Today, I am introducing you to a beautiful new client project that has been a year in the making. It involves a really fun and stylish lady, her two super cute kids, a new two-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn that gets ALL THE LIGHT and even has in-apartment washer and dryer AND a private patio (WTF?!), and a new start in life. This client project is a true collaborative effort and I’m so excited to be working on it. Together, we’re dubbing it #BrooklynReboot. Here is an introduction to the Brooklyn client project, starting with the master bedroom.

So why has this project taken a year to come to fruition? Well, that’s kind of a long story, but essentially the lady originally asked me to help with her master bedroom in a previous home and then, when she decided to make life changes – hence the name #BrooklynReboot, she had to find a new apartment and then finally found this one. These are the real estate photos. See how much light it gets?!

So we’ve been working together for the past couple of months to get her settled into her new apartment since she was mostly starting from scratch. Minus a wooden wardrobe and artwork (we’ll get to that in a minute because her artwork idea is awesome), and maybe a rug or two, she was moving in with nothing. Cue the package delivery galore!

The #BrooklynReboot project entails the following:

• Creating a master bedroom that would make her feel like she has a space that’s truly her own, a lady’s retreat
• Outfitting an entire main living space, living and dining room and a little bit of the kitchen
• Providing ideas for the bathroom as well as kids’ bedroom, although they are the true designers of that room and I’ll just provide guidance when asked
• Leaving the artwork to the client as she had plenty that she was bringing, including using Framebridge to frame her kids’ drawings and other pieces to place all over the apartment. When she told me this idea, I got SO EXCITED. I love this idea so much. I don’t talk about artwork much on this blog because I am by no means an expert, but my one strong feeling about artwork is that it needs to look, feel or at least be truly personal. She is knocking it out of the park by framing her kids’ work. LOVE IT.

She originally told me her budget was about $5,000 and could go up for the entire apartment, which is a great budget. I don’t think you need to spend that much in order to create a beautiful space that reflects you, but if you have that kind of money to spend, that means you get to choose a few really spectacular pieces that may otherwise be slightly out of budget.

I started with the master bedroom because, well, she needed a place to sleep! I already knew that she was getting a Saatva mattress and that she had a narrow, vintage wooden nightstand that she was bringing with her. Other than that, I had free reign. I took cues from some inspiration photos that she and I had been sharing that conveyed the feeling, color scheme and design aesthetic that she had for the entire apartment. Here are a few of those images:

Photographer: Chad Mellon / Stylist: Melanie Burstin

Photo from Happy Satchels

Art Prints Vicky on Etsy

House Tour in Architectural Digest / Photos by Tessa Neustadt

Here’s what I took away from the images that she had Pinned on Pinterest, which led me to finding more inspiration images: she wanted a comfortable vibe, sparse in decor but not boring, mostly a gray/white/cream color palette, a mixture of modern and contemporary design, likes color but that shouldn’t be the focus. In terms of the emotional takeaway, I read these images and others as she wants to walk in her door and be able to inhale and exhale deeply and feel like this is her escape. So, my approach to that was to give her what she was asking for but also to show her that there are more ways than one to achieve that feeling.

There was a lot of discussion and back-and-forth so it’s not as if I just pooped out these design directions, but here is essentially what I designed for her bedroom. This room is for serenity, peacefulness and decluttering. A few things to note:

• All have masculine and feminine elements in a mixed modern/contemporary design.
• All feature an upholstered bed with storage and the wooden end table she already had. None feature a dresser because I hate any room that feels cluttered and there isn’t enough space here.
• I didn’t include artwork because she already has plenty that we can use so I wanted to decide on a design direction first and then decide which artwork fits best in the space.
• There are some things that can mix and match between options.

Design Option 1

The first option has a global feel to it, with neutral colors and natural materials. The nightstand that she already has is the one on the left and I found one with a wood tone and minimal detail that would look good with it. I can’t say enough how much I am feelin’ those curtains and rug. Also, that lamp is beautiful.

West Elm nightstand no longer available / mirror / bed / rug / curtain rod and curtains, no longer available / lamp / quilt /gray pillows / white shams (similar here)

Design Option 2

For this option, I based the design off of a rug that she already had. It has a more geometric feel to it because of the rug and patterns and color blocking to play off that. I would say this design is the most masculine of the three with the shape of the lamp giving that touch of femininity. I chose that lamp as she had one like it so this could serve as the lamp for the other nightstand.

nightstand from World Market, no longer available / mirror / rug / bed / curtain rod /curtains from West Elm, no longer available / lamp /  lamp shade / bolster pillow, similar here / pillows from Crate & Barrel, no longer available / quilt

Design Option 3

The third option is the most feminine, with curves and other details. Also, that lamp is delicious. That mirror is something I’ve been looking at for a while now. I love curves. I love something simple that also makes a statement. Each of these are small details that make a beautiful statement.

bed / rug / nightstand / curtain rod (no longer available) / curtains / lamp from West Elm, no longer available / mirror from West Elm, no longer available / pillow shams / throw pillows / quilt (similar here)

After I showed this to her, her response was everything I could ever dream of: she said I soooo get her, and she loved them all, and then couldn’t decide which one she wanted. I just loved hearing all of this, but also was so happy that #BrooklynReboot was getting a great new start.

So, which one did she end up going with? Well, after first responding “#2 all the way,” she then settled on #1.

The project has had some changes since we first started and so much stuff is already coming together and it’s all looking fantastic. Stay tuned for an introduction post on her main living space and other areas, and progress posts and final reveals.

Which option would you have chosen? Sound off below.

To see other client projects, visit here and here. To work together, email regine@The256Project.com.