Designing a Modern Master Bedroom in Chicago


Most of the time you’ll find us decorating our own homes here on The DIY Playbook. But since things are a little slow on the home front (more on that here), we agreed to help some friends design their master bedroom.

Casey’s brother (Ryan) and his girlfriend (Sarah) recently moved into a GORGEOUS condo in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago. Saying this condo is gorgeous is actually an understatement. It’s a stunner and is huge! 4 bedrooms, 3 bedrooms, and an outdoor rooftop deck that is about the size of one of our homes (no joke!).

Photo from MLS Listing
Photo from MLS Listing
Photo from MLS Listing
Photo from MLS Listing

They’ve got a lot of areas to decorate, but we decided to help them with their master bedroom first. When you’re first moving into a new space it’s easy to want to get all of the spots that people see done & checked off your list first. But we think it’s important to have a relaxing and calming bedroom to return to at night, when you’re knee-deep in the stress of decorating a new home. So that’s why we’re starting in their boudoir.

Here are some of the photos we took of the space before they moved in…

ryans-bedroom-4ryans-bedroom-3ryans-bedroom-5

Quite the blank canvas, right? Such a large space just ready for some furniture and personality.

After seeing the space, we started looking online for inspiration. Here are a few rooms that we’re loving and hope to emulate. (Clearly we have a love for the work by Studio McGee…)

Photo via Studio Mcgee
Photo via Studio Mcgee
studio-mcgee-promontory-project
Photo via Studio Mcgee
Photo via Studio McGee
Photo via Studio Mcgee

Now onto our design gameplan. Ryan & Sarah are planning to paint the walls a medium gray (still haven’t chosen the exact paint color), and have neutral blinds being installed over the large window (gotta have something to keep the sun out in the morning!)

As for furniture, they already purchased this 4-poster bed from Restoration Hardware. It’s a showstopper and will be the focal point of the space. Other than that though, they need to buy all of the other pieces for the bedroom. Here’s what we recommend…

Modern_Neutral_Bedroom_Mood_board.53 PM

Paint Color, Benjamin Moore “Stonington Gray” //ย 4-poster canopy bed (one above is similar) // Leather Bench // Rug // White Duvetย // Nightstand // Floor Mirror // Faux Fiddle // White Pillow // Black Pillow // Striped Pillow

We are loving the vibe of this mood board. It’s a great mix of masculine and feminine, which is perfect for this young couple. We tried to keep things pretty sleek and modern, considering the architecture of the condo. We are also excited to add some vintage details with the accessories in the space. However, we don’t want to include too much “stuff” as this space might work best with a hint of minimalism.


Ryan & Sarah are excited about the potential for the master bedroom. They’ve already ordered some of the furniture pieces we recommended, so hopefully this space will start to take shape soon. We will definitely keep you updated along the way as we transform this master bedroom in the heart of Chicago.

Bridget&Casey


The Year of Casey

Hey there!

Iโ€™m Casey Finn, the voice behind The DIY Playbook. I’m a Chicago gal teaching you how to design, DIY, and maintain your home…by yourself! Learn more about me right here.