Design Notebook | Married life is easier with separate suite spaces

DESIGN NOTEBOOK When a couple marries, merging styles presents an opportunity to create separate suites. BY DANIE DUNN Special to The Star

BY DANIE DUNN

Updated: 2012-02-19T01:16:07Z

When a couple get married, both tastes can be merged into a cohesive and cozy whole.

This Country Club Plaza estate has been a favorite design project of mine. When my client came into my studio a decade ago, we began our relationship with re-upholstery work for her home, containing charming Victorian furniture.

When she married and moved into a home with her husband, we had the opportunity to merge two distinct styles. We started the process by delegating his large brown leather “bachelor” furniture to the lower level for his man cave with a poker area, pool area and cigar room. Her antique furnishings, being more delicate, went to a bedroom suite for his daughters.Then we began the transformation of the master suite. The bedroom contains a mix of their tastes. The furniture contains deep walnut tones and is more masculine. More feminine design elements include silk draperies that frame the bed, tapestry pillows, an accordion-pleated dust skirt and damask-covered bench. The addition of a crystal chandelier adds to the splendor of the space. Other highlights include intricate parquetry, neoclassical pediments and flowing serpentine fronts combined with cabriole legs. The suite also contains a marble fireplace with a chaise lounge and a lamp to create a cozy place to read.But the other four rooms in the suite, not pictured, reflect the pair’s separate tastes and interests. I find that when married couples have the space in their home to do so, separate bathrooms and dressing rooms can be a blessing. The halves will most certainly get along better to create a happier whole.We converted a seldom-used sunroom into a gentleman’s area, a combination office and closet. The built-in closets resemble furniture. A leather chair and desk complete the room.Her bath includes the original opulent hardware, decorative molding and sconces . She personalized her dressing area space by adding wallpaper and window treatments.

Reach Danie Dunn, owner of Danie Dunn Designs, 1801 Westport Road, at daniedunndesign@yahoo.com.

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Design Notebook | Married life is easier with separate suite spaces