Bryn Mawr in Full Bloom: Private Retreats & Practical Magic

With our earlier Bryn Mawr posts* setting the stage for bold pattern and playful color, we’re continuing our tour to some of the more private areas - where the magic continues! We'll be touring both private bedroom retreats and functional utility spaces during this installment, but they are all united in vibes: each room has a personality, every pattern tells a story, and every space was crafted to make the everyday feel a little extraordinary. Let's dive in! *Missed the first few? Catch up here! Intro | Kitchen/Family | Dining/Living | Entry/Game Room

One of the unique challenges of this home was the sheer amount of living rooms! (And what a problem to have!!) With four individual lounges in the home, it was important to make each feel purposeful, personal, and unique. Just beyond the living room is one of these spaces: a sun-filled sitting room on the way to the primary bedroom, with an exterior door leading to the pool.

This airy, light-filled space had a high ceiling and 3 walls of windows, surrounded by greenery from the yard beyond. It was also on a far-away wing of the house, connected only to the living room and primary suite. The family had used this as a general lounge area, but our clients had a wish to make it more private - a true parental retreat. Because of its relationship to the outdoors, the pool, and to the primary suite, it made sense to lean into the private "vacation" feel of the space. We wanted to embrace the feeling of a 3-seasons room or porch - a mini-escape within the home.

Before: Sitting Room

After: Sitting Room

The airiness of the space was accented with a wash of soft pink - a gentle kiss of color on the walls, keeping it bright without being stark white. With such a gentle color on the walls, we were able to play with more saturated hues on the furnishings and continued our tension between orange and blue. The fiery burnt orange velvet sofa was our standout color moment, upon which we layered botanical fabrics in softer colorways. We kept the rug neutral and natural, with a contrast trim in pink and blue for a surprise pop of color.

Leaning in to the vacation vibe, we opted for natural textures that felt more "beachy" - the woven indoor/outdoor rug, the twisted faux wicker lounge chair, and the white faux shagreen side tables. As with the rest of the home, handsome wood tones of walnut and burl help ground the bright color and bold pattern. Our clients had no need for drapery in this space - "If it's that bright, we'll be outside!" - so we left the large windows bare and let the view be the star of the show.

Here, you can see the view into the living room - from the right angle, you can see all the way into the family room, 4 rooms deep!

A small desk gives flexibility to WFH from the comfort of this private retreat. We chose a handsome walnut model in a dark stain to bring out the tones of the wood flooring - balanced by a beachy white & rattan chair with custom velvet seat. The cheerful vintage flower painting came already framed in an ornate gold frame - the perfect balance of whimsical and traditional.

Although there was an emphasis on making this space more private, we still wanted it to function well for the rare moments that the larger family wanted to gather. Between the generous sofa, luxurious floral chaise, and beachy lounge chair, there's enough space to host many while still feeling intimate - a private retreat for two, and the perfect prelude to the pool just outside its doors.

Custom built-in cabinetry, painted to match the walls, provides storage underneath the TV. The drawer millwork adds interest to an otherwise clean-lined piece.

The custom media console is topped with a durable quartz countertop - sturdy enough for houseplants, setting down a drink, or as a brief home for wet pool items

Just beyond the sitting room, the lush primary bedroom awaits. A previous overhaul by Warren Claytor Architects, including his-and-hers closets and a primary bathroom renovation, meant that we mostly focused on furnishings and finishes in this space.

How can you resist a room fully adorned in floor-to-ceiling florals?

Before: Primary Bedroom

When we learned that our clients' parents had once owned a flower shop, it inspired our direction for this room. The room itself wasn’t particularly bright, so we made the hollyhock wallpaper the anchor: a bright, bloom-filled design that envelops the space, bringing both depth and vibrancy. From this single element, we pulled our entire color story; not just for the bedroom, but for the entire home.

We were so grateful to have clients that were game for our boldest ideas! This hollyhock pattern was the perfect way to introduce many colors in a nuanced, layered manner.

To balance the busy floral wallpaper, we leaned on solid color. A scalloped bed was custom-made by our upholstery shop in a cobalt velvet, contrasted with a burnt orange cushion for the bench at the foot of the bed. We kept the bedding simple: crisp white linens with a blue contrast welt. The ceiling, moldings, and doors were painted with a soft blue, giving restful moments from the riot of blooms on the walls.

