for say a study or for scrapbooking or a sewing room or something like that. The idea is that when it's within the bedroom zone it's actually totally off limits to the rest of the house and particularly to the kids so they can have stuff spread out permanently and then they can just jump in and out of that activity when they get the time without having to unpack everything and then put it all back away to keep it safe. Now some clients also have it as definitely a no TV zone. They're really adamant about that and then others want the opposite. They want a really big TV for really comfy viewing from their bed or from a lounge or retreat space either nearby it or attached to it. I've had couples who want two master bedrooms as well and because they actually they'll they'll live together but they sleep separately in different bedrooms and often one will be a light sleeper or do shift work and so for them to actually be able to get good night sleep and be harmonious as a family they've made a decision to sleep in two bedrooms and so they'll want to proper master bedrooms that are kitted out as master bedrooms. I've even designed master suites with small wet bar areas so little bar areas that have got a bar fridge in them for wine, for coffee making, for champagne. I kid you not, this is the kind of range of requests and variety of options that are available for a master that I personally have heard and helped design and I've had colleagues tell me stories of lots of other options as well. So what I'm essentially saying is this create a space that suits you. Yeah, tick all the main boxes of getting the size right, the flow, the feel, how it gets furnished but don't get caught up in it needing to be everything to everyone. It's a super personal choice when it comes to your master bedroom and if you make these choices with thought and intention then you can make your master bedroom suit you. Okay, so where do we start? Remember we start with feel. Now I really should have called this the five Fs should know. I think everything should start with feel and you know how you want to feel in your home and and how do you want your home to feel. So for me it kind of goes without saying. So your master bedroom. Now these are some of the feelings that I hear from homeowners. They want it to feel relaxed and contained. A luxurious and private secluded and a sanctuary. They want it to be the grown-up zone of the house because really the rest of the home feels like it's monopolised or largely impacted by choices that are made for the whole family or for children specifically. So do these feelings sound like what you're thinking for your master bedroom or is there something else? Now remember to write it down, okay? Let's move on to functionality. Now of course master bedroom's are for sleep and it can be for a bit more but sleep is the main function. So secondary functions include these though. Alright we can look at using it as a sitting space or a lounging space and another kind of living space in your home where you can relax and watch TV. And secondary functions will also relate to how much this room is actually used by others in your family. So in some family homes the master bedroom will actually double as a nursery space for when babies are really little and you want them even when you've got the space to put them in a separate room those early few months you actually want them right by your bed by choice. Some master bedroom's are also a special place that kids know that they don't have access to on a regular basis but they do for certain things. I've got a friend whose kids know that Sunday morning is the time that they all get to pile into mum and dad's bed and they get to watch TV together as a family. So have a think about who comes into your master bedroom and how often is it going to be a space that you'll invite the whole family into or is it going to be a private zone that is kind of off limits for kids. How will your bedroom house these functions as well as make it a relaxing sanctuary for you that you're really hoping it to be. Now functionality also includes orientation. I really love putting bedrooms on the east and side of the house generally because I find that a rising sun is a great way to get natural light into the into the room early in the day and to start the day out and trigger all of our internal rhythms to help us get moving with the day. But some people don't like that and south is a really brilliant orientation for bedrooms because it will give you that low glare low heat load light without that direct sunlight. It's it's a really constant ambient light that can be lovely in bedrooms. Just beware of summer, south, easterly, sun, rising sun and setting southwestally sun that can be really harsh. North is good as long as you can actually provide appropriate shade in summer. However with most suburban lot sizes I find that you're usually prioritising your northern orientation for your living spaces and you'll actually run out of room to put your bedroom on there as well. With a western orientation be sure to build in shade from western sun on the outside of your windows because this orientation can really make bedrooms hot for bedtime as the sun heats the room up in the afternoon and early evening. Now let's move on to talking about flexibility. Flexibility for the master bedroom is really about making it useful and enjoyable for these secondary functions and it's not about totally overdoing the amount of space that you have in there because really large master bedrooms can actually feel too big to then feel intimate and cozy great spaces that you want to retreat to and feel sanctuary and feel relaxed in. It can also mean that you actually don't make the space too specific for your own needs as an individual or as a couple