Many of us have that room, the one that never quite gets finished, never gets our full attention, until we look at our home with fresh eyes. For the owners of this Greenwood Village house, that moment came as they considered selling their home. Before making a decision, though, they realized they’d need to revamp their master suite—bedroom, bathroom, and closet—to make it brighter, lighter, and more appealing, either to them or to prospective buyers.

The master bedroom’s sitting area before. Designer Jodi Cook decorated the entire master suite with pieces the homeowners have collected during their extensive travels, including the zebra-hide rug and the European jewelry cabinet with cathedral inlay. Photo courtesy of Jodi Cook

In swooped interior designer Jodi Cook, who orchestrated the remodel to achieve the couple’s aesthetic goals without overhauling the entire layout. “The spaces are generous, and they had everything they needed; we just had to free it from 1995,” she laughs. To that end, Cook approached the bedroom’s design as a balancing act: The owners’ baroque-esque mirrors needed a tailored counterpoint, so Cook upholstered a classic tufted headboard in a menswear-inspired wool. Walnut floors sealed with a natural clear coat get a dose of softness from a tribal rug from Shaver-Ramsey. Across the room, furnishings in muted, textural fabrics—caramel-colored velvet on the sofa, a tan-and-white linen pinstripe on the chair, a zebra-hide rug—feel both elevated and comfortable, “making that sitting area a perfect spot to read the paper or have a conversation,” Cook says.

5280 Home February/March 2020
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After: A tufted Hickory Chair headboard upholstered in a masculine herringbone wool from Robert Allen complements the owners’ ornate mirrors. Visual Comfort crystal lamps with pleated silk shades sit atop side tables from Vanguard Furniture. The bench at the foot of the bed is upholstered in a black Schumacher performance velvet—perfect for giving the owners’ dogs a leg up as they hop into bed. Photo by Callie Hobbs
The master bedroom before. Photo courtesy of Jodi Cook

When she turned her focus to the bathroom, Cook made a smart recommendation to her clients: “If the layout works, work with it, because [that approach] saves a lot of money.” By keeping most of the plumbing where it was and refinishing the cabinets instead of buying new, more of the project’s budget could go to pretty finishes, such as new Thassos marble countertops, gorgeous Calacatta marble floors, and a mosaic tile installation (from Waterworks) over the tub. Because the space has an unusual, angular footprint, Cook skipped the wall sconces, which would have drawn attention to the room’s awkward shape. “We couldn’t get that pretty moment of symmetry,” she says. Instead, she kept the full mirror above the vanity and had an abundance of recessed can lights (on dimmers) installed overhead.

After: A slipper tub from Victoria & Albert is a feminine element in the reimagined master bathroom. Waterworks supplied all of the room’s plumbing fixtures and finishes, including the ceramic wall tile (which looks like marble) and the pretty mosaic tile installation. Photo by Callie Hobbs
The master bathroom before. Photo courtesy of Jodi Cook
By refinishing the existing cabinetry and topping it with elegant Thassos marble countertops, Cook gave a fresh look to the vanity while leaving room in the budget for luxurious bath fixtures and finishes. Photo by Callie Hobbs

Cook’s balancing act paid off. Not only does the master suite (with a spacious walk-in closet by Closet Factory) feel like a sanctuary, it also functions beautifully—so much so that the owners decided not to sell their home after all. We can’t say we blame them.

This article was originally published in 5280 Home February/March 2020.
Hilary Masell Oswald
Hilary Masell Oswald
As the former editor for two of 5280’s ancillary publications, Hilary Masell Oswald split her time between the vibrant design-and-architecture scene in the metro area for 5280 Home and the always-changing field of health for the annual 5280 Health.