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Best Bedroom 2023 Winner

The designer of the winning bedroom set out to brighten and modernize a primary bedroom and to reconfigure furniture placement to allow room for a lounge area.

by Tessa Cooper

Jun 2023

Photos by Watson Media House, Bruno NobreOne way Fernanda Edwards, interior designer at GMI Design Group, added some color to the room was by choosing a bed frame upholstered in velvet mustard yellow fabric, which also complements the gold tones in the room.

Winning Designer

Fernanda Edwards, GMI Design Group

Project Goal Summary

To brighten and modernize a primary bedroom and to reconfigure furniture placement to allow room for a lounge area.

Designing a bedroom from scratch in a modern new build is impressive in its own right. However, reimagining an existing space takes an innate ability to see past visual distractions.

The latter scenario was the requirement for this primary bedroom, which underwent a complete transformation under the direction of Fernanda Edwards, lead interior designer at GMI Design Group. The bedroom hadn’t been updated since the 1980s, and the homeowners described it as “dated” and “dark.” The couple wanted this space to feel like a spacious, relaxing and modern-eclectic retreat.

To solve the lack-of-light issue, Edwards suggested increasing the window size from four feet tall to five and a half feet tall. The room instantly felt more open and bright. She then chose warm off-white paint for the walls and greige carpeting that would reflect the new abundance of natural light rather than dark colors that would absorb it.

However, the ceiling tray was one place she did decide to go dark with charcoal paint. The dark color creates further visual space and contrasts against the gold "fandelier," which is a ceiling fan cleverly disguised as a chandelier.

Photos by Watson Media House, Bruno NobreOriginally, this wall was the only space available to put a bed. Edwards suggested making changes to the closet layout, which opened up wall space to relocate the bed. This alteration made room for the sofa without increasing square footage.

“This family wanted a timeless space, but they also wanted a pop of color,” Edwards says. “There are things in the room that you’re definitely not going to change often, and one of those things is the carpet and another is the light fixtures. So it was important for me to create a neutral palette and then bring in pops of color in other ways.”

When it came to making the bedroom feel like a sanctuary for escaping daily stressors, Edwards did some creative layout rearranging to make room for a lounge area with a full-sized sofa and coffee table. The newly added fireplace further leans into this concept, which features a marble-looking façade that is actually large-scale porcelain tile. The couple also wanted a TV, and adding this corner fireplace created an opportune spot to hang one above the mantel. “[The fireplace] added another level of warmth and mood,” Edwards says. “It’s nice to just go in and sit in a little sunny area surrounded by a fireplace and watch a movie.”