Hilltop Estate Project: Primary Suite & Bath

Upstairs in the Hilltop Estate lives the primary suite, complete with a balcony and vaulted ceilings with white oak beams. On the walls, Shea and the design team employed the hues of Swiss Coffee by Dunn Edwards for a relaxed, warm white with creamy undertones.  

An off-centered floor plan introduced a design challenge—how to center the bed under the light fixture? “When the spaces on the sides of the bed are a little bit uneven, I like to do a nightstand on one side and a large chest of drawers or a desk on the opposite side,” Shea explains. “Instead of trying to do matching nightstands, we just leaned into the asymmetry.” With help from a stack of books, a task light on one side ends at the same height as a table lamp on the other side. This introduces some balance to an uneven space.   

The trick to bringing symmetry to asymmetrical side tables is aligning the height of the lamps.

DESIGN TIP

The bed in the primary suite is all about mixing patterns and textures. Soft linens and velvets adorn a custom canopy bed, upholstered in a striped blue and cream fabric. Tying in the blues but introducing a new bold, reddish orange hue is a pair of vintage block print pillow. “It added the punch we needed against the softer tones,” explains Shea.  

The primary bathroom is a “beautiful and calming space,” says Shea. In this project, the client loved a bit of glam, so Shea and the design team incorporated ornate paneling throughout the shell of the room. “When designing this bathroom, we wanted to add elegant touches. We started with smooth, limestone floors, [then it] was all about mixing creams and warm whites.” The vintage patterned rug incorporates tones of olive and blue. “It’s a nice pop against the creamy colors” in the room,” Shea explains.  Reeded drawer fronts and hardware with “coining” details—ridges carved into the edge of the metal—give the bathroom vanity an air of sophistication, finished with Calcutta marble countertops. 

Follow along as Shea leads us through the space live in webisode five, and enjoy every last snap of this one-of-a-kind primary suite below.