Kimberly Stern Alistair Tutton (above); James Maidhof (right)

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If there’s any room in the house that deserves sanctuary status, it’s the master bedroom.

Imagine coming home after a long day to a lush, romantic bedroom that evokes relaxation and comfort, restoration and renewal — essential requirements to counter the everyday chaos and conglomeration of work, errands, children and activities. And as we cozy in for a long Midwestern winter, a personal retreat becomes even more desirable to create balance, quiet the soul and frame a sane perspective of life.

Kansas City artists and interior designers agree that a bedroom can awaken the five senses and ultimately provide an escape filled with delicious colors, sensual textures, ambient lighting, pleasing scents and carefully selected accessories. The style of the room — contemporary, traditional or eclectic — isn’t the key to a successfully executed romantic bedroom; rather, it’s the color and fabrics that ultimately set the room’s personality. It’s easy to transform a bedroom into a haven perfect for meditation, contemplation and sweet dreams; in fact, Lawrence-based artist Terre Wood looks no further than natural surroundings to create a spectacular space that appeals to the senses, but also has nuances of mystery and imagination.

“Nature inspires and complements my creative process,” Terre says, “and allows me to establish spiritual spaces that have a Zen-like quality.” Terre, owner of Olde World Rose and a certified aroma therapist, subscribes to the notion that when old neighborhoods and houses are in disrepair or replaced by new homes, much of the character and charm in how we live everyday life is compromised. Her 1869 home exudes the inner personality of an artist strongly driven to capture serenity, and her bedroom is a stunning tapestry of natural and organic materials, plaster walls and tactile fabrics.

Terre’s dreamy bedroom is punctuated by a fireplace flanked by two trees cast from clay that appear to be growing from the floor into the ceiling, adding an alluring component to the room. In addition, the walls and ceilings are textured in dramatic colors; the bed is piled with soft, plush linens; and the lighting is subtle. The whole space resonates with nurturing, healing and recharging — exactly what Terre intended.

The sense of smell is addressed with essential oils sprayed on bed linens, candles and diffusers. Even the sense of taste is accommodated by a bowl filled with dark chocolates. “What man or woman doesn’t like a nip of chocolate?” Terre asks. The artist also believes that the ideal home is a place to feel happy, empowered and uninhibited. “If you can’t be who you truly are in your home, and especially your bedroom, you’re probably not achieving your design objectives,” she comments.

Electronics don’t have a place in Terre’s bedroom. “I want a peaceful environment that emulates a peaceful energy. If a television is in the bedroom, first think about the room’s intention; if it must stay, enclose it in an antique armoire with nurtured wood, or throw a beautiful cloth or shawl over it,” she suggests.

Edgevale Interiors owner Becky Mosby, Allied Member ASID, incorporates her philosophy of color into every design project: When it comes to creating an oh-so-romantic bedroom, warm colors reign. “A bedroom should never be a cool color, like a gray or icy blue,” Becky says. “Color is our mood center and dictates how we feel, so it’s imperative that a bedroom have a satisfying palette.” She leans toward combinations of tans, yellows, golds, corals and greens for an inviting bedroom hideaway. However, if a cool color must be used, Becky recommends offsetting it by pairing elements of colors like corals and deep browns.
Becky says a well-dressed bed layered with luscious linens and comforters and topped with plump pillows is an irresistible invitation to relax. She also suggests soft window treatments in a romantic bedroom to lessen the hard edges of shutters and blinds. “Hang a pair of beautiful sheers or flowing, rich fabric to create an illusion of luxurious simplicity,” she says, adding that even large suites can be appropriately downsized with the proper use of color and texture.  

Floors deserve special attention when creating a romantic bedroom, and while Becky prefers carpet, she says hardwoods can be cushioned by thick, soft rugs like antique Orientals or sheepskins. “Touch is so important in design, and that includes when our feet hit the floor in the morning,” Becky observes. She also encourages clients not to over-accessorize, especially in the bedroom, saying, “it’s a room where you want to be able to easily navigate, whether it’s putting a glass of water on your bedside table or settling into a sitting area.” She adds that the bedroom should be a bit more utilitarian than the social rooms of the house, with a striking assemblage of furnishings and decor as the centerpiece.

Keely Hardinger, a designer with Madden-McFarland Interiors, concurs that the color of the bedroom should be derived from nature. “I like those found in a roaring campfire,” she says, “like deep chocolate, brown, warm chestnut, burnt orange and spa blue.” Frequently, romantic bedrooms are dismissed by men as “frilly” — but Keely says the theme can be carried out with understated elegance, with a caramel-like color running throughout the room’s design. “Men definitely relate to the outdoors,” she notes.

One aspect of the romantic bedroom that’s often overlooked is the ceiling. Keely likes to apply a painted or wall-papered finish overhead to complete a space. “This works especially well on ceilings with insets,” she says. She also leans toward upholstered headboards and a judicious mix of textures and prints of fabrics, such as linen, cotton, silk and mohair. “Any fabric that feels good to touch is the perfect addition to a romantically inclined bedroom design,” she says.

Becky and Keely recommend using antique mirrors in the bedroom to create light and softness, and dimmers to enhance mood lighting. “Proper ambient lighting is crucial in the bedroom,” Keely says. Becky likes to layer light with different intensities and often adds wall sconces that uplight to many client projects because “they create terrific lighting by casting shadows upward.”

Homeowners Toye and Joseph Palazola live in a genuine Queen Anne Victorian home in eastern Kansas City and have achieved a level of tranquility in their master bedroom suite that incorporates the philosophies of Terre, Becky and Keely.  The home, built in 1887, has been in the Palazola family since 1934 and has undergone a room-by-room restoration for the past eight years. The couple’s vision for the master bedroom suite was one of Old World elegance that incorporated casual romance imbued with modern-day amenities. 

Toye says their romantic bedroom is calm, serene and pleasantly comforting. “Plus, it indulges the senses, especially on a cold, wintry night,” she remarks. When they embarked on the ambitious project, the Palazolas were careful to combine the original architecture with family treasures, antique finds and cherished personal collections from travels and local artists. The result is a study in Victorian history, ranging from an 1890s chandelier, custom-designed two-toned swagged and tasseled silk draperies, a late 19th-century Venetian mirror over the fireplace and heirloom furniture with soft, intricate wood curves.

The faux treatment on the walls was inspired by the restoration of Kansas City’s Union Station. “We chose a pale yellow for the walls, ceiling and mouldings, applied a washing technique and then a glazing with prominent but uneven brush strokes,” Toye recalls. The plaster walls add depth and subtle color changes, and Toye says the final look is sophisticated and stylish with a touch of Old World ambience.

Toye and Joseph agree that romance is an attitude. “When it comes to creating a romantic bedroom, it’s about pampering yourself,” Toye says. “It’s achieved when you’re able to relax and escape whatever is going on outside those walls.” And indeed, the perfect romantic bedroom plays host to its world-weary inhabitants with grace and ease.