Renovating a Queenslander: The master bedroom, dressing room and ensuite

In the original cottage, the master bedroom was located beside the front door with a very simple built-in cupboard and extensive termite damage on the exterior eastern wall. Upon embarking on our renovation, we decided to move the master bedroom into the old lounge room so as to make best use of the closed in verandah to put a dressing room and ensuite. The old lounge was a very narrow room so we had to push out the old exterior wall by some 20cm to gain a bit of extra space and make the enclosed verandah a bit narrow. Changing the roofline wasn't an option due to cost and aesthetics, so the master bedroom gained a sloped section of roof, which I think adds character, down to the newly installed but second-hand multi-paned french doors. Size-wise, it's not the biggest bedroom, but the multi-pane french doors leading onto the front deck, and the large opening to the dressing room, hopefully appear to make the room bigger.

We made a conscious decision to put in a different style of french doors on the front of the house. They are the only french doors on this side of the house and given there was no window in the master bedroom, we wanted to maximise the amount of light entering the room. Just as well, sanding back multi-pane lights and all that edging is a long and slow process as is the process of repainting it! We also decided not to add doors to the dressing room but instead make a large archway that would allow the light from the dressing room window to give some brightness and character to the master bedroom. I've always wanted a window seat, so this was the perfect spot to put one under the window and we're very happy with the result!

The other major change to this part of the house was to the flooring. Where the ceiling slopes down, the floorboards had been decking boards that were both a different level (slightly lower), a different direction, and different timber (with more gaps in it). As it wasn't a large space, we used floorboards from the old kitchen to make the boards all the same. The spotted gum, blackbutt and ironbark floors, which had never been painted before, came up a treat and we had just enough to do the dressing room with the purchase of some second hand boards from a local salvage yard.

The dressing room is a relatively simple design. While I actually prefer free-standing furniture, the limited size of the dressing room meant that built-in's were really the best way to maximise the available storage space. We also wanted to include a window in the design to avoid having a dark room - even though it meant sacrificing valuable hanging space. The room is only 1.6m wide so there is not much storage on the bedroom side wall, but plenty of opportunity for creative storage options such as hanging objects of hooks etc. There is also a lovely leadlight porthole window on the deck facing wall that gives extra light and character and is very similar to the porthole window in the front door. The drawers provide lots of storage though I think an amoire in the bedroom is on the cards!

The ensuite is adjacent to the dressing room - after all, who wants to see the toilet from the bedroom! It is a good sized ensuite that fits a shower panel, pedestal sink and toilet and has a nice reclaimed casement window. The encaustic tiles give the ensuite it's "wow" factor - for us anyway. Having an ensuite isn't really in keeping with a traditional Queenslander layout - but hey, who wants a master bedroom without one these days! I've included a few pics below but if you're after details, check out my other posts.

As you can see from the pictures below, it was quite a transformation of space!

Details are as follows:

Curtain rods, rings, holdbacks and curtains (Pottery Barn Australia: Standard square finial drape rod, small clip rings and standard holdback - pewter finish)
Hallway arch (see post on mouldings)
Ensuite fittings and tiles (see post on bathrooms and tiles)
Dressing room door / drawer handles, 152mm (Emporia Victoria: Porcelain handles with chrome base)
Various internal and external doors and window (reclaimed, sourced from Gumtree and eBay)