How We Added an En Suite to This 1900’s Home

Early site visits of this whole-home renovation called for an addition that would include a new primary bedroom and bathroom. This would also require a main floor addition to support the new second-story footage. Balancing budget and scope can be tricky, and we knew the addition would absorb a good portion of the remodeling budget. Creative thinking had us consider a new layout on both levels and maximize the budget to extend to all existing floors, including the basement and attic spaces.

We recently published a blog on how we transformed the kitchen, Blending History with Modern Style, which includes material source links. Today, we will explore the primary bedroom and bathroom layouts.

The Floorplan, and How We Reimagined a New Layout

The existing second-floor layout included a sunroom, or bedroom three as listed on the plans. Not very functional with full windows on all three sides. Typical to these old homes, all four bedrooms shared a bathroom with a combined bathtub and shower.

Bedroom two became the main focus as the new ensuite bathroom and dedicated all existing closet space to bedroom four for a larger tween room.

Before and after layouts here. These are not the final plans, but early concepts we converted into a client-protected, set of final plans. Not shown here, we reduced the windows in bedroom three on the short walls for added furniture placement and privacy. The windows in the primary bedroom were all relocated for bed placement while replacing the entire home with all new windows.

Considerations We Made

It was important to keep the main bedrooms together on one floor with two young children in the home. Making sure each bedroom felt spacious enough, yet balancing the reality of an old city home (hence the resizing of bedroom two). A private bathroom and closet were a must for the primary suite as previously stated. Adding a laundry closet for accessibility was also on the wish list. Guest bedrooms and additional storage opportunities were maximized in other areas of the home.

Does This Home Have a Resale Factor?

We’re not real estate professionals, but we have a vision for space planning and what it takes to maximize a renovation budget with scope. It’s the heart of what we do in our business. High-use spaces such as a primary suite top the list, prioritizing customization, quality materials, double vanities, and free-standing bathtubs.

Modern aesthetics and energy-efficient amenities always prevail, while considering the needs of the local market. This home is in Minnesota, experiencing drastic temperature swings, so adding floor heat to the primary bathroom was a must.

The toilet closet, with a peek below, has a contrasting wallpaper pattern, satin brass door hardware knob, and textured zellige tile on the shower walls.

Custom Closet Design

Maximizing the closet space was essential to pull off this floor plan design. Walk-in capabilities with floor-to-ceiling storage, open cubbies, hanging opportunities, and closed storage are included in this design. Our custom cabinetry shop designed and built this closet, using a faux linen melamine design to elevate the space and tied it together with the bathroom using similar polished nickel hardware. Additional seasonal storage for this family lives in the newly finished attic space with more hanging storage.

Design Resources Revealed

The selections we used in the primary suite space are listed here:

Custom Cabinetry: Designed and built in-house, our cabinet team specializes in European frameless style cabinet design. This bathroom vanity has slab-style doors in rift white oak and a custom stain.

Countertops: Hanstone Quartz in Montauk

Cabinet Hardware: Rejuvenation Oval Knob and Square Backplate in Polished Nickel

Sconce Lighting: Melange Elongated Sconce

Bathtub Pendant Lighting: Kalini Double Drum Chandelier

Mirrors: Vintage Medicine Cabinet in Polished Nickel

Shower Wall Tile, Floor Tile: Zagora 4 x 4 Zellige Field Tile in Charcoal and Jeffrey Court 18 x 18 Classic Statuario Marble Floor Tile

Plumbing: Brizo Invari in Polished Nickel and Victoria and Albert Mozanno Bathtub.

Paint Colors: Walls Benjamin Moore Dove Wing, Millwork Benjamin Moore White Dove.

Wallpaper: Bobbi Beck Pitch, in Dark Green

If you’re eager to explore even more possibilities for enhancing your home, consider contacting our team to learn more about our design-and-build services.

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