We found further consistency with the rest of the house through repeated elements like the jewelry-esque modern brass sconces and natural textures of burl & walnut

More pattern came in via the throw pillows...but can you blame us? (Leopard is a neutral anyway!)

Because of the previously improved closets, there was no need for dressers in this space. This left us room not only for a king bed, but for a separate sitting area with a pair of chairs and a small side table, perfect for starting off the day slowly with a cup of coffee.

Stripes and florals are natural bedfellows, so we used a dainty squiggle stripe on the drapery and reupholstered our clients' existing chairs in a softly undulating Kelly green stripe. Between the fresh new fabric and the newly exposed legs, the chairs are almost unrecognizable!

The durable indoor/outdoor rug also has a subtle stripe to add interest and dimension to the natural weave. We echoed the natural textures in the woven wood shades - blackout, of course, for more restful sleep!

From the floral-filled calm of the primary suite, we'll now journey to the 2nd floor of the home! Up here, our clients wanted to turn 3 bedrooms into 4, as well as to make layout changes to improve the access to the 2 bathrooms.

We borrowed space from ill-used linen closets in the hallway and shrunk a long bedroom to make room for an additional guest bedroom. The en-suite bathroom was changed to a jack-and-jill for the 3rd and 4th bedrooms, and we renovated and furnished both bathrooms and the new guest bedroom, leaving the remaining bedrooms to be furnished by the family's teenagers. (For more info on our schematic changes, please see our introductory post!)

Before > After: 2nd Floor Hallway

We debated opening the upstairs hall architecturally, but ultimately chose to keep the structure intact and instead “open” it visually with fresh paint and a lively runner. The new two-tone paint treatment — a ¾ split in layered blues - brightened and added dimension to what had formerly been a dark, door-filled corridor. (Extra lighting in this space helps to brighten it, as well!) A vintage rug ties in beautifully to the home’s overall color story, softening the space and linking the hall to the more playful palette in the bathroom beyond.

After: Hall Bath

One of the running themes in this project was “fun tile”, and the upstairs hall bath delivered it in full color! We designed a custom floor pattern in a truly delicious palette - pale rose, burnt orange, and off-white, paired with cabinetry in a Wyeth blue that makes the whole room sing. It’s one of our favorite color combinations in the house: joyful yet grounded, timeless but with a wink.

A playful café curtain provides privacy while still letting in plenty of light, pulling in colors from the flooring, cabinetry, and beyond. We balanced the saturated colors with a bright white tiled shower - accented with a burnt orange contrast stripe to keep it from being too neutral!

This bath needed to be hardworking - it serves two teenagers - but also charming enough to please both a boy and a girl. The biggest shift came from rethinking the layout for better flow and function, making the space feel larger and brighter. Every element was chosen for texture, durability, and personality. We're especially proud of the custom vanity we designed - although our cabinet maker might still be recovering from that curved apron sink detail!

After: Guest Bedroom

Before: Guest Bedroom

The guest room emerged from one large, underutilized space cleverly divided into three: a bedroom for the daughter, a Jack-and-Jill bath, and the guest room. For the guest room, our goal was to make it fun, comfortable, and just lively enough to make visitors feel welcome during short stays.

There's a lot of pattern in this space, and we played with scale to make sure they all got along: the large-scale playful ikat wallpaper, medium indigo pattered bedspread, and small-scale paisley-esque patterned drapes. Each pattern was united by their harmonious mix of green and blue. A subtle but energizing pop of coral in the bench cushion adds a little tension against the cool tones, giving the room personality without feeling over the top. A woven jute rug grounds the space, while stained wood and natural rattan elements balance the palette and tie together the textured layers.

A queen bed, generous closets, and a bench at the foot of the bed add comfort for guests.

We love to luxuriate in the little moments, adding detail that feels harmonious. For example, the beaded motif on the lamps echoes in the sweet pom trim of a throw pillow, bringing cohesion and thoughtful charm. Or, a solid green velvet headboard - one of the room's quieter moments - is united through pattern with the teeniest striped cord. Every element was curated or custom-made to create a guest room that’s as memorable as it is comfortable. Welcoming, layered, and uniquely vibrant. What's not to love?

