Refined sensibility
For this brownstone master suite renovation, a study becomes a beautiful,
light-filled bathroom and the master bedroom is rebuilt and upgraded
These pages: This master suite
renovation by Matthew Baird
Architects with interior design by
JMorris Design included stripping
back walls in the bedroom for
soundproofing. The upgraded
space is finished in an exotic, hand
painted wallpaper. Soft furnishings
contribute to the refined aesthetic
– the bed cushions are finished in
Hermes fabrics while the Matteo bed
linen is teamed with a furry throw.
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Classic, character-rich brownstones present
enviable places to live, but as with most home
styles of earlier time periods, the attention paid
to bathrooms was pretty secondary. So when it
came time to renovate this traditional New York
home, the master bathroom was high on the list
of priorities of things to transform completely.
Matthew Baird Architects (MBA) with Bradley
Kaye as project architect took on this whole house
makeover with interior designer Jennifer Morris
involved in the choice of finishes and features.
The brownstone had good bones and many
intact details, including the stair from the first
floor to third, fireplaces, mouldings, stained
glass windows and lay lights, says Kaye.
“The owners had lived with the small, dated
existing bathroom for years. So one goal for the
renovation was to have an amazing bathroom.”
To achieve this, MBA turned an existing
study into the new master bath and connected
it to the master bedroom via a walk-in closet.
The bedroom was gutted and modernised
with sound-insulated walls and new lighting
and finishes. The room already had beautiful
stained glass windows and a fireplace before the
makeover and the interior designer worked with