House in Green
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My Plan for the Perfect Guest Suite: A Bathroom Renovation, Bedroom Window Treatments, and a Lush, Latex Mattress…

StickPretty bathroom renovation, bedroom window treatments

What do the perfect bathroom renovation, gorgeous bedroom window treatments, and a luxe latex mattress have in common? They are the stuff my waking dreams of the perfect night’s sleep are made of…

It also happens to be the how-to plan for the transformation of my personal guest suite in my dearest friend’s newly acquired Vermont farmhouse. My goal is a bathroom renovation that turns every surface as soothing as the bedroom window treatments are soft and the mattress is restful… but first let’s talk about the spectacular new real estate acquisition.

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The 1850s saltbox with period friendly additions, otherwise known as my dream home and by ‘my’ I mean that my bestie grabbed a house that I turned her onto so we could have it in ‘the family’ so she’s giving me ownership by proxy, is absolutely divine. I don’t know if it’s the plethora of cozy bedrooms and picture windows, or the endless apple trees and peony bushes that can surely supply endless June weddings that I love most, but my friend and her husband agreed it was an opportunity they could not let pass them by.

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The 66 acres of rolling hills nestled unassumingly in a valley halfway between a popular ski resort and what I’m certain is not a village but a Hallmark movie set boast morels, trout, and wild berries that would leave any occupants little reason to ever leave the property for sustenance or otherwise. I’m grateful to be the beneficiary of such abundance.

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And I’m just as over the moon that, as a reward, favor, and simple kindness I’ve been given my pick of en suite guest bedroom to call my own. And, even better, I have been given free rein to decorate the space as I see fit, ensuring the most glorious of nights’ sleep for me, and any other guest lucky enough to stay in my soporific palace.

I’m a huge sucker for older houses. The architectural details, the worn-down bits, the patinated surfaces and, yes, even the smells… they all work to create a giant hug that feels like my idea of a home, and this grand Vermonter is no exception. There are few changes I will request but, as is often the case with older abodes, the bathroom needs a bit of help, updating, streamlining. And, of course, keeping in mind that the most important objective for the guest suite changes is a restful and rejuvenating nights’ sleep it is absolutely essential to marry a relaxing bedtime with a successful bedtime.

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For the bathroom renovation, I want to strip it down to its elemental best—clean, simple, and practically empty. We’ll begin by de-pinking it and covering the walls with white shiplap. In place of the shower we’ll install a stand alone Boffi tub to create the claw foot experience for the 21st century. We’ll rip out all of those white cabinets and bring in just a few teak benches for storage, coupling them with a wood wash basin that will perfectly match the existing mirrors.

Hale Hollow Stickpretty bedroom window treatmentsHale Hollow Stickpretty bedroom window treatments

Without a doubt, what makes me feel most comfortably ‘tucked into a bedroom for a night of rest are the window treatments. And this requires a certain degree of fussiness—the list for the bedroom window treatments will be only slightly shorter than the whole of the inventory for the new bathroom. We’ll have sheers, black-out shades, puddled French blue silk damask paneled curtains with pullbacks, and matching roman blinds. If it sounds fussy it is—controlling light is one of the best paths to relaxation.

And then the mattress will be my final request, and it will be of the latex variety. A new convert to the wonderful world of latex and, more specifically to the Greek company Coco-Mat, who has mastered the organic night’s sleep, I will never buy any other material for myself, nor would I recommend any other option.

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Happy Days… and Nights! Me on my first Coco-Mat organic mattress.

The material somehow manages to conform, comfort, and support in equal measure. You do not feel like you are lost in a too soft pillow top, nor do you feel the heat that comes from many of the foam materials, and as someone with a bad back I speak with experience when I say there is no better support than latex.

I have dreamt it, and soon I will live it—my dream night’s sleep in ‘my’ new country home.

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