After: Guest Bathroom

The golden rule for a windowless bathroom? Always, always wallpaper! In this Jack-and-Jill bath, we leaned into a serene watercolor chambray leaf paper, creating depth, movement, and a playful yet sophisticated connection to the guest room. The blue carries from the bedroom to the bathroom, with the floor featuring deep blue hex tiles that echo the wallpaper while grounding the space. The two connected rooms play well together, creating a pleasing view that is surprisingly calm, considering all of the pattern!

Functionally, the custom vanity provides ample storage for multiple users, ensuring the space is as practical as it is beautiful. We selected a lighter wood tone for this space to keep it bright and to tie in to the wood tones in the guest bedroom. Our goal was for this guest suite to be complementary, while having each room maintain its own personality - vibrant, layered, and designed to delight both teens and guests alike.

Traveling back downstairs, we're headed now to the "back" of the house, where the utilitarian laundry, mudroom, and back powder can be found just off of the kitchen. This is another example of making thoughtful layout choices to reclaim space. In this case, we were able to rework the floorplan to create a pantry, powder room, and stairwell to the bunk house in addition to the already existing laundry room, mudroom, and closet.

This is a suite of rooms united by flooring - in this case, with a custom plaid tile floor that exemplifies our "fun tile" theme! With a bustling family of 5, we knew that we wanted to go with the practicality of tile for the mudroom, which would be the family's primary entrance to the home. We wanted to go big here, and since we love plaid (have you seen those living room chairs?), it seemed like slam dunk for this space. The custom pattern was designed in tones of cobalt, peach, cream, and DEEP green. When having a big, bold moment like this, it's best to keep it consistent rather than breaking it up, so we carried this floor pattern through all 3 spaces.

After: Mudroom

We knew here that we had the chance to balance practicality with panache. Via custom coral cabinetry, we gave each family member a cubby for bags, coats, and other often-used belongings. The built-in has a durable quartz bench for pulling on shoes, with practical open storage beneath for the whole family's footwear. Each cubby has hooks, a basket, and stylish upper storage that conceals clutter with a brass mesh overlay. The coat closet opposite has ample storage for additional coats, cleaning supplies, sporting equipment...everything extra can be tucked away here for tidiness.

To add texture and durability, we installed 3/4 shiplap paneling on the walls, painted in a moody coral that ties into accents throughout the house. All exterior doors were upgraded and painted coral, as well. We made sure to leave room for a future stairwell - more on that in a later installment!

After: Laundry

The biggest request for the laundry was for lots of hanging space for athleisure - this is an active family, with lots of sporting garb that needs to be hung to dry. To accommodate, we added multiple custom drying racks, as well as a hanging rod above the sink. The laundry cabinetry was painted the home's signature cobalt, with modern lucite-and-brass hardware to make it feel special.

Even though this space was utilitarian, we wanted it to feel special. (To want to do laundry, you need all the motivation you can get!) We added pop-y acrylic artwork to the walls to brighten up the windowless space and make it feel more finished. Between the bright colors and the newly updated machines, we hope this family is finding laundry more enjoyable!

After: Back Powder

Our layout changed let us squeeze one more little powder room into the back of the home, making it much more convenient to take a bathroom break from the pool.

Previously nonexistent, the back powder was designed as a quick-stop bathroom for swimmers, keeping wet feet off of the main wood floors. The space is small but mighty, anchored by a custom oak vanity with "bobbin-adjacent"-style legs and a honed Carrara sink & splash. The playful ball motif is mirrored (😉) in the gold mirror above.

Natural textures in the roman shade and roman basket help ground the space and prevent it from feeling overly sweet. A pop of green and red Indian tulip wallpaper adds a touch of surprise and ties beautifully to the home’s broader color palette, making this tiny room a charming and functional retreat.

Opposite the powder room, a staircase beckons you to the bunk house - a secret little escape hidden above the garage. This new addition, with a lounge, bath, and two bedrooms, is a serene little world of its own, wrapped in a dreamy color palette inspired by the main home. And that's where we're headed to in the final chapter of Bryn Mawr in Full Bloom. We can’t wait to take you inside!

Bryn Mawr in Full Bloom

Part 1: Introduction 

Part 2: Kitchen & Family

Part 3: Dining & Living

Part 4: Entry & Game Room

Project Credits:

Photography: Stylish Productions

Build: Buono Construction Group

Plumbing & Appliances: Ferguson Home

Bunk House Architecture: Warren Claytor Architects

WCA also reworked the primary bedroom suite floorplan prior to Design Manifest's work on the property.

In this space, this includes new closets and a renovated primary bath.