Master planning

More and more, ensuite bathrooms are becoming an embedded part of master bedroom design.

Where once there was a wall or door dividing the area where you start your day to the one where you prepare to face the world, with many new builds, there is less separation than ever before. Often, privacy within the context of your own master bedroom isn’t a huge priority. And just like in an open-plan kitchen, living and dining area, by having fewer barriers, you and your partner can enjoy the many benefits of having greater flow of traffic and natural light. But without so many walls, you will need to choose a colour scheme that you can roll out across both areas in order to get a seamless, cohesive look.

Olive green is one of the hottest colours around, and hues like Resene Waiouru can be easily found in every home décor shop. That makes it easy to find things like bedlinens, cushions, throws and towels to coordinate with a master bedroom and ensuite paint palette where olive green is the hero hue. It also makes a chic choice to team with a classic black like Resene Nero and blackened whites like Resene Eighth Black White and Resene Double Merino. Bringing in just a hint of Resene Burnt Crimson, which sits almost directly across from Resene Waiouru on the colour wheel, has the right level of smokiness to it to be a successful complementary pairing without the worry of creating a ‘christmassy’ effect.

In this sophisticated space, the deliciously saturated Resene Waiouru headboard wall oozes earthy yet refined charm and effectively grounds the space. But rather than take the colour all the way from floor to ceiling in the ensuite, the colour drenches the lower half of the wall while Resene Eighth Black White on the upper half of the wall helps to reflect more light onto your face as you’re looking in the mirror to do your hair or apply your makeup. The floor in Resene Black White also reflects light upward, which has an uplifting effect and balances the darker wall colour.

Accents in Resene Nero – a deep black with hints of inky blue undertones – provide further contrast and add depth to the door, towel rack, wooden bathmat, artwork and small accessories while pinging off the colour of the bedside table, mirror frame and sink basin. To increase this effect, paint a checkerboard border in the bathroom above where the Resene Waiouru lower wall meets the Resene Eighth Black White upper wall. Not only are checkerboard designs extremely on trend, but the paint effect will create a clear focal point within the ensuite area in the same way that the shelf and artwork add a focal point above the bed.

As a finishing touch, opting for brass accents for faucets and doorknobs as well as a few tiny accessories painted in Resene Burnt Crimson such as candleholders or bud vases will bring a dash of glamour to your space. If red doesn’t speak to you, other alternative options include golden tussock yellows like Resene Pirate Gold, chartreuse greens like Resene Gimblet or lilacs like Resene London Hue. Remember, even just a little of these colours will go a long way and it could just be as simple as picking up one or two Resene testpots in the accent colour of your choice and using them to paint objects you already own rather than hunting out something new in just the right hue. Plus, you can easily paint over them again and again anytime that you want to give your master bedroom and ensuite a fresh new look.

Project by Melle van Sambeek. Photography by Bryce Carleton. 2022