because those needs can change over time and you may find that you want to sell and not alienate too many future owners of the home. I really encourage you to think about these things. If you're planning a separate parents retreat for your master suite or master bedroom area you know do you need much extra space either within the bedroom or next to it or or directly attached to this bedroom for this parents retreat space and is this need for a parents retreat it could it be satisfied instead with a big comfy armchair in the corner of your main bedroom in lieu of a whole extra lounge room for your home that might be end up actually being your third living space in your home. You know perhaps a lovely window seat that's built in or built in day bed could do the job of giving you somewhere that's actually not your bed that you can then stretch out and relax in and read a book or a magazine. If you're actually planning an off-limit retreat space like a scrapbooking room or a sewing room or a study or an office you know think seriously about how off-limits you can actually be to your family. If you have young kids in your house you know it's it's rare that you can actually completely remove yourself on a regular basis from being able to keep an eye on them and see what's going on. So you know we'll creating this whole room for you to be off-limits in actually mean that you don't get to use it that often because you can't actually be in there in a way from your family. So just have a think about how often you will actually use it and whether you need a whole room dedicated to that or perhaps could that be put into a desk that's built into a cupboard somewhere that can be closed up and kept safe and secure without it needing to be a room secured away and attached to your master bedroom. If you do need a really dark room to sleep in you know I'd actually recommend investing in some really good block out blinds that run in tracks around your windows you can actually get nice tracks that sit quite concealed and then you can run the block up blinds down within those and that will then prevent any natural light from coming in but it gives you the flexibility to use the room and it'd be beautiful during the day as well. I'd also recommend putting a lock on your master bedroom door. In family homes I recommend locks on the master bedroom and on the bathrooms and toilets and then potentially if you've got a home office but I don't recommend putting them anywhere else on any other rooms in the house. So this is then going to leave me on to furnish ability okay. Now if you can think about what you need to fit into your master bedroom that will really help you determine how big it needs to be and how you'll lay it all out in there. So of course start with the bed okay will you have a queen size bed or will it be a king size bed or will it be even bigger because there is bigger believe it or not there's actually a Californian king. So don't forget the size of that bed also with bedding on it. I see a lot of homeowners make this mistake because dooners and beds breads and dovays and those types of things they do actually make beds a fair bit bigger which can then catch some homeowners out when they're putting them into their bedrooms. So have a think about what type of bed you'll have as well in terms of whether it will have a headboard on it or it will be sitting on legs and off the floor you know all of those types of things sort of change the amount of room that it needs to accommodate it. And what else will go into the bedroom you know will you have bedside tables will they be loose or will they be built in and perhaps fixed to the wall or will they be part of the headboard. Will you have a separate set of drawers or a console of some sort. Some people like to have another piece of furniture. Sometimes there'll be a family heirloom as well that might you know be a beautiful set of drawers or a cabinet that needs to go into the master bedroom. So make sure that you've provided space for it. Do you want a dressing table in there you know are you the type of person who sits down at a dressing table to to do makeup and put your jewelry on or is that something that you'll do in the bathroom. Do you want a tv in there and how will that tv be housed? So all of these types of things really map out what's got to fit into that room so that you can make sure that you're not squeezing it in. If you're planning a retreat space what do you see in that you know if you if you don't have the room at least try to create a little space for a comfy chair or an ottoman or something like that. It can go in a corner or you could even put like a long ottoman at the foot of the bed. It can actually make the master bedroom feel quite luxurious if you don't have to sit on the bed itself in order to do certain things. So if you could sit in a chair in the corner and it makes it feel special and different to you actually sort of stretching out on your bed. Now I'll share some mistakes and tips about furnishability further on in this podcast when I talk about my three main mistakes and three main design tips. Now let's have a think about flow. So flow for your master bedroom is about how the room itself is arranged and it's also about where in your home you put your master bedroom. So let's firstly talk about where it's placed in your home. Okay? So some homeowners want their master bedroom near the front door and this is for a couple of reasons. So one will be that it means that they can easily drop things off as they arrive home. They can go in and get changed and put down bags and shoes and things like that in their master bedroom and it'll be tucked away in there. Another is because they want a monitor movement in and out of their house particularly as their kids start to get older