Five- Star Redo

Interior Design by Ann Prince Interiors | Story by Terri Glazer | Photography by Ross Group Creative

Memphis designer Ann Prince gives clients the luxury of a fine hotel at home.

“This couple travels all the time; it’s their favorite thing to do. They love to stay in fine hotels and so they decided it was time for their own master suite to feel like one of those hotels. They wanted it to be something that is timeless and unique,” recalls local interior designer Ann Prince. 

Once Prince had her marching orders, she went about planning a complete redo of the master bedroom and bath in the Chickasaw Gardens home. The suite had been redecorated about a decade ago and was beginning to look dated and tired. Prince set out to give the spaces a look that would better stand the test of time. It’s a concept she feels should be the bedrock of any remodeling project. She shares, “My number one tip is that a bathroom should be timeless and classic. Kitchens and bathrooms are what sell a house, but they can also date a house. Choose the hard elements, the tile and fixtures, that will translate through anything else you do in the room.”

The time-honored beauty of Prince’s design is a testament to this idea. The master suite, with its elegant lines, seems on one hand as though it could have been original to the 1950s-era home, however, it’s just as fresh and relevant today as it would have been then.

“It’s really easy to get into the tile store when you’ve been looking at magazines and you want to pick that latest, greatest thing. I say, proceed with caution! Choose something that’s pretty and will stand the test of time,” she advises, noting that a bathroom redo is a major undertaking that most homeowners aren’t likely to do more than once. Getting it right the first time is crucial.

That’s not to say a look can’t be revised in the future. “You can change the wallpaper and art, but it’s still going to have that classic foundation,” says Prince. In fact, she admits to being a big fan of wallpaper. “It’s instant gratification; it can transform a space in a day!”

This project shows just how transformative wallpaper can be. The large master bedroom, formerly painted yellow, was somewhat nondescript, according to Prince. She and the client fell in love with an elegant gray-patterned wallpaper from Cole and Son. They chose it and paired it with coral tones found in the artwork used as inspiration in the room. The paper gives the room depth, while a bed hanging placed behind the upholstered headboard create structure, a focal point on a blank wall to anchor the bed. 

Prince turned to Leontine Linens in New Orleans for luxurious bedding to rival that in any world-class hotel. “This company only does full custom bedding, so you work with one of their representatives and you select all the material, all the threading, the specific colors, the monogram style–everything is custom,” she explains. The soft gray and white palette of the walls and linens get a bright accent from cheerful coral tones in bedside drapes and the monogrammed bolster pillow.

The clients wanted to be able to read in bed, so Prince chose a pair of swing-arm lamps. She completed the bedside lighting with a graceful table lamp on each nightstand, though, because the scale of the room called for something more substantial. The tall ceramic lamps provide a warm glow to the room, while the swing-arms are more task oriented. 

A window-front nook gives the homeowners another cozy spot for reading or relaxing. A pair of wing chairs, a pedestal table and a skirted ottoman fill the alcove. The chairs prove the point that even a total redo doesn't have to mean everything has to be purchased new. “The client had those chairs; they were inherited from a family member,” says the designer. “We had local decorative artist Jeniffer Church paint the wood and we reupholstered them with a fabulous velvet from Galbraith and Paul.” The upholstered headboard was also an existing piece Prince had redone. 

Adjacent to the bedroom, the master bath retains its original L-shaped layout. “The clients loved the footprint of the bathroom. They didn’t feel like they needed to add on or reconfigure it in any way, so we truly just took everything down to the studs and then put new finishes on,” says Prince. 

Here, it was the sophisticated marble floor tile that inspired the rest of the design choices. Primarily carrara marble, the crema marfil accents influenced Prince’s selection of hardware in brassy tones. Even small details like doorknobs and cabinet handles received thoughtful attention; styled in glass and brass, the accents add a little sparkle to the room’s refined air. 

Prince used wallpaper again in the master bath, and the results are stunning. With a lavender background and gold flecks, the pattern adds instant interest and a bit of reflectivity. 

The room features his-and-hers vanities; “his” is topped with a round mirror that repeats the circle pattern of the floor tile. “The clients already had that mirror—it was stored in a closet so we resurrected it,” Prince says. “It was a happy find!” 

Next to “her” vanity Prince created an elegant dressing table. “We couldn’t find a table the size that we wanted so we had one built and Jeniffer Church also painted it, playing off the mirrored finish of the bedside tables in the master bedroom,” she says. A freestanding mirror mounted close to the tabletop gives the illusion that the two pieces are one, while a cute stool reprises the bedroom’s colors with its cheery coral fabric. “The client sits there every day and puts on her makeup, so it’s a nice place for her to be able to have a moment,” Prince says.

Thanks to the vision of a talented designer, these homeowners who love to travel no longer need to board a plane to experience the five-star luxury of a top hotel. Prince’s inspired work ensures there’s no place like home for the comfort and beauty they so love.