Suzanne Dimma shares the story behind her master bedroom renovation.
Honestly, this whole project started because I wanted a king-size bed. When I bought this three-storey Victorian in 2001, the second floor was split in two: a bedroom with big bathroom, and a separate rental suite with private entrance (each accessed by its own staircase). I was single and didn’t need the extra space, so I gave the apartment a coat of Benjamin Moore’s Cloud White and rented it as is.
When I met my husband, designer Arriz Hassam, our needs for the space changed. In 2003, the tenant moved out, and we turned the unit into an office and den, where we could work at night or hang out and watch TV (it also made an amazing guest suite!). We spent a lot of time up here, but it was a hassle to have to use the front staircase — and I started imagining taking a sledgehammer to the wall dividing the spaces and daydreaming about that king-size bed, which was just a bit too big for our bedroom.
Finally, in spring 2014, we were ready to rework the second floor. The entire thing is now a wonderful retreat comprised of our principal bedroom, two walk-in closets and two bathrooms (with a guest room on the third floor). I love how open and flexible the space is, so hopefully our needs won’t change again any time soon!