Drawing the Line on Master Suite Remodeling

One of the biggest questions when remodeling or creating a master bedroom suite often is where to draw the line. Expanding into adjacent spaces literally comes at a price. It’s important to ask yourselves. What is the resale impact from eliminating a small, unused bedroom? Will we achieve the right storage space where we need it? Will the new floor plan’s traffic flow and sight lines make sense?

This master project, which we recently completed in Anoka, illustrates a number of carefully considered choices. The old suite’s bathroom was too small and broken up and failed to take advantage of the scenic Mississippi River view. “There wasn’t even a place to put a scale on the floor,” the owner recalled. The suite also lacked a must-have walk-in closet, and furniture encroached on the sleeping area.

Call it robbing Peter to pay Paul, but Tomco Company managed to achieve all of the clients’ needs by simply reallocating the space and reorienting the new fixtures. In the process, we also enhanced the home’s universal design/aging in place appeal.

Start in the hall

We started by redesigning the tight, L-shaped hall to incorporate master bedroom and home office doors on clipped corners. A small bedroom was repurposed into a large master bedroom closet and a small home office. Meanwhile, the bathroom expanded into the old closet area to create a bigger space that features a larger shower, double vanity and more discrete toilet. We also incorporated built-in storage cabinets to eliminate bedroom furniture and make better use of a hall wall. And a slight expansion of the main bathroom made it more functional and beautiful.

Custom doors envisioned by the client played a leading role in the distinctive design. Narrow French doors were used for the walk-in closet and the office. The closet door features mirrored glass panels, while the office entry employs clear glass panels to spread natural light.

Before

After