into their teenage years and make sure that they're understanding when they're children are leaving and arriving in the home. Some homeowners actually want the bedrooms all together in one part of the house and upstairs and away from the front door and they'll they'll do that because they have small children or they're about to have kids and they don't want their kids having too far to travel in the middle of the night to find them and their bedroom and they'll also want to be able to access say a baby's nursery for night feeding fairly easily as well. Other homeowners will want their own bedroom completely separate from their kids bedrooms and actually secluded from everywhere else in the house so it feels really private and separate and not part of the main movement of the house. So what do you think is going to suit you? You know one of the trickiest things can be thinking about what you need now versus what you might need in the future so I'm going to help you with that in a bit as we talk about design mistakes and tips as well. Now when you're thinking about flow within the room and immediately to the room as well consider this what do you see as you approach the master bedroom so as you're arriving at the door of the master bedroom and as you move into the room how do you move into the room and then around it again I'm going to talk more about design mistakes and tips to sort of explain what can go wrong and what you can do to get it right in these scenarios but I think for this room to feel luxurious it doesn't actually have to be big to do that it's really about not overstuffing it with furniture and making sure that the movement around the room feels spacious and generous. So think about as well what do you want to see and not see from within this room. Windows and doors openings can be positioned really to promote privacy within the room and allow views out and get natural light in but also prevent views in when you want to keep your room being private. If you have a think about high slot windows for example or using obscure glass in say an awning window or a louvered window so that you can control the views out particularly if your bedrooms being located on a side wall and your it's its its view is of the neighbour. Now let's dive into those three key mistakes that homeowners make. Mistake number one is forgetting the circulation space required in this bedroom. This happens when homeowners put an oversized bed in with a narrow space on either side of it and they'll forget that the bed will be bigger with bedding on it and it means that the whole room looks and feels small overall and what also goes wrong here is if you have on-sweets and walking robes that are being accessed from the bedroom and you don't leave enough wall space between any openings to put the bed head with bedside tables either side and you'll end up then actually squeezing the bed on a really narrow wall between door openings and it never feels spacious and relaxing because the bed's only just managing to make it there and you're constantly moving past it to get into these other rooms. I'm going to talk a bit more about how to arrange walk-in robes and on-sweets in association with your master bedroom as we talk about those spaces in episode six and seven so have a listen out for those but there's a few things to be aware of about how you access those rooms to make your master bedroom feel great as well. Mistake number two is actually arriving into the master bedroom either on the side of the bed or on the head of the bed and this is an instant spaciousness killer in a bedroom and particularly in your master bedroom because the bed in your master bedroom is usually the biggest bed in the house so don't arrange the entry into your master bedroom so that it has you actually walking in on the side of your bed or beside your headboard okay all the head of your bed because you'll actually cut off long views across the room or you'll create an immediate circulation challenge because you'll have to circumnavigate the bed to move in and around the room as you walk in the door to it. Mistake number three is not privatising the view into the room and I mentioned this briefly in flow but this becomes particularly relevant if your bedroom is located near your front door or it's part of the entry path into your home and as people move towards your living spaces we actually have this innate perception that master bedroom are a really private zone of our home and I don't know about you but it's not often that you're taken sort of into the master bedroom in friends homes unless you're actually on a specific tour so you know and they're deliberately showing you around so it's not a room that you just randomly walk into in and out of in a house you know that you're not living in and as visitors we generally consider this room off limits so to help this the way I like to design the way that the master bedroom is so that even with the door open you only get a glimpse of the room you don't get a full view of the room and I see this mistake being made where the master bedroom is located near the front door of the house and this work hasn't been done to design the room so that it privatises the view in and so what will happen is somebody will ring the doorbell and there'll be this scramble to close the door to the master bedroom before you answer the door to the visitor because you don't want them looking into your to your main bedroom so just have a think about how you can privatise the view into the room now here are three design tips to aim for in getting it right for your master bedroom design tip number one is to position the door into the room so that you see across the foot of the bed as you walk in so locating the door in alignment with how you will walk into the room and