Pottery Barn's Design Crew Service Helped Me Create The Bedroom Of My Dreams

Being someone who spends more time on a flight than in my bed, the time for rest and relaxation is few and far in between. So when it came time for me to redesign my apartment, more specifically my bedroom, I knew I wanted to create a space that would give me a tranquil respite from the rest of the world. I also knew I would have to call in professional outside forces to help make that happen. See, with fashion month on my plate, I was guaranteed to be traveling for a full month with little to no time dedicated to designing my bedroom interior. As a result of timing, I was left at a bit of an impasse. Instead of pouring hours and hours scrolling through various sites and visiting endless stores in real life (do people still enjoy this?), I instead decided to phone a friend, a.k.a. the Pottery Barn team, who connected me directly with an expert from their Design Crew, a program that pairs customers with an interior professional to help guide their home vision. I had one very specific instruction for the team: “Please help bring my dream minimalist bedroom to life before I return from my travels.”

As the SVP of Fashion for BDG my priority is creating beautiful imagery in my work, so needless to say, I am very visually driven (not to mention a person with very specific taste). An hour was designated for the consultation, in which I took the time to explain what I was looking for — a very minimalist refresh. Specifically, I wanted to avoid bold, electric colors. Bright hues tend to give me energy and I really wanted my bedroom to be a restful space. Though I can appreciate maximalism in fashion and in the home, I truly wanted to create an environment that brought a feeling of true serenity without feeling physically empty or like a blank canvas.

Another priority was storage as a means to avoid any and all clutter. I own an obscene amount of clothing and shoes and I did not want any of it spilling out or visible at all. Other little details on my wishlist included a large mirror to open up the room and soft, plush bedding so that I could melt into my bed at night. The goal here was to create as calm and clean a space as possible.

My Design Goals

In that initial consultation, everything was discussed, from my preferred color palette and textures to the overall atmosphere I wanted to create in the physical space. Truthfully, I was nervous that the minimalist approach would read too barren and boring. To add some interest, I decided to include some of my favorite pieces of art from my travels and incorporate them as inspiration for the color story and mood of the room itself.

The Design Crew took note of the way my space was set up in order to best recommend everything from furniture to window treatments. I sent over photos to them of my bare space, had a few follow-up Zoom calls and we went back and forth a few times on the general creative direction of the project. As I mentioned before, being the visual person that I am, mood boards, swatches, and room plans that were shared during our consultations helped me see my vision materialize, even before anyone stepped foot into my bedroom.

Bringing My Vision To Life

Using artwork I sourced from Egypt during a girls trip as a point of reference, the Pottery Barn team and I focused on a more neutral color palette with earthy accents of tonal greens, rich browns, and gold.

One of the hardest decisions I made for the redesign involved choosing the right bed. I went a bit out of the box here, and chose a canopy frame which, for a New Yorker, can feel like a bit of an impractical selection (since NYC bedrooms are notoriously tiny). However, the large steel frame of the bed helped to break up the room a bit without making it feel smaller. It also reminded me of a similar frame I loved when I was on a long retreat with my boyfriend in Tulum — I’m dying to go back there.

To dress the bed, we went with Pottery Barn’s classic white cotton sheet set and linen bedding, both of which are Fair Trade Certified and meet strict social and environmental standards. These sustainable aspects of the bedding immediately sold me on it. The contrast of the strong steel of the frame panels and soft texture of the bedding added some dimension to the room. I also sprinkled in some much needed texture with additional throw blankets throughout the entire room.

The next big question I had was storage: How was I going to store all these damn shoes, jewels, and bags? I opted for the brand’s Linwood nightstands in a sleek dark wood finish. I loved that they complemented the darker tones of the steel bed frame and accent tones found in the artwork throughout the room. The pieces were placed at opposite sides of the bed, and I added velvet trays inside of the drawers for additional jewelry storage. For my bags, I chose Pottery Barn’s Cayman Collection mango-birch wood armoire and double dressers for my intimates and basics (t-shirts, thin sweaters, etc.). The light-colored wood of the furniture contrasted with the metal side panels, creating a clean and refined look. As one would assume, I dedicate quite a bit of space and storage to my clothing, and wanted to be certain to have pieces that remained easily accessible in dressers. The Cayman Collection armoire’s adjustable features helped me to organize my favorite bags in a manner that helped me quickly find what I need even on my busiest days.

Aside from my bed and the Egyptian artwork in my bedroom, my favorite selection made by the Pottery Barn team was the Gideon Upholstered Swivel Armchair. Being that I have quite a hectic schedule, it is imperative that I start and end each day with meditation to help center myself. The chair is where I sit to focus on my meditations as part of my daily spiritual routine. I also added my Louis Vuitton cream pillow to the chair as I love the hint of luxury and nod to my career. Like a true fashion girl I have books about luxury houses and travel sprinkled throughout the room to add a bit more interesting elements to the mix.

My Takeaways

The best part of this collaboration with the Pottery Barn Design Crew was working with a trustworthy team that took my needs and expectations and translated them perfectly into the final product. I would recommend this service to those who either do not have the time to source swatches, mood boards, or focus on overall design of rooms or maybe do not have an eye for design but know what aesthetic speaks to them personally. If you are going to go this route, have some general ideas in mind of your overall aesthetic and what your non-negotiables are for room design and functionality. Also, it’s important to release control. I know it can be difficult to let someone else take the reins (at least for someone like me) but the end result is so worth it.