Room of the Day: Classic Contrast in a Stylish Master Suite
A dynamic palette of black and white, infused with pattern, enlivens a new master suite in Seattle
“I absolutely love black and white,” says interior designer Barbara Hyde Evans. “Most designers do. We love contrast, and the ultimate contrast is black and white.” After tearing out two tiny attic rooms converted into bedrooms in her Seattle home, Evans added on a second story with a master suite, including bedroom, bath and office. Enlivening the simple color palette is an overscale black-and-white pattern used on the walls, ceilings, bedskirt and window treatments. “If I’m going to do it, I do it big,” she says.
Here’s a closer look at the lamps that launched the color palette and decor of the black-and-white master suite.
An antique chandelier and a French nightstand infuse the aesthetic with traditional charm.
An antique chandelier and a French nightstand infuse the aesthetic with traditional charm.
The contrast is carried into furnishings like this chair, upholstered in black fabric with white contrasts.
The white-painted trim around the windows, doors and ceilings is the same as on the lower level of house. “It’s important that the whole house flow and be cohesive,” Evans says.
The white-painted trim around the windows, doors and ceilings is the same as on the lower level of house. “It’s important that the whole house flow and be cohesive,” Evans says.
The bedroom and the office flow together. On the second-floor landing, the antique demilune table and mirror provide additional contrast with the more modern office chairs.
Evans designed the built-in bookshelves for the office. New support beams allowed for the 9½-foot ceilings, which are also downstairs.
Evans designed the built-in bookshelves for the office. New support beams allowed for the 9½-foot ceilings, which are also downstairs.
Charcoal walls contrast with the bright white doors and window trim, with the contrast softened by the Thibaut drapes.
“The office used to be my office away from the office,” Evans says, referring to her interior design business, which occupies the basement level of her home. “But now it’s John’s office.”
“The office used to be my office away from the office,” Evans says, referring to her interior design business, which occupies the basement level of her home. “But now it’s John’s office.”
Evans designed the custom double vanity based on French cabinetry she loves. The vanity is topped with Carrara marble.
For the backsplash, Evans used a simple 4-by-4-inch tile. “If I was going all out with Carrara, I decided I’d better go with these inexpensive tiles, which I placed in a pattern that made them more interesting.”
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For the backsplash, Evans used a simple 4-by-4-inch tile. “If I was going all out with Carrara, I decided I’d better go with these inexpensive tiles, which I placed in a pattern that made them more interesting.”
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Master Suite at a Glance
Who lives here: Designer Barbara Hyde Evans and her partner, John Easton
Location: Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle
Size: 650 square feet (60.4 square meters)
It all started during a trip to Palm Springs, California, where Evans also has an office. She found two black lamps with raised white polka dots at an antiques shop there. Those lamps, painted black, now flank the four-poster bed and provide a fun contrast with the more traditional yet large-scale pattern of Thibaut’s Louise wallpaper, bedskirt and window coverings. “I loved the scale of the pattern and the imagery,” she says. The addition’s new windows capture views of Lake Washington, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker and Husky Stadium.