around the room so actually on the circulation pathway that will help you as you move as you move into the room help the room feel spacious and generous because those sight lines that you're getting from the door are actually the direction that you're moving in and they're not being cut off immediately by furniture sitting right in your way you know you want to actually look either past the bed past the foot of the bed or onto the bed alright which can then look lovely when it's all made up whether it's bed spread and and be on full display okay you don't want to be looking onto the side of the bed or even sort of onto their you know basically sneaking past the head of it it just changes the way that that bedroom immediately feels and how you feel in it design tip number two is to choose and design your lighting in your master bedroom for flexibility of use and so that you can turn it off from your bed now there's lots of ways to electrically light our master bedrooms and what I find is that we can overdo it or we can under cook it alright so you can have overhead lighting you can do pendant lighting and you can do bedside lamps or lights as well choose an arrangement of lighting that actually enables you to use your bedroom flexibly you need to think about the different scenarios that you might be using your bedroom for for reading or relaxing or as a retreat space as much as going to sleep at night and using the lighting to create those different moods and functions is really fantastic and of course this applies for any room room in your home but it was particularly useful in in your master bedroom and make sure that the last light that you need in your to basically climb into bed and perhaps read a book before bedtime or to just go straight to sleep or something else that that can be turned off from your pillow okay it just makes life so much easier to not have to get out of bed and turn the light off to then get back and stumble your way through the dark and then get back into bed okay now design tip number three is actually about the arrangement of bedrooms in your home generally and this is specifically for new parents or soon to be parents who are thinking about designing your new home or renovation and you're looking at putting all of the bedrooms together so that you're close to your little people at night and this is what I was talking about before when I was saying you know how you designed something for now and then anticipate how you might need it in the future and getting confused about what choices you should be making now remember that your kids are little for less time than their beak and when they're big you generally want privacy from them and you know this can be as soon as them being sort of four five six years old and that can feel like forever when you're either about to have a baby or you're in the trenches with newborns and toddlers who are in and out of your bed all night but as they start to be five and six years old they generally can be more independent in their rooms and particularly as they move into being you know 10 in their early teens and into teenage years it's actually much better for family living if your master bedroom is away from the kids bedrooms and it can even be on a different level this can really help making sure that you ensure that you've got acoustic privacy between their bedrooms and yours as well so don't think that they need to be next door to you or even on the same level you know plan for the longer term in your home and then see if there's ways that you can give yourself some flexibility for those early years so it might be making sure that you can fit a cot in your bedroom or perhaps that you've got a small study space or say a small little retreat space that's beside your bedroom that you can have a cot in in and a toddler bed in in those early years and then as the child gets old enough to move into their own room and away from you then that can become a different functional space in your home be it a retreat space or be it a study space for you now that's it for master bedrooms now remember I'm going to talk about bathrooms and on suites and also powder rooms in the next episode and then we're going to look at walking robes and wardrobes generally as well as linens, mud rooms and laundries in the episode after that okay so that's going to be episode six and episode seven so there's so much to learn when you're looking at how to get it right in each room of your home isn't there but I really hope that you're enjoying the journey of this season of the podcast and that you're finding it super helpful so until next time bye thank you so much for joining me here at get it right with undercover architect if you're wanting to learn more about how to design a home I've actually created a special five step e guide to get you started it's free and you can get your copy now it's called how to design a home five simple steps to getting it right and you can head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/homedesign to get your free copy emailed straight to your inbox and I'll put that link in the show notes if you've enjoyed listening to the podcast please head to iTunes and subscribe because that way then you'll be the first to know about new episodes and you'll also help others like you find out about this podcast I'd really love it if you could leave a review too please because it'll tell iTunes to share this podcast with other homeowners like you and if you have friends or family planning their future homes please let them know about the podcast as well everyone who is renovating or building can then get support in getting it right this has been Amelia Lay from undercover architect thank you for tuning in and for letting me bear your secret ally looking forward to next time bye