Taking on a full gut reno of your own home is quite the feat. When the owners of a 1952 bungalow in Redondo Beach, California, did just that, they gave it their all. “But when it came to their bedroom, they were worn out and succumbed to using existing and old furniture and calling it a day,” says Dee Murphy. So they tapped the designer to devise a retreat that reflected the work they had done throughout the rest of the four-bedroom, three-bathroom home.

Tasked with creating a boutique hotel-level suite, Murphy went with a “California beachy but elevated vibe” since the home is located near the ocean. A McLaurin & Piercy wallpaper featuring a fern print in a midnight blue color sets the tone for the space. “This majestic blue reflects light differently throughout the day, and depending on where you sit and where the light hits,” Murphy says.

Murphy mixed modern pieces—a canopy bed from Shoppe Amber Interiors and nightstands by Made Goods—with vintage accents, like the oil painting above the bed, to give the room a fresh yet lived-in feel. “I really enjoy the tone-on-tone layers of blue you see in the wallpaper, vintage rug, and nightstands,” she says. “It’s a trick I use when layering textures if I want to create an environment of calm.”

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The lounge area, with a vintage chaise sourced from Elsie Green, was a top request from the homeowner, who wanted a zone for reading and watching TV. Murphy hired Seaworthy Woodwork to fashion white built-in bookcases with shelving lined with the same wallpaper that encompasses the rest of the room. The designer positioned the built-in across from the bed and lounge area to maximize storage and create more space for displaying decor and a Samsung Frame TV.

Now, the bedroom retreat reflects the rest of the home’s design—and it’s more functional.

Q&A

House Beautiful: Did you encounter any challenges or surprises during the project? How did you pivot?

Dee Murphy: Oh boy! A very memorable hiccup was that when the bed arrived, the headboard and posts were attached (written in very fine print on the website), and we couldn’t get it up the staircase. We had to reorder the bed, custom, to deliver it in smaller pieces, which added an additional four weeks to our timeline. I learned that this had happened to multiple designers, so I didn’t feel quite as bad, and thank goodness the client had a sense of humor about it.

HB: Where did the majority of the budget go?

DM: The majority of the budget went to the custom built-ins and the bed.

HB: How did you save money, DIY, or get crafty?

DM: Actually, we didn’t save any money. The homeowner really wanted to go all out and hired me for this room specifically!

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Associate Editor

Kelly Allen is the current Associate Editor at House Beautiful, where she covers design, pop culture, and travel for digital and the print magazine. She’s been with the team for nearly three years, attending industry events and covering a range of topics. When she’s not watching every new TV show and movie, she’s browsing vintage home stores, admiring hotel interiors, and wandering around New York City. She previously worked for Delish and Cosmopolitan. Follow her on Instagram.